When Nepalis run into each other on the street, most greet each other with&nbsp; “खाना खानु भो ?” which literally means ‘have you eaten your rice’? It is our ‘good morning’, ‘good evening’ and everything in between. And one is not supposed to respond with a detailed account of the food that was eaten. But what is it about dal bhat that Nepalis (and many visitors) just cannot do without? It is a comfort food, like a warm hug. For Nepalis outside Nepal, it is a reminder of home. And some trekkers seem to get addicted to the carb kick dal bhat gives.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/dal-bhat-power">Dal bhat power</a>, Ashish Dhakal “It is so wholesome, so tasty. Perhaps it is tasty because it is wholesome,” explains Prabigya Basnet of Bhojan Griha, a Nepali restaurant in Nepal that has just reopened in a renovated historic building in Dilli Bazar.&nbsp; She adds: “Everything is freshly cooked and prepared, there are all these spices and different flavours. It is a balanced diet, it is ayurveda on a plate.” Bhojan Griha offers options for everyone: vegetarian, non-vegetarian and even vegans. White fluffy rice (or brown, or red) flavoured with ghee, warm and hearty lentil soup, seasonal vegetables, a potato dish and achar, perhaps of gundruk, lapsi or radish. A bowl of yogurt or a glass of lassi can be a refreshing accompaniment. For meat lovers, there is either a chicken or mutton curry. Some add fish or eggs to the set. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/multimedia/exploring-nepal-s-culinary-diversity">Exploring Nepal's culinary diversity</a>, Kedar Sharma and Kiran Sharma  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230416090420_9febddb94243b93618aa8346eb45ababdff1cd5f8dd39fdcf786b9dc31c83e0a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230416090420_9febddb94243b93618aa8346eb45ababdff1cd5f8dd39fdcf786b9dc31c83e0a" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="1688" loading="lazy" alt="Bhojan Griha"> <figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  At Bhojan Griha most dishes are prepared using organic produce from Basnet’s family-run<a href="https://khalikhutta.com/three-trees-permaculture-living-our-ethics/"> Three Trees Permaculture Farm</a> in Bhaktapur. “The idea is to share and preserve ethnic Nepali cuisine, and give visitors a flavour of Nepali food and culture,” says Basnet, as a group performs Tamang selo dance number between the low-set chairs and tables.&nbsp; Before the main course, there are starters: makai and bhatmas combo (popcorn and soybean), alu-jira (a quintessentially Nepali potato with cumin pickle), aila (the potent Newa liquor), steamed momo and quati (the healthy sprout bean broth).&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/featured-videos/recipe-for-nepali-culinary-diversity">Exploring Nepal's culinary diversity</a>, Sahina Shrestha Dal bhat is served on a traditional chares ko thal (a brass plate) with the black lentil and greens arrayed around a mound of rice. Seasonal vegetable dishes, including cauliflower and mushroom, are added, as are chicken and mutton curries.&nbsp; Bhojan Griha has a set menu but also does à la carte with festival-specific menus. The day this reviewer visited, most tables were taken inside the newly-refurbished interior.&nbsp; The restaurant is housed in a 150-year-old heritage building that was once the residence of the royal priest of the kings of Nepal. It was set up in 1998 by tourism entrepreneur Bharat Basnet who renovated the crumbling building. &nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/satisfying-trekker-appetite-for-adventure?preview_nonce=d05c21ba9f&amp;preview=true">Satisfying trekker appetite for adventure</a>, Sanghamitra Subba Says Prabigya Basnet about her father’s passion for nature and culture: “Growing up, he used to take us for clean-up campaigns and bird-watching, he made us outdoorsy and nature lovers, he always said we can give back a lot. So I always dreamt of doing something in Nepal,”&nbsp; She also heads <a href="https://khetibazaar.com/">Kheti Bazar</a> which sells fresh produce from the family’s farm and has a store called <a href="https://khalikhutta.com/">Khali Khutta</a> that specialises in handmade products made with ethically sourced, biodegradable materials. At Rs3,525 per plate, Bhojan Griha is on the pricer side, and perhaps could have experimented with some of its dishes. But the new modern ambience and historic setting make for a gastronomically stimulating night out.&nbsp;

Sonia Awale

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Khana khanu bho?

