Sarahs Kitchen Travels

Tag: nepalese food

  • Pork momos

    Makes approx. 35
    Crescent shaped momos, nepalese dumplings

    Mention the word momo to an expat Nepalese person, and they will turn misty-eyed, momos are the ultimate comfort food and source of homesickness for ‘hole in the wall’ snack bars.  Yet no one can fully appreciate the significance of momos until they have experienced sitting around a fire on a cold Himalayan night with the wind howling outside.  It’s a communal event with old and young chatting while helping, some rolling the dough as others fill and seal.  As soon as the first batch of momos is cooked everyone dives in all at once to grab the spoils.  Blowing smoke dragons to alleviate burning mouths while juices drip down greasy chins as the momos are ravenously devoured.

    When you read the method for shaping momos, it sounds alarmingly complicated.  Please don’t be put off, momos are not difficult to shape, however, writing a clear description of how to shape them is very difficult.

    Ingredients

    Dough wrappers
    • 280g | 10oz plain flour
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder*
    • Tepid water to mix
    Filling
    • 250g | 9oz minced pork (belly is best)
    • 1 medium onion, finely diced
    • 1½ teaspoons very finely grated ginger
    • 1 teaspoon very finely grated garlic
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander stalks
    • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Method

    Start by making the dough, in a medium sized mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, adding enough tepid water to bring the flour together into a soft dough. Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough for 5–10 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic (just like making bread dough).  Return the dough to the bowl, and cover it with a damp cloth, let the dough rest for an hour while you make the filling. 

    Making the filling is quick and easy, place all the filling ingredients in a second bowl and mix them thoroughly with your hands.  Set the filling aside for 20 minutes or until you are ready to fill your dough wrappers.

    To prepare the wrappers, *the easy way, flour your working surface, roll out your dough to 2mm thickness and cut it into circular, biscuit like rounds using a round 76mm / 3” pastry cutter. Set the round wrappers to one side and cover them with a damp cloth, it’s important not to let the dough dry out. Bring the remaining dough back together, repeating rolling, cutting, and covering the wrappers until all the dough is used.

    Shaping perfect momos is an art and does require some practice, perfect momos are totally unnecessary, it really doesn’t matter how skilful or not you are, the flavour is the same.  Balance a wrapper on the palm/fingers of your non-dominant hand, place a generous teaspoon of the pork filling into the centre of the wrapper and dampen the inside edge of the wrapper with a little water. 

    For a crescent shaped momo, using your non-dominant hand, fold the dough into a semi-circle, similar to making a pasty.  Using the thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand pinch the near edge together, moving along the momo use the forefinger of your non-dominant hand to form a small pleat on the side away from you.  With your dominant thumb and forefinger, pinch the pleat together with the edges to seal a section of the momo.  Repeat the pleating and sealing until your momo is completely sealed. 

    For a round momo the pinching and pleating method is the same. Starting with the edge nearest to you, lift the wrapper edge a little and pinch a small section of the wrapper.  Then, using the forefinger of your non-dominant hand form a small pleat on the side away from you and pinch the pleat closed with your dominant forefinger and thumb. Working clockwise if you are righthanded or anticlockwise if you are lefthanded, turn the momo slightly with each pleat and pinch.  Use your final pinch to seal the momo.

    Place the momos to one side and cover them with a damp cloth until you are ready to cook them. Fill the base of your steamer one third full of water and bring the water to a fast boil. Oil the steaming section of your steamer** and place the momos in the steamer leaving at least a centimetre gap between them. Fit the lid securely to the steamer and place the steamer on the pan. Steam the momos for 15–20 minutes until the dough becomes translucent.

    * Baking powder isn’t strictly traditional, using it will make the cooked dough softer.

    ** If you are using a bamboo steamer or a steamer with large holes, you will need to

    line the steamer with parchment paper that you have pierced holes in.

    Momos freeze very well, to cook them from frozen, steam them for 20–25 the traditional way

    minutes.

  • Nepalese lamb, potato and black chickpea soup

    Serves 4
    Nepalese lamb, potato and black chickpea Soup

    This makes a very tasty way to use the last of a roast lamb.  There’s been lots of taming and sanitising before I dared to publish a recipe. The original ‘sha aloo jhol’, it’s proper name, isn’t for the faint-hearted. High in the Himalayas, away from the tourist trails, where the trees peter out, people raise ‘changara’, a pungent semi-wild goat with curly horns.  When a changara is killed for meat, the haunches are hung out to ripen and air dry.  Their rancid perfume signposts people’s presence long before you see a homestead. Small pieces of meat are sliced from the haunch and used to flavour an otherwise bland diet of boiled food, remarkably, rancid goat is delicious. I had to find a palatable way to share the spirit of this dish.

