What to Eat in Pangong Tso Today?

What is on the menu

Menus at the lake are short. Expect noodle soups, dumplings, rice with dal and vegetables, and instant noodles. Many camps serve set dinners and breakfasts to their guests, so ask what is included when you book.

Thukpa

Thukpa is a noodle soup with vegetables, and sometimes meat, in a hot broth. It is the most useful meal at Pangong: filling, warming and easy to digest when altitude has taken away your appetite. Lukung and Spangmik kitchens both serve it.

Momos

Momos are steamed dumplings filled with vegetables or meat, served with a chilli sauce. Order the vegetable ones if you are unsure how fresh the meat is this far from town.

Tingmo

Tingmo is a soft, steamed bread, twisted into a spiral, eaten with a vegetable or meat stew. It is plain and mild, which suits a tired stomach.

Butter tea

Gur-gur cha is tea churned with butter and salt. It tastes more like a thin soup than tea, and many visitors find it strange at first. Ladakhis drink it through the day for warmth. Try it at least once, perhaps at Chang La.

Maggi and chai

A bowl of masala Maggi and a glass of sweet milky chai are the standard stop at every roadside stall between Leh and the lake.

Eating at altitude

Your appetite drops at 4,300 m. Eat small, regular meals rather than one large one, and drink plenty of water. Skip alcohol while you are at the lake; it makes altitude sickness worse and dehydrates you. Carry snacks such as dried apricots, nuts and biscuits from Leh for the drive.

Vegetarian food

Vegetarian food is easy to find. Most camp kitchens cook both, and dal, rice and vegetable dishes are always on the list.

For the kitchens themselves, see where to eat.