It is a little past 1PM. A big white Hiace van en route from Pokhara to Kathmandu slows down as it approaches Mugling. It stops in front of a red-and-yellow building in a cloud of dust. Both sides of the road have buses, cars, motorcycles clustered outside similar looking houses that line the highway.&nbsp; Mugling is a dal bhat drive-through at a busy highway junction. Business is brisk, it is strictly eat and go. Guests sit, waiters arrive with wide compartmentalised plates in their arms, and do not even take orders – they just dump the plates piled high with rice in front of each guest. “I don’t feel like I have eaten anything till I have had a plate of dal bhat,” confides Sharmila Paudel, 48, signalling a server to bring some more cauliflower curry. “No matter the time of the day or night,” she adds, laughing.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230415040432_048ca30d1fc5796615906b0425bd397cb79747ec6478f0bc42471006fae645cb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230415040432_048ca30d1fc5796615906b0425bd397cb79747ec6478f0bc42471006fae645cb" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Dal Bhat 2"> </figure>  Indeed, just as buses stop for diesel, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/satisfying-trekker-appetite-for-adventure?preview_nonce=d05c21ba9f&amp;preview=true">travelers </a>stop for some dal bhat power in Mugling. Eaten at least twice daily, the steamed rice and a soup of lentil or other pulses, with cooked seasonal vegetables, is not just a Nepali staple, but something deeper and essential.&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/multimedia/exploring-nepal-s-culinary-diversity">Exploring Nepal's culinary diversity</a>, Kedar Sharma and iran Sharma A rich source of carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, fibre and other minerals, dal bhat can make for a truly balanced diet – that is, if taken in balanced portions, especially as rice often gets bad press for being too carb heavy.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230415040432_61eb7f49bfd14938e0ce2991427feb893ec233ac028d243d33e057bb5446fe6b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230415040432_61eb7f49bfd14938e0ce2991427feb893ec233ac028d243d33e057bb5446fe6b" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Dal Bhat 3"> </figure>  Public health specialist Aruna Uprety explains that dal bhat is a good <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/food-of-the-royals">food</a> combination because it is a wholesome source of energy. “When we say dal bhat, it is only a short form that also includes tarkari and achar, and this makes it a complete, fresh and wholesome meal,” she says. &nbsp; Dal bhat is also very easy to make. “Unlike many other grains in Nepal, rice does not take a lot of effort to cook,” says Kedar Sharma, who specialises in food writing. “You can set it on your stove and do other things.” Dhindo, another popular <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/featured-videos/recipe-for-nepali-culinary-diversity">Nepali dish</a>, by contrast, requires continuous monitoring and stirring so that it does not collect in lumps and carbonise.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230415040432_610f9556841a89bd3597eddfeea1c6ef8320330d261d15423ffac936c4b0e019.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20230415040432_610f9556841a89bd3597eddfeea1c6ef8320330d261d15423ffac936c4b0e019" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Dal Bhat 4"> </figure>  “And we do not really eat just rice,” Sharma adds. “Together with the dal, vegetable curry, and sag, it all makes the dish taste better. Everything accompanies and enhances the taste and aroma of the rice.” &nbsp; And not just in Nepal or South Asia where variants of dal bhat are widely popular and staple, the dish is well-loved across the world, including Norway.&nbsp; “It is hard to have bad dal bhat in Nepal, I used to have dal bhat outside and come home in the evening and have dal bhat again,” recalls Norwegian MasterChef contestant and dal bhat aficionado Harald Eikeland. “In fact dal bhat is much more wholesome than Indian food, and can be unhealthy only if you pile on too much white rice on your plate.”&nbsp; <h2>Maila Dai’s kitchen</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230415040428_d16675711de971e35ede5c2583a33fb2fd42f98f6d76bfc653e123d649ac8ac8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20230415040428_d16675711de971e35ede5c2583a33fb2fd42f98f6d76bfc653e123d649ac8ac8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1125" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Maila Dai"> <figcaption>Photo: Kunda Dixit</figcaption> </figure>  Early spring snow is coming down in big flakes outside the kitchen window in the coastal Norwegian town of Kristiansand as Harald Eikeland adds timur, methi and lwang to the tomato achar. The dal is bubbling away, the scent of steaming Thai jasmine brown rice fills the room, and the kauli kerau is ready. Eikeland is now a teacher back in Norway, a world away from Palpa in Nepal where he developed a passion for preparing and eating dal bhat.&nbsp; His culinary tutor was Subhadra Bhusal who taught the Norwegian everything: taking him to Tansen Bazar to buy the best silauti stone and pestle to grind spices, laying down the rules of the exact condiments for each dish, and the cooking sequence for different items.&nbsp; Bhusal even taught him to offer rice grains as sida to the gods with a pre-meal prayer, a practice that is now mostly ignored in Nepal. Later in Kathmandu, Eikeland was a premium customer at Nanglo in Darbar Marg, where the chef gave him more hands-on tips on preparing dal bhat. Recently, Eikeland was chosen as a finalist from among 5,000 contestants in the Norwegian MasterChef tv show, where he prepared chiura, chhoila and kachila as a pre-dal bhat snack. He did not win, but was happy to have gotten so far. “Whatever I know is from Subhadra Didi. She was very strict and even used to slap me lightly if I did something wrong. She was a perfectionist, and swore by tori ko tel, no other cooking oil would do,” recalls Eikeland, whose Nepali name is Maila Dai. &nbsp; Asked what makes dal bhat so popular even among non-Nepalis, Maila Dai says it is the simplicity, diversity and freshness of the ingredients that gives the dish its healthy and tasty attributes. This is probably why it is such a staple during treks in the Himalaya. The aroma and taste of dal bhat takes Maila Dai and two Nepali students in Kristiansand straight back to Nepal. The only thing missing is tori ko tel, and with a forefinger to his lips, he quips: “I used sunflower oil, but don’t tell Subhadra Didi that.” Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/12-full-opinion/much-more-than-dal-bhat">Much more than dal bhat</a>, Anil Chitrakar