    Ingredients

    • Cooked lamb bones from a roast with any bits of meat left on them
    • 200 grams | 7 oz cooked brown chickpeas 
    • 1 ½ tablespoons finely grated garlic
    • 1 ½ tablespoons finely grated ginger
    • 1 litre | 2 pints approx. water
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground chilli (optional)
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 medium onion peeled and sliced lengthways
    • 300 grams | 10 oz waxy potatoes, peeled and roughly cut into 2cm pieces
    • 500 ml | 1 pint leftover gravy, add extra water if the gravy isn’t enough
    • 40 ml | 1 ½ fl oz vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoons whole cumin
    • 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
    • 3 spring onions, sliced
    • Small bunch chives, cut into 2cm lengths

    Method

    Rinse and place the chickpeas into a large heavy bottomed pan with lamb bones, garlic, ginger and enough water to just cover them (approx. 1 litre). Place the lid on the pan and bring it to the boil, boil vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes then turn the heat down to a rolling boil and cook until the chickpeas are soft enough to crush with a fork. Brown chickpeas will keep a bit of bite when they’re cooked.

    Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli, salt, onion, potatoes, and gravy or water. Bring everything back to the boil until the potatoes are cooked. Remove the bones from the stew and pull any meat and marrow bone from them using a fork, return the meat and marrow to the stew and discard the bones.

    Heat the oil in a small frying pan until it’s very hot, add the cumin seeds and fry until they brown and are popping.  Add the tomato, stir it well and fry until the tomato has softened then add the chives. Stir the chives through the tomatoes and pour the mixture straight into the stew. It will sizzle and splutter.

    Stir and check for seasoning before serving.

    If you’re using dried chickpeas soak them for 24 hrs changing the water after 12hrs, if time is short then soak them at least overnight.

  • Cooking in Nepal

    A smoky kitchen lit only by a fire and daylight from the single door is the heart of Nepalese cooking. The soul is the thousands of women who crouch uncomplaining over the single source of heat, juggling pans to create a daily feast for their families.
    Tamang lady cooking nettles in northern Nepal
    Tharu lady cooking in Chitwan
    Villager cooking in Nepal
    The kitchen at our home in Nepal
    Tharu kitchen Nepal

    Along the highways cooks magic meals for travellers from the most meagre of ingredients, a skill close to alchemy. They don’t rely on expensive and difficult to find spices, opting instead for spices they can grow or forage.

    road side cafe Nepal
    Cooking at a highway restaurant Nepal
    girl cooking in a highway restaurant Nepal
    roadside cafes Nepal
    roadside cafe Nepal

  • Nepalese, Stir fried spinach and spring onion

    Serves 4 as a side dish 2 as a main
    Stir fried spinach with dill

    No meal in Nepal is complete without ‘sag’ spinach, in fact there are many different types of spinach. we have been serving a version of this recipe in Yak Yeti Yak for over 20 years and it’s still one of out most popular dishes.

    Ingredients

    • 400 grams | fresh spinach, washed, dried and torn in half
    • 20 grams | 1 oz fresh dill, finely chopped
    • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • ½ teaspoon crushed chilli (optional)
    • ½ teaspoon Panch Puran (optional)
    • 1 medium onion, finely sliced
    • 1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
    • 25 grams | 1 oz fresh ginger, finely sliced and cut into thin matchsticks
    • 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon Yak Yeti Yak or garam masala
    • 1 bunch spring onions, cleaned, roots removed and cut into 2 cm (1 inch) pieces

    Method

    Heat the oil in a wok or high sided frying pan until it’s medium, add the chilli and panch puran, fry the seeds until they start to pop then add the onion and salt. You will need to keep stirring to prevent the onion from burning at the edges. Once the onion is starting to turn translucent add the masala, garlic, and ginger then fry until the spices start to stick to the base of the pan, add a tablespoon or 2 of water, just enough to lift the spices off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato and fry stirring occasionally until the tomato softens but still holds its shape add the spring onions and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, tip the spinach, watercress and dill into the pan, keep frying and turning, until the spinach is completely wilted. Check for salt and serve immediately

  • Nepalese, squash kale and crispy garlic

    Serves 2 as a generous main or 4 as a side dish
    stir fried curry of squash and kale

    This was born out of the make a curry out of whatever we have hanging around style of cooking I have at home. Now it’s a dish in it’s own right.

