Venturing into Nepal unveils not only breathtaking landscapes but also a unique and flavorful cuisine, often overlooked on the global culinary stage. Unlike familiar Asian cuisines, Nepali Food presents a distinct palate that was a delightful surprise during our travels. Prior to our Annapurna Base Camp Trek, our knowledge of Nepali dishes was limited, adding an element of exciting uncertainty to our meals. This culinary exploration proved to be a highlight, dispelling any initial hesitations about food during our adventure.
My ideal Nepali culinary experience begins with a comforting ginger lemon honey tea, followed by the savory aloo paratha as an appetizer. For the main course, sharing a flavorful potato rosti and the quintessential dal bhat would complete a perfect Nepali meal.
During our Annapurna Base Camp Trek, we opted for a vegetarian diet, primarily enjoying local staples like dal bhat. Consuming meat while trekking in Nepal is generally discouraged, as ethical considerations in many regions mean meat freshness can be a concern. For more insights into trailside dining, including typical teahouse meal prices, refer to the food section of my Annapurna Base Camp Trek article.
In Kathmandu, our culinary explorations became more adventurous. A standout experience was trying a Newari dish featuring raw buffalo meat – a surprisingly delicious and unique taste. Kathmandu offers a wide spectrum of dining options to suit every budget, with main dishes ranging from under $1.50 USD to upwards of $50 USD. The secret to finding affordable and delicious food is to venture beyond tourist-heavy areas, although even Thamel offers hidden gems. For detailed recommendations and tips, explore my Kathmandu article.
Nepali Breakfast Staples
Breakfast in Nepal typically offers both set menus and à la carte options. Common breakfast items widely available include eggs prepared to your preference, simple toast, muesli, potatoes seasoned with Nepali spices, porridge, and chapatti.
Chapatti
Chapatti is a thin, flatbread reminiscent of a fluffy tortilla. Mild in flavor, it’s particularly enjoyable when served fresh and warm. It’s often offered with butter, jam, honey, or topped with fried eggs, and can be found as a breakfast item or side dish in both mountainous regions and cities.
Aloo Paratha
Aloo Paratha, also known as Alu Paratha, is a layered roti (bread) filled with a spiced potato mixture. The potato filling boasts a delightful onion and garlic flavor profile, similar to that found in samosas. Served in pieces, often with a dipping sauce, it bears a resemblance to an Indian quesadilla. The bread achieves a light crispness on the exterior with a soft interior, complementing the creamy potato filling. Aloo paratha is available for breakfast in some Annapurna Base Camp trek locations and as a breakfast or side dish in urban areas.
Curd
Curd, a lightly sweetened dairy product with a yogurt-like consistency, is wonderfully creamy. We encountered it in cities and larger mountain towns.
Porridge
Oat porridge provides a warm and comforting breakfast option, generally plain in flavor. For added taste, ordering it with fruit is recommended. Porridge is available both in cities and along trekking trails.
Muesli
Standard European-style muesli is readily available in both cities and mountain regions. It’s typically served with a choice of hot milk or curd. I particularly enjoyed it with curd, though I didn’t try it with hot milk.
Nepali Snacks, Appetizers, and Light Bites
Many Nepali snacks and appetizers can be enjoyed at any meal or as a light meal on their own. My personal favorite was Buff Shapaley.
Shapaley
Shapaley, or sha balep, particularly the buff (buffalo) shapaley we savored in Pokhara, was a culinary highlight. Similar to a wheat empanada or Jamaican patty, it’s filled with minced buffalo meat combined with finely diced onion. The flavor combination is exceptionally well-balanced. Given that buffalo meat can sometimes be tough, shapaley offers a perfect way to enjoy it.
Kati Roll
Kati Roll is akin to a wrap or pita, utilizing a thick crepe-like bread. The bread we tasted was moist and chewy with appealing charred marks, filled with a flavorful spicy chicken and vegetable mixture. Kati rolls are commonly found in cities.
