Food · Sillery Gaon
Squash, gundruk and pickles in a Sillery kitchen
Eat what the hill families eat: rice, dal, squash and its shoots, mustard greens, gundruk soup in winter and fiery chilli pickles, cooked on a wood or gas stove in your host's kitchen.
Homestay meals in Sillery Gaon are hill home cooking, made from what grows around the house. Dinner is usually rice, dal, a vegetable such as squash (iskus) or potato, a leafy green, and a pickle: tomato, radish or the small, very hot round chillies called dalle khursani. Chicken or eggs come on request.
Seasons change the table. In spring and the monsoon, tender squash shoots and ningro fern tips appear; in winter, gundruk, leafy greens fermented and sun-dried after the autumn harvest, goes into a sour soup. Breakfast is often puri with potato curry, bread and eggs, or noodles. Butter tea or milk tea is always on offer.
Ask to sit in the kitchen while the meal is cooked; it is the warmest room in the house on a winter evening. Tell your hosts in advance if you do not eat meat, eggs or very spicy food. Taste the dalle khursani pickle with care.
Cost: Included with homestay
Questions people ask
Good to know
What food do Sillery Gaon homestays serve?
Home-cooked Nepali food: rice, dal, seasonal vegetables such as squash and its shoots, greens, pickles, eggs, and chicken on request. Breakfast is often puri-sabzi, bread and eggs or noodles. Meals are usually included in the rate of ₹1,400–2,200 per person.
What is dalle khursani?
Dalle khursani is a small, round, very hot chilli grown in the Darjeeling and Sikkim hills, often made into a pickle. A little goes a long way. Try a tiny piece with rice before you take more.
Can homestays in Sillery Gaon cater for vegetarians?
Yes, easily. Most daily meals are vegetarian, with dal, vegetables and pickles; meat and eggs are extras. Tell your hosts in advance about restrictions such as no eggs, onion or garlic.
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