Tara Cucumber Salad

Uttara Sarkar Crees from Tara Gallery Cafe and Bar shares her Tara Cucumber Salad, a sweet and sour salad with a touch of crunch.

Ingredients
1 Chinese long cucumber
1/2 tea spoon soya sauce
1/2 tea spoon vinegar
1/2 tea spoon sesame
1 tea spoon roasted peanuts crumbled
pinch salt
pinch sugar
quarter cup coriander leaves (optional)
crushed garlic (optional)
pinch chili powder

Directions
Wash the cucumber well and slice into half and scoop out the watery seeds. cut into 1 inch pieces. Put the cucumber into a shallow serving dish.

Pour the soya, vinegar, and add sugar, garlic and salt. Let it rest 10 minutes and add sesame, peanuts and coriander leaves. When serving just turn the cucumbers and dressing lightly.

History of Tara Gallery Cafe and Bar
Tara Gallery Cafe and Bar has been conceived in an ancient Tibeto Naxi building (Number 29) which was a small trading house belonging to a Tibetan landlord in the year of 1950. The building was in a bad shape with one of the rammed earth walls sloping away from the building and the wooden main structure needing extensive repair. Where necessary, each old wooden pillar, panel and floor boards was dismantled, carefully cleaned and repaired and put back in its original place and it took almost 6 months to carefully and fully repair it and give it back its original splendor. The building faces the original cobble stone mule caravan route of the famous Tea caravan route through Dukezhong old town and the apple blossoms of the hill on top of which is located Ta Fo Si temple . The building has a charming room that probably served as a the trading houses’ office or shop and is complete with original secret storing chambers and simple lovely carved wooden alcoves. We have kept the ancient rammed earth walls exposed to showcase its beauty and durability! The ancient kitchen is renovated exactly as it was but with a new cast iron fireplace. Upstairs there is a wonderful chamber room with the ancient bed in a recessed alcove, rumored to be that of the mistress. The roof was repaired with special layers of waterproofing and the original shingles cleaned and turned in the traditional manner. The new kitchen roof was built to match the old.

The building number 29 is surrounded by other historical houses in the old town – to name a few – Number 73, built in the Qing dynasty as a special inn for caravan traders; Number 107 and 108 home of a famous businessman in the old town; Diansaika house , which was originally used to control the market and settle trading disputes and was manned 24 hours and also used to store official archives and for ringing fire alarms; Building Number 49 , the Tibetan Go ( Tibetan Chess) house, Building Number 16, or Xiajugangda which used to serve as the stage coach station, now an artists studio, Building number 66, one of Gyalthang or Shangrila’s fine typical architectural structures combining Tibetan and Han building styles and the wooden beams still have sanskrit and frescoes preserved; Building Number 74 was originally owned by Chen Yannian , another famous businessman and is constructed using elements of Han, Tibetan, Bai and Naxi techniques. Abu Family home, near the entry to the old town is another example of a fine old residence.

Lanes descend from the central hill of the old town towards north to the Sifang entry square of the old town or Sifang sqare; East to the Dukedzong Monastery and the Museums in the East and to the ancient gates in the west and south.

Originally consisting of 63 households, where 68 different handicrafts were practiced, Dukedzong old town became a multicultural business center as trading flourished with neighboring regions and business Meeting halls were created such as Naxi Meeting hall, Bai Meeting hall and Shanxi Meeting hall and Gyalthang (Shangrila) became an important staging point for caravans with trading extending between Tibet, Southern Yunnan, Burma and India. Gyalthang is also an important starting point for pilgrimages to sacred Mount Kawakarpo, the second most important mountain for pilgrimages and is the southern most outpost of Kham culture.

Tara Gallery cafe will present exhibitions of ancient and modern art as well as exhibits relating to local and regional life and environment. With its location overlooking Tafo Si and the apple orchards and its serene atmosphere, we hope to convey the essence of Shangrila.

The small specially and personally created cuisine selection is healthful and has the flavors of the local and distant lands that Gyalthang caravans traded with in the past and continues to have ties with at present.