Pakora
Pakora, or Pakoda, are deep-fried battered snacks that can feature a variety of ingredients, though typically vegetables unless specified otherwise. They are often served with a dipping sauce. Pakora can vary in appearance, sometimes exhibiting crispy strands of vegetables extending in all directions, and other times resembling neat, small patties. The spice blend in the batter is determined by the cook, making each experience unique, generally mild with occasional subtle heat. Widely available, pakoras are a delightful way to sample Nepali flavors.
Samosa
Samosas are a personal favorite, appreciated for their textural contrast. While variations exist, the most common is a crispy, fried pyramid of thin pastry encasing a creamy, spiced potato and pea filling. They can be enjoyed on their own, dipped in chutney, or incorporated into a curry. Samosas are most prevalent in urban areas.
Momo
Momos are a quintessential Nepali food, found virtually everywhere. These dumplings feature a pasta-like wheat wrapper and can be steamed or pan-fried. Traditionally filled with vegetables or meat, modern variations include diverse fillings, even dessert momos. Typically served with a dipping sauce, they can also be found in curries or soups. While widely popular, and perhaps influenced by my extensive dumpling experiences across Asia, I found them to be pleasant but not particularly distinctive.
Fruit
The most commonly seen fruits included oranges, bananas, apples, and pomegranates. All these and more are available in cities. In the mountains, we encountered them at various points. At lower elevations, oranges were sold along trails, while apples were more common at higher altitudes and often featured in porridge. The apples were pale red and green, with a texture and flavor similar to Red Delicious apples.
Pani Puri
Pani Puri is a street food we unfortunately didn’t get to try. These bite-sized, hollow puri puffs have a small opening at the top, filled with flavorful sauces. They were frequently seen along the lakeside in Pokhara.
Pop Corn
Popcorn is a common snack on teahouse menus. However, priced between Rs.200-400, it seemed somewhat expensive.
Corn on the Cob
Roasted corn on the cob, cooked over open flames, was a ubiquitous street food sight throughout Kathmandu.
Aloo Paratha
Aloo Paratha (or Alu Paratha) – For a detailed description and image, please refer to the breakfast section.
Nepali Main Dishes
Nepali cuisine is characterized by its generous use of starches. It’s not unusual to find bread, rice, and potatoes harmoniously combined in a single meal. Vegetarian options are abundant and delicious, though those seeking low-carb meals might find limited choices.
Dal Bhat
Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal, available almost everywhere. Many Nepalis consume it multiple times daily. The most basic form comprises dal (lentil soup), a potato/vegetable curry, and rice (bhat). It’s often accompanied by crispy flatbread, greens, spicy sauce, pickle, and/or fresh vegetables. Generous refills of dal, rice, and curry are typically offered.
Dal, the lentil soup, can also include a mix of beans and varies in consistency from a thin broth to a thicker gravy. Its slightly salty flavor is ideal for seasoning the rice, and its taste profile reminded me of chicken stock. Vegetable curries varied significantly from place to place, generally featuring a mild spice and always including potatoes. One variation even incorporated large beans. The accompanying greens often added a pleasant bitter note.
The traditional way to eat Dal Bhat is to mix all components together and eat with your right hand, although using a spoon is perfectly acceptable. It’s recommended to taste each element individually first to adjust the mix to your preference, as some spicy sauces or pickled sides can be quite potent.
Thali
Thali translates to “plate” and can be served with all elements arranged on a large platter or in several smaller dishes. The concept is to create a balanced meal with diverse flavors and textures. Rice is always present, along with at least one curry, and often includes bitter greens, a creamy element, fresh vegetables, and a spicy component. The Thali set pictured below included chicken curry, dal, bitter greens, a spicy chutney, creamy and subtly sweet curd, crispy flatbread, fresh vegetables, and rice. It cost approximately $5 USD at a hotel restaurant in Thamel. The sheer quantity of food in a Thali is often overwhelming for one person, but it’s a fantastic way to sample a range of Nepali dishes. We shared this Thali after an appetizer and still found it too much for two.
Other Thali sets we encountered during our trip were smaller but still substantial. One included a melt-in-your-mouth pork curry (likely pork belly). Exercise caution when eating meat curries as they often contain bone fragments.
