Taste Nepal
नेपाल
A Himalayan country where the daily plate is dal, rice and vegetables, and the national snack is a dumpling that crossed the mountains from Tibet.
Nepali food is dal bhat tarkari twice a day: lentils, rice, a seasonal vegetable curry and an achar. Above the rice line it becomes dhido, a buckwheat or millet porridge. Mustard oil, fenugreek seeds, timur and jimbu set the flavour apart from Indian neighbours. The Newars of the Kathmandu valley have the richest tradition, with buffalo, beaten rice and fermented greens. Momo are everywhere. Festival food means sel roti, goat curry and yoghurt. Food is eaten with the right hand, and lunch is the main meal.
5 recipes · 1 cuisine
All dishes 5
- 1 hr 55 min
Momo
मःमः
Nepali steamed dumplings with a juicy chicken, onion and timur filling, served with a roasted tomato and sesame achar.
MediumMedium heat
- 1 hr 20 min
Dal bhat tarkari
दाल भात तरकारी
The Nepali daily plate: black lentil dal with a jimbu and ghee temper, steamed rice, and a dry potato and cauliflower tarkari.
Easy
- 3 hr 45 min
Sel roti
सेल रोटी
Nepali festival ring bread: a sweet rice flour batter poured in a circle into hot oil until crisp outside and chewy within.
Medium
- 1 hr 10 min
Kukhura ko masu
कुखुराको मासु
Nepali home chicken curry: bone-in pieces cooked in mustard oil with whole spices, onion, tomato and a thin, bold gravy.
EasyMedium heat
- 1 hr 35 min
Aloo ko achar
आलुको अचार
Nepali potato salad dressed with toasted sesame, lemon, timur and smoked mustard oil. Cold, sour, nutty and a little numbing.
Very easyMedium heat
Regional cuisines
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Take the Nepal food quizFood history
Nepal sat on the trade route between the Gangetic plain and Tibet, and its food shows both: rice, lentils and spices from the south, dumplings, noodles and butter tea from the north. The Newar merchants of Kathmandu built an elaborate feast cuisine over centuries. Potatoes arrived in the hills in the 18th century and became a staple. The late 20th century brought momo from Newar restaurants to every street corner, and trekking tourism made dal bhat famous beyond the country.
Common ingredients
Techniques
- tempering in smoked mustard oil
- steaming dumplings
- pressure cooking dal
- pounding achars
- frying rice-flour batters