Ashish Dhakal

Dal Bhat Power

In a country where khana khanu bhayo is an everyday greeting, dal-bhat is the default meal. So much so that there are even t-shirts with the words 'Dal-bhat Power 24 hour’.
And if rice and lentils is the staple lunch and dinner, momo is the ultimate afternoon snack. From the plains to mountains, dumplings are ubiquitous with variations in the filling and the sauce. But with over 100 ethnic communities, Nepali food is more than just dal-bhat and momo, and Prashanta Khanal’s new cookbook Timmur: Stories and Flavors of Nepal highlights this <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/exploring-nepals-culinary-diversity/" target="_blank">culinary diversity</a>. With selected recipes from 12 ethnic groups, the book collects some unknown and overlooked dishes from around the country.
Growing up in an intercultural family with a Newa mother and a Brahmin father, Khanal’s tryst with food began early on. With working parents and a mother who strictly followed the Hindu dictum of not entering the kitchen while menstruating, the responsibility of cooking for siblings often fell on Khanal’s shoulders.
“Coming from a multi-cultural family helped me understand Nepal’s cultural diversity and the different food cultures,” says Khanal. “My father’s side of the family considers eating buffalo meat and alcohol a sin, my mother’s side of the family offers them to the gods.”
But it was in the early 2010s, upon returning from Indonesia, that he realised how vast the dimension of Nepali cuisine really is.
“In Indonesia I had come across tempeh, a traditional Indonesian dish made from fermented soybeans. When I came back to Nepal, I came across our own kinema, and that changed the way I looked at Nepal's cuisine."
Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/exploring-nepals-culinary-diversity/" target="_blank">Exploring Nepal's culinary diversity</a>, Kedar Sharma and Kiran Sharma
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In 2013, Khanal started <a href="https://www.thegundruk.com/" target="_blank">thegundruk.com</a>, a food blog reflecting his passion for Nepali culture and food. He has also written<a href="https://kathmandupost.com/author/prashanta-khanal" target="_blank"> columns on food for The Kathmandu Post</a> and is a partner in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Raithaane/" target="_blank">Raithaan</a>e, a restaurant promoting and preserving the Nepali food heritage.
Khanal who also works on environment and sustainability believes food should be sustainable as well. “Everyone should know how to cook and grow their own food,” he says. At Raithaane, ingredients and produce are sourced from all over Nepal.
For those who have followed Khanal’s work over the years, some of the content may look familiar. His initial idea was to collect recipes and publish them in an e-book format, but it was eventually turned into a book comprising over a 100 recipes.
Named after the 'Sichuan pepper' spice known for its unique aroma and taste, Timmur showcases the diversity in Nepal’s gastronomy. The author travelled across the country to hunt down recipes and consulted friends and families to learn about ingredients and special dishes served in certain festivities and seasons.
In the introduction, Khanal delves into Nepal's ethnicities and finds the dots to connect them to each other, as well as with other parts of the world.
The chapters are separated according to ethnic communities: Newari, Rai &amp; Limbu, Thakali, Tharu &amp; Maithil, Sherpa, Tamang &amp; Tibetan, Magar &amp; Gurung, Khas cusines, Author’s Flavours, and a dedicated chapter to Achaar.
Each part begins with an overview of the culture and the author’s connection with it. Every recipe has an introduction of the dish, giving the book a very 2000s blog-like feel. Not surprising, considering the author’s background.
There are some hidden gems, others familiar or completely unknown. Ubahang Nembang has done a beautiful job with the minimalistic layout and illustrations, and Nabin Baral and Gagan Thapa’s photography jump out of the pages looking mouthwateringly delicious.
The success of a cookbook depends on how easy the recipes are to follow. After spending a lazy afternoon cooking three dishes: Rikikur (savory potato pancakes), Babar (deep-fried rice flour roti) and Rukh Kataharko Tarkari (Jackfruit curry), this reviewer can attest that the recipes are beginner-friendly.
Those more used to selecting dishes based on the total cook time may be disappointed, as the book does not mention any. But Khanal proposes that readers and cooks use the book more as a guide than a checklist. “Cooking is about the experience, the feel,” he says.
Some of the recipes do require specific methods, and bit of patience hunting for the right ingredients. But that is the beauty of cooking (and eating), exploring smells, tastes and textures one is not familiar with.
While the author is the first to admit that his cook book does not represent the entirety of Nepali cuisine, it is a fine example of what Nepal has to offer, and perhaps a step towards having more than dal-bhat and momo represent Nepal in the world’s gastronomic atlas.
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Timmur: Stories and Flavors of Nepal
By Prashanta Khanal
Fine Print 2022
297 pages
Regular hardback Rs2,500
Special hardback with slipcase Rs3,000
Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/" target="_blank">Could Nepali cuisine go global?,</a> Thomas Heaton
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-taste-of-nepals-rana-past/" target="_blank">A taste of Nepal's R</a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-taste-of-nepals-rana-past/" target="_blank">ana Past,</a> Nepali Times

