Bright colours, fresh ingredients, liberal use of coriander and green chillies, and robustness of flavour—that, in short, are the hallmarks of Nepali cuisine. Borrowing heavily from the cooking styles of China, Tibet and, of course, India, it manages to hold its own, thanks to its earthy taste.
Chef Anil Bangwal of Yeti—The Himalayan Kitchen in Connaught Place in Delhi, says, “Nepali cuisine is not about finesse or subtle flavours. The food traces its roots to the villages where people believe in using fresh ingredients and tempering the food with chillies.
While it does share similarities with Indian cuisine—like the ingredients we use—there are a lot more differences. Indian cuisine depends on ground spices and khada garam masala, while Nepali food is flavoured with everything fresh.”
Set against the backdrop of the Himalayas, Nepal boasts an array of ethnicities. This diversity is reflected in the country’s cuisine. Also, the fact that the country only opened up its borders in the 1950s, adds to the focus on locally grown produce.
Mustard oil is the chosen medium of cooking and curd is the most common accompaniment, which finds its way into drinks (lassi) as well as desserts (sikarni). Other common ingredients that people of this country—especially the Newar community—use, are lentils, potato, tomato, coriander, chilli, peppers, and garlic. In fact, daal-bhaat-tarkari is a perhaps the most common meal in Nepal, as chapatis do not find favour here.
Considered a healthier counterpart to its rich Indian cousin—fresh herbs, watery soup-like gravies, and chopped taste enhancers such as coriander, garlic and chillies, rather than ground pastes—Nepali cuisine relies on the simple methods to achieve outstanding flavours.
Momos or their sweetened version—yomaris—are another staple here and can be found with various fillings. Raw noodles or ‘wai wai’ are a popular snack and can be spiced as per taste. Perhaps two extremes and at the same time very important items in a daily meal in Nepal are—potato and buffalo meat.
One can be expected to have quite a bit of either or both during a typical week-long stay in this Himalayan country.
Though not yet hugely popular in Delhi—where foodies tend to go for their trademark butter chicken or biryani and kebabs—Nepali food is slowly gaining ground. Yeti co-partner Goumtesh Singh is doing his best—and successfully too—to win over patrons. He says, “The response is overwhelming. Since the palate is so close to the food that we eat at home, the dining experience is more enjoyable.”
While momos and daal-bhaat may be common in the Indian kitchen too, other Nepali must-haves offer an adventurous journey for the palate. For those with a sweet tooth, try the sel roti, Nepal’s version of the doughnut, though not as sweet.
Also, this tiny country loves its greens, from fresh spinach to fermented leafy greens known as gundruk, which is common accompaniment with meals, on the lines of the Indian aam ka achaar. Your Nepali food journey would be incomplete without the dhido—a cross between porridge and halwa. A savoury dish made of maize and buckwheat, it is often eaten as a main course. So if you thought there was no novelty in trying Nepali food because it was as good as Indian, maybe it’s time you headed to that charming eatery serving Nepali cuisine in your city.