A Taste of Nepal

What’s visiting Nepal if you don’t try some local food? So go out and titillate your tongue. Restaurants in Kathmandu offer an exciting lineup reflecting the Kingdom’s potpourri of cultures extending from the highlands to the lowlands. Savor the flavors of varied cooking traditions. Here’s a typical menu and have a delicious time.

Dal-Bhat-Tarkari - this is the main staple of Nepali people all over the country

appetizers/snacks

Chatanmari - Rice flour pizza with meat or egg topping or plain. A just reward after a hard day’s sight-seeing.

Chhoyla - Roasted meat diced and spiced, a versatile snack. Chomp it with flattened rice and wash everything down with homemade liquor.

Gundruk-ko Jhol - A soup of dried and fermented green vegetables. Slightly sour, slightly tangy, it’ll have you smacking your lips.

Kwati - Soup of different sprouted beans. A festival specialty and great way to begin dinner.

Momo-cha - Dumplings filled with minced meat, served steamed or fried. Terrifically popular appetizer, afternoon snack or evening meal. Do you know how to make Momo-cha? Learn more...

Samay Baji - A ritual dish consisting of flattened rice, roasted meat, smoked fish, boiled egg, black soybeans and diced ginger.

Sekuwa - Barbecued meat. Mutton, duck, chicken, buff, wild boar - take your pick. Goes famously with drinks.

Sukuti - Hot and spicy concoction of dried meat roasted over a charcoal fire. Something to munch on between sips.

Tama-ko Jhol - Hot and sour soup of bamboo shoots.

Tawkhaa - Jellied meat curry served cold. With a plate of Tawkhaa and a glass of wine by your side, who needs a festival?

Wo - Lentil flour patty with or without meat/egg topping. As a festival snack or an afternoon bite, nothing even comes close.

main dishes

Aloo Tama - Bamboo shoot and potato curry enlivened with a variety of spices and herbs.

Beans - A curry preparation of large and small beans to go with the main course of rice.

Dal - Lentil soup eaten with plain rice and one-third of the famous dal-bhat-tarkari combination. Popular lentils are the black, green and yellow varieties.

Green Vegetables - Spinach, mustard greens or broad-leaved mustard. A standard accompaniment to plain rice for lunch or dinner.

Meat Curries - Curried meat with lots of spices and gravy served with the main course of rice. Comes in buff, mutton, chicken or fish varieties.

Bhat (Plain Rice) - Good old boiled rice, the staple Nepalese nourishment and the central ingredient of the dal-bhat-tarkari diet.

Tarkari - vegetable curry in a rich spicy broth, the third element of the dal-bhat-tarkari staple meal.

relishes

Achar - A pickle to ‘‘brighten up your mouth". Can be made of ground tomatoes, sliced radish, ground coriander, boiled and diced potatoes and other ingredients.

Gundruk - Dried and fermented green vegetables. Legendary accompaniment to meals in the hills of Nepal.

Sanya Khuna - Jellied fish soup served cold. Spicy, hot and tangy. Terrific accompaniment to rice.

desserts

Juju Dhau - Delicious creamy curd from Bhaktapur, a must at all feasts. Juju Dhau literally means ‘‘king curd".

Sikarni - Yogurt preparation mixed with dried fruits. Sweet way to end dinner.

homemade drinks

Rakshi or Ayla is fire water distilled from rice. It is colorless and best drunk neat. Thon, the milky white juice of fermented rice, is the driving force behind many festivals in Kathmandu. The Tibetan version is called Chhyang. Tongba is a popular energizer in the hills. It is made by pouring hot water into a pot of fermented millet and drunk with a bamboo straw.

Would you like to provide ethnic Nepalese Cuisine Recipes on this page to help others learn more about Nepalese food? Submit Recipe.

related topics

Local Food Reference How to make Momo-cha? The Exceptional Cuisine Newah Food Festival

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