Hoentey – The Taste of Lomba Hoentay is a delicacy of Haa, traditionally made with buckwheat and filled with a savoury mixture of vegetables, cheese, chilli and local spices. In Haa, hoentay is traditionally enjoyed around Lomba, the traditional New Year celebration, when families come together to prepare this special dish and welcome the new year. Making hoentay is a family affair. The work is shared around the kitchen: someone prepares the vegetables and lom, another mixes the filling, while the dough is rolled and the little dumplings are shaped by hand. Children often join in too, learning by watching their elders and making their own first, sometimes rather uneven, hoentay. There is conversation, laughter and the occasional debate over whose hoentay is the best shaped. Once the hoenteys are steamed, they are served hot with ezay (spicy chilli paste). It is a simple dish, but one that carries the warmth of home and the feeling of Lomba—a time when families gather, cook together and share food as they welcome another year. Ingredients For the filling Minced turnip Dried lom (spinach) Cottage cheese Butter and oil Minced fresh chilli or chilli powder Thingay (sichuan pepper) Salt Pounded zimtsey (perilla seeds) For the dough Buckwheat flour Plain flour Warm water Method Prepare the lom: Place the dried lom in boiling water and cook until tender. Drain well and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop finely. Prepare the vegetables: Boil the