Sahina Shrestha

Recipe for Nepali culinary diversity

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7069c7e80680e092db6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="959" height="566"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>When a cookbook makes a reader drool, and just turning the pages gets the digestive juices going in anticipation, it means the content is a culinary masterpiece.Those conditions are fulfilled in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/food-of-the-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rohini Rana’s mouth-wateringly illustrated book</a> Rana Cookbook: Recipes from the Palaces of Nepal being launched on Friday in Kathmandu after being delayed for a year due to the pandemic. This lavishly illustrated collection of recipes from the House of the Ranas has been worth waiting for.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7099c7e80680e092db7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>RANA DISH: Spending an afternoon with Rohini Rana in her kitchen as she prepares one of her favourite dishes from her new cookbook, is like going back in a time machine to the royal kitchens of Baber Mahal to rediscover preparations of her ancestors.</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s Rana dynasty ruled for over 104 years, and is best known for ornate wedding cake palaces. These vast stucco structures were influenced by neo-classical architecture of England and France that prime ministers Jang Bahadur Rana and Chandra Shumsher Rana were impressed by during their visits to Europe in different centuries.The Rana era generally gets a bad press in Nepal because the rulers were replaced by the Shahs after 1950s, and most of their achievements were air brushed by later historians. Ranas were known for their luxurious lifestyle, sometimes bordering on decadence.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd70c9c7e80680e092db8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1351">They were epicures, and the wining and dining was of epic proportions. Rana cuisine was a distinctive fusion of Mughlai dishes blended with Nepali preparations and ingredients. Some of the recipes were actually brought to Nepal by the khansama chefs brought in from Lucknow by Jung Bahadur Rana after the Indian Mutiny in 1857. Even though they were Muslim, they collaborated with the Hindu cooks in the Rana palaces to come up with a unique blend that can be called ‘Rana cuisine’.Rohini Rana was the daughter of Rajamata Anant Kumari of Awagarh, one the princely states of India’s Uttar Pradesh. It was a tradition in those days for Indian and Nepali nobility to intermarry, and she wed Gaurav SJB Rana, the great-grandson of Chandra  Shumsher Rana, and who was Nepal Army chief from 2012-2015.“Growing up as the youngest sibling in one of the most beautiful hill stations in northern India I had an idyllic childhood. I was loved and, I admit, slightly pampered,” recalls Rana, who is better known by her nickname, Dolly. “Summers in Nainital were endless lunches and dinners with tables piled high with food.”Family members were such foodies that they spent one meal planning and discussing the next one. In Kathmandu, Dolly had to get used to life in a palace, and it was the common interest in food preparations that helped her blend right in.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd70f9c7e80680e092db9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="926"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Gen Gaurav Rana is the seventh generation of his clan serving in the Nepal Army, and  Dolly accompanied her husband on various UN peacekeeping and diplomatic postings abroad as well as to remote regions of Nepal.It was when Gen Rana was posted to the Nepal Army base in Suparitar in Makwanpur in the 1990s that Dolly started working on her cookbook. She prepared many of the dishes herself from the training she got from her husbands’ nanny, Chiniya Champa, whose father also worked in Baber Mahal palace.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7129c7e80680e092dbajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="987" height="588"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Rana cuisine retains much of its Nepali heritage as a substrate on which are added the Mughal-inspired embellishments. So there is the basic दाल, भात, तरकारी cooked with uniquely Nepali spices like जिम्बु, टिमुर, and तामा  that distinguish the Nepali staple from north Indian food. While north Indian cuisine is noted for its rich and thick gravy, Nepali food comes with lighter झोल, भुटन, कवाफ.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7159c7e80680e092dbbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="609" height="756">Back in Kathmandu, Dolly started collecting and documenting recipes from Rana palaces, and found that each clan had a slightly different variant of the basic preparations. Dolly believes that the culinary heritage of her ancestors is just as important to preserve as its monuments and historical landmarks.“The cuisine is part of our cultural heritage, and it is in danger of disappearing with the passing of generations,” says Rana. “this book took me three decades to prepare, three years to give it its final touches. It is a labour of love.”Indeed, that shows in the meticulously described recipes listed conveniently and delightfully under carnivorous-sounding chapters: Bandel, Khasi, Chara, Macha, Haans, Jangali Janawar, Jangali Chara, although it may now be illegal in Nepal to hunt some of these wild beings. There are also chapters on Daal, Bhuja, Tarkari, Roti, Khane Kura, Achar, and to hit the sweet spot, Guliyo. The book has a handy and neatly ordered list of recipes at the end to make it easier to find what you want.The book is tasted and tested in Nepal, pages designed with exquisite food photography by Mannsi Agrawal, only the printing was done in India. Ex-king Gyanendra Shah, who was himself partly raised in a Rana household, writes in the preface: ‘I have to confess that I have learned quite a few things I didn’t know before I read this book. What’s more, I’m certain that I still don’t know all.’<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7179c7e80680e092dbcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="595" height="629">

