No Bhutanese meal is complete without rice. For breakfast it might be made into thuep, a type of porridge with meat and cheese. An unusual red rice that is cultivated in Bhutan is found nowhere else to my knowledge. Another significant grain is buckwheat, principal crop in Bumthang, a village in the central part of the country. Buckwheat dough is used in a number of dishes, notably Bumthang putta, buckwheat noodles tossed with egg strips, scallion, and tomato, and hapai hantue, buckwheat dumplings filled with bok choy and poppy seeds.
Family meals are flexible and simple.
Because many of the Bhutanese are farmers, families share the responsibilities of the household during the busy seasons. The women might orchestrate the meals, but everyone cooks. A typical midday or evening meal would include tshoem, a rich stew served with rice and often accompanied by a simple fried egg dish. Her Royal Highness, Ashi Wangchuck, The Queen Mother, very generously offered her guidance and the assistance of the royal chef, Choeda. Here they add zest to a mellow pork and noodle combination.