Prof. Jana Fortier

Brief Bio

Jana Fortier is a Himalayan specialist at the University of California, San Diego in the Department of Anthropology and in the School of Global Policy and Strategy where she teaches courses on sustainability issues and heritage preservation. Her expertise centers around the resilience of communities facing threats to their language and culture. She has spent several years of research in Nepal and India resulting in numerous articles and two books. The book 'Kings of the Forest: The cultural resilience of Himalayan hunter-gatherers’ (U. of Hawai’i Press) portrays the life of highly endangered hunter-gatherers, and ‘A Comparative Dictionary of Raute and Rawat’ (Harvard Univ. Press) documents their Sino-Tibetan languages. She received her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Anthropology with a concentration in South Asian Studies and her research has been funded by numerous agencies including the Wenner-Gren Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Fulbright Foundation. Now located in San Diego, she also advises government agencies such as the City of San Diego, the Department of the Navy, and the California Dept. of Transportation on public folk arts, sustainable development of local cultures, and preserving traditional cultural properties. She is currently working on an book concerning environmental knowledge and practices among indigenous communities.

Drying millet and flower seeds from the Navdanya Farm in Uttarakhand, India

Growing up in Minnesota, my first experience with South Asian spices was using cardamom and cinnamon. My Great-Grandma Jensina used to sprinkle these delicious spices on lefse and other Scandanavian treats. After going to Nepal for graduate research, I grew to love the dal-bhat lentils and rice meals of my hosts, the Karki family. Mrs. Karki taught me how to make foods such as roti bread and achaar pickles while my friend Kamala Gharti taught me how to weed the fields and make raksi. Since then, I've continued working with families in other parts of the Himalayas and learned to enjoy a wider variety of dishes. During a recent visit, the Navdanya farm workers in Uttarakhand, India taught me about the importance of saving high quality seeds which you can see drying in the image to the right.

Fried Beaten Rice (Chiura/Chura/Poha)Here is my version of Fried Chiura or Beaten Rice. Beaten rice is regular rice that has been squeezed and flattened. Ingredients2 cups Beaten/Flattened Rice Flakes, thick variety (Poha)1 teaspoon mustard seeds, ground1 teaspoon cumin seeds1 medium onion, diced1/4 teaspoon turmeric powderFew curry leaves (optional, may add a bay leaf or 1 tsp lemon juice instead)1-2 green chilli (red or black pepper optional)~ 3 tsp. oil for stir-frying
Preparation*Rinse the rice flakes, squeeze handfuls of rice to lose the excess water and place aside in a bowl*Heat a fry pan with oil*Fry mustard seeds and cumin*Add onion, turmeric, chilli, curry leaves; fry till onion is soft*Add rice and gently mix*Season with salt (black pepper optional)*Add an egg by dropping in at the end and stir-frying it into the cooked rice mixture (optional)

Here's a link to delicious recipe for fried beaten rice (chiuri, chura, poha) with potatoes

Lentil (Dal) Stew

Dal is typically served over rice and often accompanied with curd and pickles. Here's a version with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon which I like to make. Ingredients1/2 c. lentils (masur/red lentils)1 c. water1 onion, chopped1/2 in. ginger1/2 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp chili/red pepper1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp coriander seeds, ground1/4 tsp cloves1/4 tsp cinnamon1/4 tsp cardamom1/4 tsp black pepper1/2-1 tsp. Lemon juice or 2 lemon leaves3 tbsp oil or ghee Optional garnishes1-2 red or green chilis, fine slivers1 tomato, chopped garnish 1 tbsp. onion, fine slivers1 tbsp. coriander leaves *wash & soak dal for a few minutes*drain water and boil lentils in salt water (~1 c.)*grind all spices together except salt & onion *fry onion till soft*add spice paste & fry for a few minutes*add spices to cooked lentils*stir and let spices settle into lentils before serving*Cook until mushy!Serve hot for 4 people with rice or rolls.

Lemon Pickle (Kāgati-ko Achār)

Lemon Pickle (Kāgati-ko Achār) Recipe

Here's my favorite quick lemon pickle recipe.Ingredients1 bowl quartered lemons (about 1kg.)1/3 - 1/2 cup Salt3/4-1 cup Sugar1/4c. - 1/3 cup Red pepper flakes1/3 -1/2 cup Ginger, strips2 oz. Water1/3 cup Mustard, toasted & ground1/4 cup Fenugreek, toasted & ground~2-3tbsp Oil (mustard or other)1-2 tbsp. Pepper, green, diced (optional)Glass jars w/ lid *Add lemon and 2 tbsp salt to heated pan; bring to boil & simmer 10min.*Carefully spoon lemon bits into another bowl, leaving the juice*Add sugar into boiling juice*add pepper flakes and ginger; boil for a few minutes till it thickens a little*turn off heat and mix in mustard & fenugreek*add this mixture to the lemons in the bowl*add oil *add green pepper (optional)*let rest and thicken for 20min*put into very clean glass jars. You can microwave for 1 minute to kill any germs*Use only a clean dry spoon when serving pickle. Otherwise, it will get watery.

Sometimes paneer 'fresh cheese' makes a meal richer and more satisfying. I make paneer to add to stir-fried greens and peas for the vegetable dishes known as sag paneer and muttar paneer. Check out a simple method for making fresh cheese with the video (right). Remember to use whole milk. Most varieties of whole milk will be fine to use except do not use highly pasteurized milk (which is usually labelled as highly pasteurized milk).

My Interests are Many!

Since I've been a working anthropologist and an ethnographer for a long time, I've developed a fair number of professional interests. Some of these include the following: Heritage studiesFood StudiesEcology & EthnoscienceSupporting Himalayan Language & CultureCultural MaterialismHuman Foraging studiesHerbalism & Natural Health

Here we are making fermented vegetables and pickles with the help of Nepalese friends here in San Diego. Here, Prof. Padam Lal Devkota and Mrs. Devkota are teaching me how to make both dried fermented radish (Mula-ko Gundruk) and Radish pickle (Mula-ko Achār). It was a simple process since the radishes are cut to bite size, but takes time. The diced radish are then laid out on a sheet to dry for about 4-5 days (dehydrated but not completely dry).

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