A taste of Nepal's Rana Past

<figure><img width="640" height="559" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd19a9c7e80680e08f8c3jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>This <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2021/01/05/the-favorite-dishes-of-nepali-chef-santosh-shah/">story</a> by <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/sanjib/">Sanjib Chaudhary</a> originally appeared on <a href="https://globalvoices.org/">Global Voices</a> on March 19, 2020. After finishing in <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2020/12/18/santosh-shah-who-has-brought-nepali-recipes-to-the-world-declared-runner-up-at-masterchef-professionals">second place</a> in the 2020 edition of BBC's “MasterChef: The Professionals,” London-based Nepali chef <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santosh_Shah">Santosh Shah</a> became a household name both in UK and Nepal. During the run-up to the finals, the 35-year-old chef presented before the judges a variety of dishes that are little-known outside Nepal.<a href="https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2020/11/19/never-shy-away-from-thinking-outside-the-box">Born and raised in Karjanha, Siraha District</a> of Nepal’s southern plains, Santosh toiled up a hill to reach where he is today. After failing his school-leaving exams, he moved to India to work as a dishwasher at a five-star hotel. There, he rose through ranks to become a cook.In an interview with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/you-inspire-others-by-learning-not-teaching-santosh-shah/">Nepali Times</a>, Santosh says he took a risk when he moved to London in 2010, but it paid off as he began working with renowned chefs. At the time he entered the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1281256/">MasterChef competition</a>, he had been experimenting with Nepali food for two years in restaurants in the British capital. The judges appreciated the food items he prepared and presented, such as kodo (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paspalum_scrobiculatum">millet</a>) pudding, amot (mango leather), crispy stuffed okra, yomari, chicken chilli, and crab curry.Nepali Expat Arun Chaudhary tweeted: (By presenting Nepali cuisine to the world, from the tubular papadum (fofi) from the Terai to yomari, Chef Santosh Shah from Karjanha Village in Siraha has reached the finals. Best wishes, brother. Shine the name of Nepal like this only.) <figure><img width="557" height="818" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd19d9c7e80680e08f8c4jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Global Voices chatted with Chef Santosh Shah on WhatsApp to know about Nepali food he loves and would like to promote.“I love <a href="http://ecs.com.np/features/season-smart-food-from-the-terai">biriya</a> (a delicacy from the Terai region),” he said. “Biriya cooked with newly harvested potatoes are my best.” Biryia is made of grass peas, mustard greens or broadleaf mustard leaves wrapped in black gram paste and dried on the sun. They are then stored to be cooked in the rainy season when green vegetables are scarce.Another dish Santosh would like to promote is <a href="http://ecs.com.np/food/neglected-but-nutritious">Airkanchan</a>, which is also popular in Bihar, Jharkhand and other Indian states. Taro leaves, pasted together with rice flour or gram flour paste and cut into small cutlets, are fried in mustard oil and then dipped in a gravy of curd and spices – it’s hot, salty and sour!Check out Santosh’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chefsantoshshah/">Instagram</a> for more delicious food from Nepal: <img width="491" height="798" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd19f9c7e80680e08f8c5jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="442" height="837" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd1a19c7e80680e08f8c6jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="495" height="833" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd1a39c7e80680e08f8c7jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="494" height="766" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd1a59c7e80680e08f8c8jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figure><img width="500" height="700" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111124/636cd1a79c7e80680e08f8c9jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Read also: <a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/you-inspire-others-by-learning-not-teaching-santosh-shah/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">"You inspire others by learning, not teaching," Santosh Shah</a>

