Relishing the best of Nepal

In the village of Tharu, in the Terai region in Nepal, jwano ko jhol is a rather important healthy dish. The name comes from thyme seed, locally known as jwano, which is generously added in the soup as it is very popular in the region. There is also a tradition of giving jwano ko jhol to women post-pregnancy.

Then there is sel roti — a lookalike of doughnuts. When the villagers invented this humble bread, little did they realise it would be cherished with chilled white wine at the banks of the River Rapti. Made with rice flour, water, sugar, cooking oil and ghee, it is mildly sweet and served with potato pickle, which is what makes it so peppy. People sometimes prefer it with a mixture of banana and coconut in it.

Food & festivals

The communities spread across Nepal’s diverse topography have their own festive cuisines, usually a product of their environment, I learn during my stay at The Taj Safaris’ Meghauli Serai at Chitwan National Park, Nepal. For example, mari or confectionary items are significant for the Newari community. They assign the task of making maris to ‘Madhikarmis’ who have been in this trade for many generations now.

Lakhamari is one sweet specifically made during Newari weddings. As I take a bite of the delicious sweet, Pradeep, the naturalist who belongs to the region, explains, “Prior to the system of sending wedding invitation cards, pieces of lakhamari were sent to relatives.” I cannot help giggling when he adds, “Close relations were sent bigger pieces, while distant relatives got the smaller ones as tokens of invitation.”

There is more to it. Three shapes of lakhamari are sent to Newari brides before the wedding. These are in the shapes of a fish, frog and bird. Tradition has it that the fish symbolises movement which means that the bride is going to be busy in household chores; the frog symbolises confinement, meaning the bride’s limits of the new house like a frog in a well. And the bird symbolises that the bride will still be flying free within the limits of the household.

Another important festival is the Maghe Sankranti, celebrated as Maghi the New Year by the Tharus. A special type of spinach called patne palungo grown in Nepal and tarual (yam) are regarded very important and special foods during Maghe Shankranti. While anadi ko chamal — a sticky rice variety is commonly eaten, on this day, they make a unique form of rice called khariya, which is prepared in a traditional clay pot called dhikuni. Once the rice is steamed, it is wrapped in a banana leaf and then baked under glowing embers. Non-vegetarians love to celebrate the Festival with pakuwa, which is barbecued meat tempered with spices. Tharus eat various forms of chutneys, a famous one being the bayarak chutney. It is made from bayar (wild Indian plum) and has a spicy, sweet and sour flavour.

Tharus also love their liquor. Alcoholic beverages prepared from fermentation of rice are often served to guests. During my visit, I was offered a glass of jaand, a fermented rice beverage, as a welcome drink.

And if you are a teetotaller, you can have po cha. Made from special tea leaves, salt and milk with dollops of yak butter, the tea keeps the natives of entire Himalayan belt warm and healthy. You read that right, a tea sans sugar, ginger or masala. The tea leaves are steeped for several hours to form a concentrate known as chaku, which is then combined with the butter and salt in a tall cylindrical wooden churn to make it smooth. Adding milk is optional.

In Nepal, foodies can lose their ways in the maze of regional cuisines with so many options and influences — Sherpa, Newari, Tharu, Madhesi, Bhojpuri, Lohorung — and what binds them together is the simple po cha.