What We Eat When Visiting Nepal

From daily staples like daal bhat to mouth-watering street food, here's what to eat in Nepal for a complete culinary experience.

Nepalese cuisine offers hearty, flavourful dishes blending Tibetan, Indian, and local Himalayan influences. While most folks in Nepal can go about their day eating dal bhat twice a day, there are other offerings you should try.

Indulging in local cuisine is a big part of how a Poets And Pilgrims group travels. Nepali cuisine is one of the reasons why we love visiting Nepal. We prefer eating at small eateries where locals usually eat as well as home cooked meals with families. Here are some dishes we usually eat when a Poets And Pilgrims group is travelling to Nepal.

Dal Bhat Thali

Dal bhat reigns as Nepal’s everyday meal: bhat (steamed rice) served with dal (lentil soup), tarkari (seasonal vegetable curry, and pickles. It’s delicious, nutritious, and can include extras like saag (leafy greens like spinach) meat gravy (usually chicken or mutton), yoghurt, and others.

In most places you get free refills and you spend less than 200 Nepali rupees on it in local eateries. Always remember ”Dal Bhat Power 24 hour” is the Nepali spirit and nothing brings more joy to people in Nepal like a plate of dal bhat.

Momos

Momos, steamed or fried dumplings stuffed with spiced meat (buffalo, chicken, goat) or finely chopped veggetables, are another Nepali staple. Momos are best had with broth, spicy red-chillies chutney, and fiery tomato achar.

A plate of 10 momos usually costs less than 150 rupees. Small joints serving momos are omnipresent in places like Kathmandu and Pokhara and it’s common to find homestays where they serve fresh momos.

When we are on a trip to Nepal, momos are usually the first thing we head out for.

Chowmein

Originally a Chinese stir-fried noodle dish, Chowmein has travelled across borders and found a special place in Nepali kitchens. Chowmein consists of vegetables, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili sauce, and some spices. When I feel like I need a break from the usual indulgence of dal bhat, I turn to chowmein for comfort.

Food joints big and small all serve veg and non-veg chowmein. The meat variants available are chicken, buff, and pork. I love the vegetarian chowmein and don’t miss meat options at all.

Juju Dhau

When in Bhaktapur, Juju Dhau is a customary indulgence. It’s sweetened custard-like yogurt and is an important component of all feasts and celebrations. Juju Dhau literally means “king of yogurt” in the Newari language.

Juju Dhau is usually made from fresh buffalo milk that gives it thick, creamy consistency and is available across Bhaktapur, not costing more than 80 rupees. Sometimes we grab some sel rotis (mentioned below) and have it with juju dhau!

Sel Roti

Walk around Kathmandu and you are definitely going to notice those ring-like sel rotis being sold at small snacks joints.. Sel roti is slightly sweet, thin, and puffed-up rice bread with a crispy texture and reddish brown color.

It’s prepared from a thick batter made by grinding soaked rice. The batter is mixed with sugar, clarified butter, mashed banana, water and deep fried.

It is common to have sel roti for in morning hours, and can be enjoyed with thick yoghurt.

Khasi Ko Maasu - Nepali Mutton Curry

Mutton curry symbolises a celebratory meal in Nepal and it’s common to have it at weddings. The tender goat meat is cooked with a generous amount of ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, shallots, and several other spices along with mustard oil to make this delicious flavored spicy dish. Served with plain, freshly-steamed rice, Nepali-style goat curry is certainly a delight for non-veg folks.

I have enjoyed the best mutton curry in Nepali weddings. One thing worth mentioning here is that in Nepal, they like their mutton to be chewy so you might find it under-cooked and rubbery.

Peanut Sadeko

Peanut sadeko (salad) is a popular snack in Nepal, known locally as badam sadeko. Sadeko is made of roasted peanuts with some spices, some vegetables like onions, carrots, cucumbar, and generous amount of green chillies. It’s commonly enjoyed in the evenings with alcoholic drinks.

Newari Cuisine

Newari feasts feature Newari-style dal bhat thali, choila (grilled spicy meat salad), dhidho (made from millet or buckwheat flour), and chatamari (rice crepe topped like pizza).

Commonly available around Kathmandu, Newari cuisine deserves an article on its own. Some other day, perhaps?