Impress your friends or clients by sharing Nepali recipes or bringing an exotic home-cooked dish to your next potluck. Below, a round up of recipes from our hospitable employees:
Alu ko Achar
Arzoo Pokharel’s favorite dish to make is Alu ko Achar. A fitting meal for all kinds of occasions it combines ingredients that are rich in vitamins, proteins, and minerals that manifests into a savory addition for your next gathering. “Every time I’ve had this dish, I feel energized and it puts me in a pleasant mood,” said Arzoo.
Ingredients:
- 2 large boiled potatoes
- 1 cucumber, sliced with insides removed
- 1 carrot, sliced or grated
- 3 green chilis, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1tsp red chili powder
- 2tbs garlic ginger paste
- 1/2 cup brown sesame seed toasted and ground
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seed powder
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 lemon juice as per the taste
Step 1: Boil potatoes, peel the cover and cut them into cubes.
Step 2: Thinly slice the carrots, green chilly and cucumber (remember to remove the middle sections.)
Step 3: Toast the brown sesame seeds in a pan and grind into a powder.
Step 4: Combine potatoes, carrots, cucumber, and green chili into a bowl.
Step 5: Add salt, garlic paste, red chili powder, and sesame seed powder
Step 6: In a separate small pan, heat the oil and fry fenugreek seeds.
Step 7: When fenugreek seed turns black, add turmeric powder in it and pour the oil pan into the mixing bowl.
Step 8: Mix it well and add lemon juice as per your desired taste.
Step 9: You can also add coriander for taste.
Chatamari
Elika Tuladhar shares her chatamari dish below. A dish also known as Nepali pizza, it’s regarded to be a healthier version because of its nutrient-rich ingredients. “My mom makes best chatamari in the world and that’s why it’s my favorite.”
Ingredients:
- Rice flour
- Vegetables of your choice
- Any meat of your choice
- Eggs (optional)
Step 1: mix rice flour with a splash of water to make the substance a liquid.
Step 2: add in your vegetables, meat, and eggs.
Step 3: cover until cooked.
Suji Ko Haluwa
Gauri Gurung recommends that you try Suji Ko Haluwa, a healthy, soft and sweet snack. Gauri has fond memories of the dessert being a social and easily sharable treat.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup – suji
- 1/3 cup ghee
- ½+ sugar to taste
- 10 to 15 cashews
- 10 to 15 raisins
- Cardamom to taste
- 3 to 4 almonds (optional)
- 2 tablespoon Grated coconut (optional)
- 2 cups water (or milk for a creamy taste)
Step one: Heat the pan and add ghee into the hot pan
Step two: Once the ghee is melted, add Suji and stir it well on medium heat. Keep on stirring or it will stick on the base (do not let Suji flour stick on the pan)
Step three: Once the Suji turns brown, add sugar and stir it well
Step four: Add water and stir
Step five: Finally, add cashews, raisins, almonds, and cardamom, keep stirring until the entire mixture is well covered.
Yomari
Shristi Shrestha loves Yomari, a delicacy of the Newar community in Nepal. It’s a steamed dumpling that consists of an external covering of rice flour and an inner content of sweet substances called chaku. It’s such a beloved treat that there is an entire festival that celebrates it. “As the name itself says, “Ya:” meaning to like and “Mari” meaning delicacy. Once you get the taste of it, you keep craving for more!” Says Shristi. Pro Tip: To make Khuwa YoMari, replace the molasses with Khuwa and add sugar. Cashew nuts and grated coconut can also be added as desired.
Ingredients:
- Rice flour
- Lukewarm water
- Chaku (or molasses)
- Sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil
Step one: melt the chaku and pour a cup of hot water to soften. Heat the pan until chaku is completely melted, then add crushed fried sesame seeds.
Step two: In a bowl, take rice flour and add lukewarm water. Mix it together using your hand or a food processor until the dough is very soft but not runny.
Step three: oil your hands with vegetable oil to make sure that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. Then, take a small portion of kneaded dough in your hand. Make an oval shape or egg like. From one side, make a hole using your fingertips, gradually pressing the dough. Fill YoMari with the filling and close, giving pointed shape.
Step four: after several pieces, put them into a steamer for about 10-15 mins.
Step five: the sweet and fluffy Yomari is ready to be served!
Bhatmas Sadheko
Pooja Sharma Dhakal’s favorite dish is Bhatmas Sadheko. It’s a classic Nepali dish, enjoyed by locals across the country.
Ingredients:
- ½ pount dried soya beans (also called bhatmas, full or broken into halves)
- 1 minced green chili pepper
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 2 green topped onions
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- Salt as per taste
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme seed
Step one: fry soybeans (with oil or without oil) in a pan.
Step two: spread the fried soybeans in a large plate and crush.
Step three: pour crushed soybeans into a bowl with finely chopped ginger, garlic, onion and green top onions. Mix.
Step four: mix in salt, red chili powder, lemon juice, and coriander leaves.
Step five: mix in green chili peppers
Step six: heat up oil in a pan and add thyme seeds, once they’re golden brown, turn off the heat and add in turmeric powder.
Step seven: pour the oil mixture into the soybean mixture and your bhatmas sadeko is ready to serve!
Pro tip: It tastes best with rice.
Buff Choila
Nilima Maharjan comes from Newar background, therefore is especially fond of Newari dishes. Her favorite local dish is Buff Choila. While Buffalo may not be easy meat to source, you can replace the ingredient with beef or bison.
Ingredients:
- Buffalo, beef or bison meat
- 4-5 dry red chilies
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped tomato
- 1 teaspoon of ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin and coriander powder
- 5 tablespoons black mustard oil
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- Salt to taste
Step one: chop up meat into bite-sized pieces, then boil it in a pan with water for about 20 minutes.
Step two: remove the meat and put it aside to cool down. Then dry the mean in an oven or over charcoal.
Step three: in a large bowl, mix salt, red chili, and chopped tomato, onion, shredded garlic, ginger turmeric powder and stir it well.
Step four: mix in the meat and add in coriander.
Step five: your meal is ready to be served!
Bara
Rabi Sthapit recommends a local Newar favorite, Bara or Nepali pancake. This crispy treat pairs well with a local whiskey, “Aila,” and are popular during festivals, especially Sithi Nakha during the month of June.
Ingredients:
- 250 gm split Lentils ( Mung or black)
- 1/4 tsp Ginger paste
- 1/4 tsp Cumin seed powder
- 1 pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
- Oil
Prep: Wash and soak the lentils for one or two days.
Step one: rub the lentils between your palms to loosen husk, drain and wash, grind it in a mixer, use small amounts of water to turn it into a smooth batter. Place the batter in a bowl and whisk it until fluffy
Step two: add spices to the batter and mix well.
Step three: heat up a skillet, add in oil and small balls of the batter, press down and cook it on medium heat until the edges are crisp and golden brown.
Step four: transfer to a dish and serve with pickles and curries.
Tourism is a powerful, and often, underused tool. It has the potential to ignite change and uplift communities that have traditionally lacked the resources to operate sustainably. Perhaps one of its most important benefits is its ability to improve the livelihoods of women – to bring gender equality into areas that have historically undervalued the positive impact women can make in the family, community and country.
