A complete guide to Nepalese cuisine

Leading the way of travellers to their tummies, Chef Santosh Subedi K.C at the famous Hotel Yak and Yeti, Kathmandu, shared the highlights of Nepali cuisine.Travellers will find a happy mix of heritage dishes and global multicuisine to dine in Nepal.

Rice is the staple here and dalbhaat-tarkari make for regular meals. Seasonal green leafy vegetables make for dishes like rayo saag; beans, potatoes, cauliflowers make for mixed vegetables; meat includes buff (buffalo), pork, river fish, mutton, and chicken. Gundruk, a fermented leafy green vegetable is hailed as a national dish. It is popular not only in Nepal but also in every Gorkhali or Nepalese diaspora household nationwide. Nepali heritage cuisine is made of regional dishes that add much variety to the nation's palette.

Newari Cuisine

A showcase heritage cuisine of Nepal’s Newa people in and around Kathmandu, do try the chatanmari, a rice flour crepe, bara (lentil doughnut), with tomato chutney. Choila, a typical meat dish made of buffalo meat with mutton and chicken options also available. Lakhamari is a typical Newari festival sweet made of rice flour that is deep-fried and coated in sugar syrup. Yomari is another festive food that’s a sweet dumpling with a sweet filling.

Thakali Cuisine

The region between the elevated Himalayas and lowlands and Pokhara, Thakali cuisine is famous for the Thakali thali. The thali is a heavy sleep-inducing platter of rice, dal, bhaat, dhindo (a dollop of cooked maize or buckwheat), vegetables including the famous fermented radish pickle, mutton, and river fish.

Tharu Cuisine

Chitawan, Home to the Tharu people, it has specials like ghonghi, a delicacy of snails. Chichar is a rice ball cooked in leaf and vegetables like lakariya and chiti.

Trans-Himalayan Cuisine

Trans-Himalayan influences like Tibetan momos, steaming soups, chowmein are easily found at eateries around the country and also are the stars of every restaurant menu.

The author is chef at the Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu.

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