Shopan/ Joqeṣ̌ - A Traditional Dish from Gilgit-Baltistan

Shopan/Joqeṣ̌ – A Traditional Dish from Gilgit-Baltistan

Shopan/joqeṣ̌ is a traditional dish from Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly prepared on the occasion of Nasalo/Nos (a celebration marking the death of the cannibal king, Shari Badat). In Scotland, a similar dish called Haggis is considered their national dish.

Ingredients Required:

• Stomach of sheep/goat or secum of cow/ox
• Minced meat (fatty meat gives a richer taste) for filling – 500g to 1kg (some people prepare it with buckwheat flour)
• Salt to taste
• Crushed red chili
• Coriander
• Mint
• Water (for boiling)
• 3 medium-sized onions
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Two chopsticks and thread (to seal the stomach/secum)

How to Make the Filling:

1. Take a bowl and add the minced meat.
2. Add salt, crushed red chili, chopped onions, mint, and coriander. Mix the ingredients well.

How to Fill:

1. Clean the stomach or secum carefully and thoroughly. To remove any unpleasant smell, marinate it with lemon juice or vinegar overnight.
2. Fill one-third of the stomach or secum with the prepared mixture.
3. Use chopsticks and thread to securely sew the stomach/secum.

How to Cook:

1. Take a deep pan and boil water with added salt.
2. Once the water starts boiling, place the prepared shopan/joqeṣ̌ into the pan.
3. Cook for three hours, adding water if needed.
4. Once cooked, drain the water into a bowl.
5. Serve the shopan/joqeṣ̌ in a dish.

For serving, cut the shopan into pieces and enjoy it with plain rice or homemade wheat bread. In Scotland, Haggis is typically served with mashed potatoes.

Preservation and Variations:

Once cooked, shopan/joqeṣ̌ is often preserved for family members who live far from home.

The filling of this dish has two variations:

• If the filling is made with a buckwheat mixture, it is called joqeṣ̌.
• If the filling is made with meat and spices, it is called shopan.

The name may vary across different regions of Gilgit-Baltistan, as the area has more than seven languages. These particular names are in the Ṣ̌īnā language.

The buckwheat mixture for joqeṣ̌ requires similar ingredients and follows the same procedure as making gittey.