Foods and Flavors from Nepal

Birthplace
of Buddha and home to stunning Himalayan peaks, Nepal is also known for its
unique cuisine and rich cultural traditions. Nepal is a landlocked country that
had little contact with the outside world for centuries, resulting in a unique
culinary culture that was not influenced by other cuisines. After opening borders
in the 1950s, however, Nepal's cuisine evolved to take on influences from neighboring
India, China and Tibet. Those influences, combined with Nepal's vast cultural
and geographic diversity, result in a singular cuisine characterized by the
simplicity of fresh local ingredients that are artfully paired with herbs and
spices.

A Nepali staple is Daal-Bhaat-Tarkaari (lentil-rice-vegetable),
found in many variations and flavors. It includes boiled rice accompanied
by daal made
from dried beans, lentils, or peas. A variety of fresh vegetables and leafy
greens round out the meal. The use of spices is mild and subtle, but meals
are often served with a side of spicy pickles. Meat, poultry, and fish are
served only occasionally, mostly during celebrations.

Author Jyoti Pathak's first cookbook Taste
of Nepal won a Gourmand World Cookbook award for Best Foreign
Cuisine Cookbook and showcased the foods and recipes of her native Nepal to a
wider audience. This new cookbook brings the foods and flavors of Nepal alive
with color photographs throughout, notes about important Nepali customs,
festivals and holidays, and a collection of 185 recipes that spans traditional
Nepali fare to popular fusion dishes, street foods and the modern Nepali table.
Also included are helpful chapters on Nepali ingredients, utensils and cooking
techniques and a glossary of Nepali-English words.

Sample
recipes:

• Kukhura ko Chowelaa (Chicken Chowelaa)


• Jwaano-Bhaat (Ajowan Rice)


• Maas ko Khichari (Split Urad Bean-Rice Khichari)


• Panchamukhi Daal (Mixed
  Five Daal)



• Tinkune-roti (Flaky Roti Bread)

• Sit
  le Khaeko Raayo so Saag (Spiced Mustard Greens)
• Pharsi
  ko Munta
  (Pumpkin Vine Shoots)


• Rukh-Katahar ko Tarkaari (Green Jackfruit Curry)

• Alu
  ko Achaar
  (Spicy Potato Salad with Sesame Seeds)

• m>Dahi Haaleko
  Khasi ko Maasu (Goat Curry with Yogurt)




• Ledo Maachaa (Fish in Aromatic Gravy)



• Kukhuraa ko Momo (Chicken Filling)



• Sikarni (Saffron-Pistachio Yogurt Dish)