    Ingredients

    • 450 grams | 1 lb acorn squash, deseeded and cut into bite-size pieces
    • 50 grams | 2 oz young kale, stalks removed and leaves roughly torn into bite sizes pieces
    • ½ tablespoon finely grated garlic
    • 10 grams | ½ oz fresh ginger, finely sliced and cut it into thin matchsticks
    • 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
    • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
    • 2 green finger chilies, split lengthways leaving them attached at the stalk
    • 1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 ½ teaspoons simple or garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 50 ml | ¼ cup vegetable oil 50 mil
    • 200 ml | 1 cup water
    • Garnish
    • 2 very thinly sliced garlic cloves

    Method

    Heat the oil in a wide buttoned pan until medium hot, add the chilies and sliced garlic for the garnish, fry until the garlic slices are golden brown then remove the garlic slices from the oil and set it aside. Depending how hot you want your curry you can either remove the chilies for a milder curry or leave them to cook for a spicier curry. Add the cumin seeds to the hot oil and allow them to sizzle until they start to brown (about 30 seconds), add the shallots and let them sizzle for a minute, stirring them to prevent them from burning. Add the ginger, grated garlic, turmeric and salt to the shallots and continue to cook stirring for 30 seconds before adding the water and bring it to the boil. Once the water is boiling turn the heat down a little and add the squash. Place a lid on the pan and cook until the squash is softening but retains a little bite (5 to 10 minutes). Add the tomato and allow it to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the tomato starts to soften. Tear the kale leaves into rough pieces and wash it but don’t dry it, then add the kale on the top of the pan with the water still clinging to the leaves.  Place the lid on the pan and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Once the kale is wilted stir it into the squash check for seasoning. Serve straight away sprinkled with the reserved crispy garlic.

  • Nepalese 5 bean curry

    Serves 4 to 6
    Nepalese 5 bean curry

    No-one tells you that summer monsoon rains are really cold. After a good Kathmandu night out I felt we could do with making some hearty bean soup and totally misjudged the quantity of beans to soak. Next morning I woke to beans spilling out all over the kitchen and a mildly annoyed mother-in-law. Embarrassed and with a slight air of panic, I cooked all the beans and made a curry leaving everyone to believe that’s what I intended all along.

    Ingredients

    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried kidney beans
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried yellow peas
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried black eye peas
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried chickpeas
    • 100 grams | 3 ½ oz dried green peas
    • Water as needed
    • 60 ml | ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
    • 1 inch piece fresh ginger (approx.10 grams), finely sliced then cut into very fine matchsticks
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 2 dried red chillies preferably Kashmiri
    • 1 teaspoon Yak Yeti Yak or garam masala
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped

    To finish

    • 60 ml l ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
    • 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

    Method

    Place all the beans and peas in a large bowl and cover them with 2 inches of water. Soak the beans overnight or for up to 24 hours when you’re ready to cook the beans, throw away the soaking water and rinse them well. To cook the beans, place them in a heavy pan with a well fitted lid, add enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch and set the pan on a high heat until they come to the boil. Boil the beans vigorously for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the heat to a slow boil until the beans are soft, set them aside in a bowl, keep the cooking liquor.  Wash and dry the pan ready for the next step.

    Make sure the pan is completely dry then, heat the oil to medium hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, and salt cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the chopped tomato and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato has softened and the oil starts to pool and separate from the tomato. Add the masala and turmeric stir and cook for about 1 minute before adding the beans, add in enough cooking water to cover the beans and the salt stir well and place a lid on the pan, simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Squash a few beans against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy and continue to let the curry simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes.

    While the beans are simmering heat the oil in a small frying pan until it’s very hot add the cumin seeds, as soon as they start to pop add the sliced garlic and allow the mixture to fry until the garlic turns golden brown. Quickly pour the sizzling garlic mixture to the beans, it will fizz ferociously, stir well and check for seasoning. Set a curry aside for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

    If you prefer to use tinned beans. Use one tin each of five different beans, empty all the beans from the tins discard juice and rinse them thoroughly before using them.