Santosh Shah’s favourite dishes

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f519c7e80680e056e20jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="924"/><figcaption>Photo: KEDAR SHARMA</figcaption></figure>It is said that food is eaten first with the eyes. But on our two-month food tour across Nepal recently, we felt that food may be first eaten with the ears. Delicious descriptions drew us to dishes even before we saw them.We heard of many exotic dishes: milk buried underground for six months in Jumla until it fermented into yoghurt, meat marinated for a week before it is eaten in Kalikot, meat belonging to the entire community cooked in a single dish in Gulmi. Cake-like dishes made of rice, millet and other flour that are not known outside the districts they are eaten in.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/tharu-escargots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tharu escargots,</a> Sewa Bhattarai<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/food-of-the-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Food of the royals</a><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f549c7e80680e056e21jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="393" height="377">We have always been told that Nepalis don't have names that correspond to breakfast, lunch and dinner, but have only meals and snacks (khana and khaja). However, the Tharu have names for five different meals, according to the time of the day they are served in. Communities that migrated most, especially Brahmins and Chhetris, had lost most of their culinary heritage. Yet in Baitadi, we saw that those who had stayed behind retained their original foods.All of this led us to ask ‘What exactly is Nepal food?’ Is dal bhat tarkari the national dish? Are foods in Nepal original, and is there a commonality between the country’s varied cuisines?Bhat (steamed rice) cannot solely define Nepali food in a country where indigenous grains like wheat, corn, buckwheat, millet, barley and others are grown abundantly, and roasted and steamed into bread, boiled into porridge, or ground for storage. Any one of these can be taken as a staple food. Beyond that, lentils form an essential part of our diet, though their cooking varies according to geography and ethnicity.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=33917&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The superfoods of the Andes and the </a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=33917&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Himalaya,</a> Sonia Awale<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=33901&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Much more than dal bhat,</a> Anil Chitrakar<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/vegetables-and-famous-veggie-dishes-this-Dasain,3951" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vegetables are eaten Nepalwide</a>, mostly fried, and sometimes boiled. Oil to fry them in, and turmeric for its colour and medicinal property, are essential to Nepali cuisine. Green leafy vegetables saag differentiate the Nepali thali from North Indian ones. Gundruk, sinki, tama, kinema, and other foods made by fermenting leaves, bamboo shoots, or beans are common across Nepali kitchens. So are dairy products like milk, yoghurt and buttermilk, and it is a tradition to flavour rice with a bit of ghiu.As for meat, there is no uniformity. Some like pork and others buffalo, both forbidden by other communities. Nepali cuisine is lacking when it comes to dessert, and many communities do not even have the tradition of eating sweets.Nepal’s most exotic dishes are not found in restaurants but eaten only at home. While this preserves their taste, it also limits the dish to a small family group.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Could Nepali cuisine go global</a>, Thomas HeatonIn this age of easily available packaged food, we are losing slow-cooked foods that once used to enhance the taste, smell and nutritional value of foods. Not just our recipes and cooking techniques, but our entire agriculture system has fallen prey to commercial agriculture, and many indigenous foods are not grown any more.After our culinary journey across Nepal, our conclusion is that there is no standard ‘Nepali food’. It is our duty to define, and refine, our ethnic dishes and preserve their originality. We need to get these dishes to restaurant tables around the world by cooking, eating and propagating them ourselves. Nepali food deserves to go worldwide.<h2>Tharu</h2>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h10eHDoRt4Tharus who live in the plains make use of all the ingredients around them, including aquatic animals like fish, snails, clams, shrimp and crabs. You name it and Tharus make a delicious dish out of it. They are also famous for eating healthy, with their staple grains and vegetables steamed or boiled.It used to be that Tharu food was only available during the Maghi festival at Tundikhel. But Tharu restaurants in Kathmandu now provide the food all the year round. Barghar Restaurant in Kirtipur provides all the traditional Tharu delights, even crabs and clams.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f569c7e80680e056e22jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="934"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><h2>Thakali</h2>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SL3kYsqWqsThough Thakalis live in Mustang where rice does not grow, Thakali restaurants have become synonymous with the typical Nepali dal bhat tarkari. That might be because they were historically traders and were exposed to foreign foods. The Thakali thali  use Himalayan spices like jimbu and timur. They have also retained many indigenous dishes like kanchemba (pictured, left), fries made of buckwheat, which grows abundantly in Mustang. Thakali food needs to be branded and standardised so that it doesn't lose its originality, and the production of local ingredients can be promoted.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f599c7e80680e056e23jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Thakali food has come to mean tasty dal-bhat-tarkari, and spic and span Thakali restaurants can be found all over Nepal, and even abroad.<h2>Sherpa</h2>https://youtu.be/6Q_RbKoSQ2kSherpa cuisine is derived from Tibetan, and is designed for the cold harsh climate of the high mountains. Rigikur, a potato and buckwheat bread, is rich in butter and eaten with cheese sauce. Shyakpa, or meat soup, is consumed piping hot any time of the day. And su chiya, a unique salt and milk tea, is also had with dollops of butter. Tasmpa, a popular breakfast, is made by grinding grains like buckwheat, millet, wheat, or a combination of them, and is had with milk and honey.Though Sherpa food is rarely found  in most mainstream restaurants of Kathmandu, they are common in the Bouddha area. Newly opened Sherpa Cafe in Jhamsikhel caters to customers in Patan.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f5d9c7e80680e056e24jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="963"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><h2>Newa</h2><a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/review/food-review-Krishnarpan-Dwarikas,2542" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newa cuisine</a> is rich and varied. Samye-baji is the standard mid-day snack and also a festive delight, where beaten rice is eaten with many vegetables and condiments. Spicy potato salad, bara (lentil flatbread), beans, soybeans and marinated buffalo meat are popular accompaniments.Almost every little alley in Kathmandu contains a Newari restaurant, serving samye-baji, bara, chatamari (rice bread), and other dishes. The choices range from low-end corner shops to high end outlets like Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f609c7e80680e056e25jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="446"><h2>Rai/Limbu</h2>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKKIEeGA3AQPork meat is a staple of the Rai and Limbu communities in eastern Nepal. Sargemba (pictured), or blood sausage, is made by stuffing blood and seasonings into pig intestines, and then cut and fried before it is eaten. The pork curry Yangben-Fakso (left) is also unique, flavoured with a lichen called yangben, soaked in warm water and mixed with pork blood. It goes well with chamre  (fried rice) and kinema  (fermented beans).<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f619c7e80680e056e26jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="342"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f639c7e80680e056e27jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="342"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Rai/Limbu cuisine is rarely found in Kathmandu, except for a couple of restaurants in Nakhipot and Baluwatar. Raithane Resturant in Lalitpur promotes Nepali dishes and local ingredients, and includes a couple of these dishes in its menu.

