Lowland Staple · Steamed Maize Grits
Kharang
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For generations this cracked corn, not rice, was the everyday plate across eastern Bhutan — and it's now being deliberately revived after decades of losing ground to imported rice.
Dried maize kernels are pounded and cracked into coarse grits, then steamed until fluffy, similar to how rice is cooked elsewhere in Bhutan. It's dished up alongside spicy pork or chili stews at markets and homes across Mongar and Trashigang, where farmers still sell fresh kharang along the highway.
Why it's made this way: Eastern Bhutan's lower, warmer valleys favor maize over the rice paddies of the west, so kharang became the region's practical everyday staple — though it was pushed aside as rice imports grew cheaper, prompting a recent local push to bring it back to the table.
Roughly what's in it
280kcal
7gprotein
58gcarbs
3gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
More from Bhutan
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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