Egg Curry
Egg curries were a valuable protein source in the mountains and also available in cities. The best egg curry we tasted was at a Newari restaurant, featuring a rich, silky, creamy sauce reminiscent of butter chicken. Most egg curries came with rice and had a thinner sauce consistency, but were still enjoyable.
Buff
Since cows are considered sacred, water buffalo, or “buff,” is the primary red meat in Nepal and prepared in various ways. We tried buff in a chili at a Newari restaurant and in a curry elsewhere. Both dishes were so flavorful with other ingredients that the buff taste was subtle, but the meat itself tended to be tough and gristly. While the overall flavor profiles were excellent, ground buff might be a preferable preparation. Buff meat is available in cities.
Potato Rosti
Originally from Switzerland, Potato Rosti is a popular dish in most teahouses along the Annapurna Base Camp trek and quickly became one of our favorites. Nepali variations often incorporate local twists, such as adding garlic and shredded cabbage. Consistent with Nepali cuisine, no two rostis were ever quite the same. They are made from a mixture of shredded potatoes and vegetables, pan-fried to a crisp. Rostis are often offered topped with cheese or a fried egg for added protein. Think of it as a gourmet hash brown, typically with more complex flavors.
Nepali Beverages
Tea is arguably the national beverage of Nepal, and the quality is exceptional. Indulging in Nepali tea is highly recommended. Regarding other drinks, Nepalis often prefer beverages warm, including water and beer, which might be unexpected for some.
Tea
Tea is fundamental to Nepali culture and daily life. It’s typically offered with every meal and when conducting business, including meetings with trekking guides. Nepali tea is often sweetened and comes in numerous varieties. Milk tea, a lightly sweetened tea with milk, is a perfect breakfast choice. Ginger Lemon tea (with honey optional) was my personal favorite – a zesty and soothing blend ideal any time of day. Fresh ginger adds wonderful flavor, though the pulp might not appeal to everyone. Masala tea, another sweetened tea, features a warm spice blend. It’s richly flavored and complex, though some may find the cardamom a bit strong.
Rice Wine (Raksi)
Rice Wine, known as Raksi, is more of a potent liquor than a wine. Clear and strong, it possesses a complex flavor profile. Often served in small ceramic dishes resembling tea light holders, upscale establishments may pour it from ornate silver pitchers held high above the cup. Raksi is frequently homemade, resulting in significant variations in flavor and strength.
Fruit Juices
Fruit juices we tried were generally very sweet and not to my personal preference.
Coffee
Coffee is not a traditional Nepali drink but is commonly available for tourists.
Nepali Desserts & Sweets
Desserts didn’t seem to be a central aspect of Nepali cuisine, and those we encountered, often aimed at tourists, tended to be pricier (around $4 USD for a brownie or slice of cake). We did notice dessert adaptations of common dishes like momos and Snickers-filled shapaley.
Fruit
Fruit is frequently served as a dessert. Our trek included dessert, which typically consisted of apple slices and pomegranate seeds, occasionally with a Snickers bar.
Lassi
Lassi is a yogurt and fruit-based drink that can also include spices. A banana lassi we tried tasted like an overly sweet smoothie.
Sweets
Many sweet shops displayed pastries resembling fry cakes and breads, while some offered more diverse assortments of sweets. We purchased these sweets for Rs.100 in a small, dimly lit shop. The top right sweet (likely soan papdi) was the most interesting, with a delicate, flaky texture. Beside it was a sweet, gooey, nutty pastry. The middle sweet, we believe, was a milk candy – very sweet and sticky. The bottom one is kaju katli, a cashew paste sweet with a texture somewhere between fudge and wax. Overall, these sweets were quite sugary and not our favorites.
For those considering trekking in Nepal and seeking pre-trip reading, Gordon Alexander’s “The Nepali Flat” is an entertaining account of his month-long trek in the Everest Region. He vividly describes the spectrum of mountain food, from exceptional to dreadful, with candid details, including his digestive experiences, offering a realistic perspective on trekking in Nepal.
What Nepali food delights you the most? Share your favorites in the comments below!
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