Exploring Nepal’s culinary diversity

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f239c7e80680e056e0ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1500"/><figcaption>Mutton Korma. Photos: MANNSI AGRAWAL</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/the-rana-reign-a-recap-of-history,3751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rana dynasty</a> ruled for just over 100 years, building ornate neo-classical palaces with vast manicured gardens copied from Victorian England, while the aristocrats wore magnificent jewellery.What the Ranas are less well known for is a cuisine that is a unique fusion of Nepali and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/yes-mughlai-cuisine-can-be-vegetarian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mughlai dishes</a> from northern India. The recipes date back to influences of the khansama brought in from Lucknow by Jung Bahadur Rana after the Indian Mutiny in 1857. These Muslim chefs worked with the baje and bajai in the Rana palaces (although strictly not in the same kitchen), perfecting the fusion cuisine that evolved into the unique Rana flavour.The recipes will soon be out in a new cook book by Rohini Rana, who was born in Agra to the Indian royal house of Awagarh and married to Gaurav SJB Rana, who went on to become Nepal’s army chief from 2012 to 2015.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=34079&amp;preview_nonce=2924ca6ef5&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exploring Nepal’s culinary diversity,</a> Kedar Sharma and Kiran Sharma<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/tharu-escargots/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tharu escargots,</a> Sewa Bhattarai<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f259c7e80680e056e0bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1351"><figcaption>Rohini “Dolly“ Rana</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f289c7e80680e056e0cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1351"><figcaption>Finely sliced steamed bandel with timur ko chope</figcaption></figure>“Growing up as the youngest sibling in one of the most beautiful hill stations in northern India I had an idyllic childhood. I was loved and, I admit, slightly pampered,” recalls Rohini Rana, whom friends and relatives all call ‘Dolly’. “Summers in Nainital were endless lunches and dinners with tables piled high with food.”Breakfasts were spent discussing the day’s menu, with each member of the family picking a dish to cook. After coming to Kathmandu, Dolly adjusted quickly to the new Rana household, also bonding with the kitchen staff.Her husband, Gen Gaurav Rana, is the great grandson of Prime Minister Chandra Shumshere Rana and is the seventh generation of the family serving in the Nepal Army. Dolly accompanied her husband on various military postings internationally, and to remote regions of Nepal.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-superfoods-of-the-andes-and-the-himalaya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The superfoods of the Andes and the Himalaya,</a> Sonia Awale<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/satisfying-trekker-appetite-for-adventure/?preview_nonce=d05c21ba9f&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Satisfying trekker appetite for adventure,</a> Sanghamitra SubbaDolly Rana wrote the first draft for her Rana cookbook while her husband was posted in Suparitar Army Base in Hetauda nearly 30 years ago, where they lived in an old Rana house in the middle of the forest. Many of the recipes in her book were perfected by her husbands’ nanny, Chiniya Champa Didi, who started working at age 15 in the Baber Mahal palace, where her father was a retainer. Though her job was to raise the young Gaurav Rana, she was interested in cooking and learnt the dishes from other maids and cooks.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108141152/636a5f2a9c7e80680e056e0djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="393" height="377">Rana cuisine incorporates and builds on the basic dal bhat staple of rice, lentil soup, meat and vegetables, adding a unique aroma and taste from the jimbu and timur that differentiate the Nepali rice dish from Indian food. While north Indian cuisine is noted for its rich and thick gravy, Nepali food comes with lighter jhol, dry bhuttan and kawaf.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/much-more-than-dal-bhat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Much more than dal bhat,</a> Anil ChitrakarDolly collected and documented recipes from Rana prime minister families, with each having a slightly different twist and taste to the basic dishes. The book will soon be published by Penguin Random House.“It is very important to preserve the dishes for posterity because the cuisine is part of our heritage, and it is in danger of disappearing with the passing of generations,” says Dolly Rana, refusing to divulge the exact recipes.“You will have to wait for the book,” she smiles.Read also: <a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Can Nepali cuisine go global</a>, Thomas Heaton

