What to Eat in Auli Today?

Garhwali food, briefly

Garhwal's cooking is built for cold weather and short growing seasons. It uses mustard oil, local lentils, leafy greens and small seeds such as jakhya, a wild mustard-like spice, and roasted hemp seed. Meals are plain, filling and mostly vegetarian.

Dishes to look for

• Kafuli: spinach and fenugreek greens cooked down and thickened with a little rice paste or gram flour. It is often called the state dish of Uttarakhand. Eat it with rice or rotis.
• Phaanu: soaked mixed lentils ground and slow-cooked into a thick stew. It takes time to make, so ask in the morning if you want it at dinner.
• Aloo ke gutke: boiled potato cubes fried in mustard oil with chilli, cumin and jakhya. It is the snack you are most likely to find at a tea stall.
• Bal mithai and singori: two sweets from the Kumaon hills to the south-east, made with browned milk solids. Sweet shops in Joshimath are the likeliest place to find them; stock in Auli itself is patchy.

Where to find it

Garhwali dishes are not on every menu. The GMVN restaurant on the slopes and some hotel kitchens cook them, especially if you ask ahead. Homestays are the best bet for a proper home-style meal. In Joshimath you will find more choice, from thali places to sweet shops. See the where to eat page for the listed places.

Eating on the slopes

Stalls near the slopes sell tea, instant noodles, pakoras and boiled eggs in season. In winter, hot tea and soup are what you will want between runs. Carry water and snacks on the walk to Gurson Bugyal, as there is little or nothing on the way.

Practical notes

Most kitchens in Auli close early in the evening, and some shut in the quiet months. Eat by about 8 pm, or arrange dinner with your hotel. Cash is useful, as network signal for card and UPI payments can drop in bad weather. Drink only bottled, boiled or filtered water.