Dhindo or Dhido

Dhindo or dhido is simply a thick porridge or mush, made by cooking stone-ground cornmeal, millet flour or buckwheat flour with salt and water.

Have you ever tried an exotic food of Nepal ?? If not than food lovers you are missing something. As all country have their own exotic dishes, we have Dhindo as one of the exotic dish. It's a dish that Nepalese enjoy alot. People love it because it is cheap, easy to make, nutritious and can be enjoyed with whole family as it is a common taste of all people.

Dhindo or Dhido is pronounced as "dhee-dough" as it is made with dough and butter. It has been a staple food of most rural and middle mountain-area people of Nepal, especially in dry areas where rice or wheat corps are difficult to grow. People in these areas often eat Dhindo where other foods are difficult to grow.

Nepalese saying,

People who eat Dhindo are mentally and physically strong.

Dhindo or Dhido can be served with any kind of side dish as it goes well with anything. But most of the preferable side dish that can be served are :

• Vegetable curry
• Yogurt
• Chicken curry
• Soup of Gundruk(preserved pickle leafy vegetable)
• Soup of Sisnu

Gundruk-Dhindo is the most common combination served in farming communities. Both contain nutrition and easy to find. But I prefer to have Dhindo or Dhido with either chicken curry or Sisnu.

Traditional dhindo meals are served on typical Nepali round plates called thaal made of stainless steel or brass with small bowls. Nepalese people who do hard physical labor consume enormous amounts of this nutritious meal. It is very common to see a large mounds of Dindo served in the middle of thaal accompanied by side dishes in small portions. It is eaten with the right hand by first scooping up or tearing small bite-size pieces of dhindo with your fingers, then dipping or rolling into the sauce before you put in your mouth. It is a Nepali tradition to always wash hands prior to eating and after the meal. Dhindo should be eaten steaming hot, right after cooking since it hardens once it cools.

How to make Dhindo or Dhido ??

Here are the some steps that are used in my home,

• Bring 4 cups of water and the salt to boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat.
• Once the water is boiled, pour the flour and stirred it slowly, steady stream with the left hand, while mixing vigorously and constantly with the right hand.
• Mix well until well-combined, making sure there are no lumps in the mix. Constant stirring will avoid any lumps.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue stirring until it have thick texture, and the mixture has lost its grainy texture.
• The mixture should be moist, neither runny, nor dry.
• Dhindo is ready when the porridge starts separating from the side of the pan
• Remove from heat, stir in clarified butter, and whisk until mixed well. Pour steaming dhindo directly onto the plate or thaal and eat piping hot.

These are the steps that are followed while making Dhindo. You can make side dishes before making it because it taste good when it is hot. Not long ago it was rarley found in fancy restaurant but now you can find it anywhere around the Nepal as many people prefer it because it delicious, high nutrition and cheap. In my opinion it should be introduced around the world

Here is the link how you can make the Dhindo or Dhido,

Thank you and hope you enjoyed it.