Food of the royals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYmgDIkIIEwLike many Nepali housemothers, Bhimi Gurung spent her life preparing three meals a day and bringing up her children. Still, she felt she had not accomplished much, and one day confided as much to her daughter, Muna, who had just returned from the United States.The remark affected Muna Gurung deeply. Her mother sacrificed her whole life for her family, and now she needed something else to keep her busy doing what she was best at.Bhimi Gurung’s pickles were famous among family and friends, so last year Muna started marketing varieties of organic pickles under the name <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amako.nepal/">Āmāko</a> (which simply means Mother’s). In no time, the pickles started flying off the shelves, first at weekend organic markets, then in stores, and now online.<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amako.nepal/">Āmāko</a> is now an intergenerational company, producing 10 varieties of handmade traditional Gurung pickles, with four more varieties in development.“My mother’s cooking, especially her pickles, used to be admired by Nepalis and foreigners. So, I thought, why not turn it into a business?” Muna says.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161116/636921929c7e80680e03a0ddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667"/>It was not easy to persuade her mother to get involved, however. What finally clinched it was when Bhimi Gurung remembered that when foods are served to the Rinpoche in a Buddhist monastery, the name of the cook is often taken with reverence.“The cooks are usually thanked and blessed for their kindness and culinary skills,” explains Bhimi Gurung, “I cannot compare myself with the great chefs of the past but the thought of bringing happiness and satisfaction to many people was what pulled me towards this idea.”Pickles (achar in Nepali) are an integral part of Nepali cuisine, a spicy and/or sour condiment that complements the dal bhat tarkari staple. Historically, pickles in many societies were a way to preserve vitamin-rich food for the winter before refrigeration was invented.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/">Could Nepali cuisine go global?</a>, Thomas Heaton<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161116/636921959c7e80680e03a0dejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Bhimi Gurung’s most popular Āmāko item is the khursani achar, a chilly pickle that is lip-smackingly hot. It is versatile and can spice up omelettes or meat dishes, can be mixed with soy sauce for easy snack dipping, and can even be sprinkled over dal.“My mother experiments with different ingredients for new recipes. She takes charge of the creative department while I manage the marketing and money matters,” says Muna Gurung.Her easy-going father RB Gurung tends the organic garden, where the ingredients are grown, and does the outreach to the markets. He also strongly pushed his own favourite, the gundruk achar, which is another hot favourite among customers.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-kiwi-takes-to-gundruk/">A Kiwis takes to Gundruk</a>, Thomas Heaton<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161116/636921979c7e80680e03a0dfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Muna Gurung brought Bhusan Shilpakar to do the contemporary branding and packaging of the elegant glass jars which contributes to the exotic image Āmāko has built for itself within one year.She looks at her mother affectionately, and says: “I now understand my mother better, not just as a mother but as a woman with her own needs and hopes.”With a sparkle in her eyes Bhimi Gurung also shares her gratitude: “At 69, my life has changed completely. Thanks to my daughter, I am living the happiest and most satisfying moments of my life.”Āmāko pickles are available at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Maya-Ko-Chino-2134801103418445/?ref=br_rs">Maya Ko Chino, Jhamsikhel</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onetreestop/?fref=mentions&amp;__tn__=K-R">One Tree Stop, Darbar Marg</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EVERFRESH.KTM/?fref=mentions&amp;__tn__=K-R">Everfresh Café, Pani Pokhari,</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/farmersmarketlesherpanepal/?fref=mentions&amp;__tn__=K-R">Le Sherpa's Farmers' Market, Pani Pokhari,</a> Garden's Café, Bouddha, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/karmacoffeenp/">Kar.ma Coffee, Thamel</a>, <a href="http://daraz.com.np">daraz.com.np</a> and <a href="http://smartdoko.com">smartdoko.com</a>.Watch the Gurung duo in action as they prepare one of their popular items, Mulako achar and talk about how her pickle-making skills started a successful inter-generational business. <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161116/6369219a9c7e80680e03a0e0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933">

The mother of all pickles

Bajeko Sekuwa, the popular Nepali food chain restaurant serving a variety of authentic traditional dishes, has opened its first international outlet in New York, U.S.A.  The newly established branch is located in Sunnyside, Queens. 		
		<img width="960" height="720" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110710114/6368ca2e9c7e80680e02f2f4jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>The restaurant’s menu includes its signature dish, Sekuwa as well as many other Nepali food items and drinks. The management of the restaurant organised a grand opening which was attended by Nepali artists like Ram Krishna Dhakal, Jagadish Hamal and Gita Burlakoti along with many Nepali residents of New York. “With a target of opening 6 more Bajeko Sekuwa outlets across different parts of United States by 2024, we are confident that we will hit the right notes”, Chetan  Bhandari, Chairman of Bajeko Sekuwa said during the opening. Bajeko Sekuwa currently has 13 national outlets in Nepal. They are soon opening  outlets in Qatar, Doha, Sydney and Finland.

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