15 dishes you need to try when you visit Nepal
(~ that aren’t Momos or Dhal Bhaat)
If you are planning a trip to Nepal, there is a good chance you already have a list of things you want to see and do. But what should you eat while you are there?
Search for Nepalese food and two dishes will appear almost immediately: Dhal Bhaat and Momos. And rightly so! Both are an essential part of eating your way around Nepal, but if those are the only two Nepalese dishes you try, you will have barely scratched the surface.
My own education in Nepalese food
When I arrived in Kathmandu in 1998 to open what would become Kilroy’s of Kathmandu, I knew very little about Nepalese food. I was lucky, though, because some of my earliest experiences of it weren’t in restaurants at all. They were in people’s homes, eating the food they cooked for themselves and their families.
Those home-cooked meals taught me what many of these dishes were actually supposed to taste like, and when we introduced Nepalese dishes at Kilroy’s, I wanted to make sure we kept those authentic flavours rather than turning them into some sanitised version of ‘restaurant food’.
Over the years I ate my way around Nepal, discovering dishes from different communities and parts of the country, and quickly learned that there is far more to Nepalese food than most visitors ever get to experience. Geography, ethnicity, religion, migration and Nepal’s neighbours have all influenced what people cook, which means the food of the Kathmandu Valley can be very different from what you might find in the Terai or high in the Himalayas.
How many can you find? Save The Kilroys 15-Dish Challenge image to your phone and see how many you can tick off as you eat your way around Nepal. We’d love to hear your discoveries over on Instagram @kilroysofkathmandu!
Next week, Arati and I are heading back to Kathmandu, and I am already looking forward to finding many of these dishes on menus again. It got me thinking about what I would recommend to somebody visiting Nepal for the first time.
So what should you eat when you visit Nepal?
This isn’t intended to be an encyclopaedia of Nepalese cuisine, and it certainly isn’t a definitive ranking. These are simply the dishes and food experiences I would tell a friend they really should look out for while they are there.
Some are best eaten in restaurants. Others belong beside the road, halfway through a long journey. A couple taste particularly good after several hours walking in the mountains, and some of the very best may be served to you in somebody’s home.
So, with an appetite already building for our own return to Kathmandu, here are my fifteen dishes you need to try when you visit Nepal.
1. Poori and Aloo Dum: The Family Breakfast
Where: Across Nepal, particularly in family homes.
When: Breakfast, family gatherings and festive mornings.
The Vibe: Sitting around a crowded family table while hot pooris arrive from the kitchen and everybody reaches for the next one.
There are breakfasts you eat quietly over a newspaper and there are breakfasts where you have to move quickly if you want to get your share. Poori and aloo dum definitely belongs in the second camp. A poori is a simple unleavened bread, rolled thin and dropped into hot oil where, within seconds, it balloons into a crisp golden ball. Check out my video of Arati making them with Ama at a big family gathering. Tear it open while it is still piping hot and use it to scoop up the soft potatoes and lightly spiced gravy of the aloo dum.
For me, though, this isn’t really restaurant food. Some of my happiest memories of eating poori and aloo dum have been with family, with a big bowl of aloo dum in the middle of the table, hot pooris arriving a few at a time and plenty of hands reaching in for the next one. Nobody is plating anything beautifully and nobody is waiting politely for everybody else to be served. That’s rather the point.
It’s also a wonderful introduction to Nepalese food for someone who may be a little nervous about spice. It’s vegetarian, comforting and familiar enough not to be intimidating, while eating curry and freshly fried bread for breakfast still feels wonderfully different if you’ve grown up on toast and cereal. If somebody invites you home for poori and aloo dum for breakfast, say yes. And get to the next poori before the kids do.
Also look out for… Chana tarkari, a lightly spiced chickpea curry that is wonderful with hot poori and gives you another completely vegetarian breakfast option. And if there’s fresh achar on the table, try that with it too
2. Chicken Chilli: A Night Out in Thamel
Where: Kathmandu, particularly Thamel.
When: An evening out with friends, workmates or trekking buddies.
The vibe: A table full of ice-cold beers, surrounded by friends with a straight-from-the-wok plate of lip-smacking Chicken Chilli in the middle and a live band playing somewhere in the background. Good times.
Chicken chilli is one of those dishes that demonstrates how wonderfully adaptable the food culture of Kathmandu has become. Pieces of chicken are fried or sautéed with onions, capsicum, garlic, ginger and green chillies, with a sauce that brings together sweetness, saltiness and heat. Some versions are quite dry, while others arrive with plenty of sauce, but either way this is food made for sharing.
And there is a very particular setting in which I think chicken chilli tastes best. Find yourself somewhere in Thamel after dark, preferably in a lively bar or restaurant, order a plate for the middle of the table and an ice-cold beer, and settle in while a live band plays rock classics or perhaps some jazz in the background.
This isn’t the Kathmandu of temples and trekking itineraries. It’s the Kathmandu where you order another round, the conversation carries on and suddenly you realise it is considerably later than you thought
Also look out for… Chilli momos or fried momos are perfect alongside this, particularly with an ice-cold beer. Vegetarians should try chips chilli – the same punchy combination of chilli, onions and peppers tossed through crispy fried potatoes. I cannot tell you how much my mouth is watering as I type this!
3. Sekuwa: Follow the Smoke
Where: Across Nepal, with specialist sekuwa restaurants particularly popular in Kathmandu.
When: Lunch, dinner or an evening eating with friends.
The experience: A busy restaurant, charcoal grills working constantly and the smell of marinated meat cooking over the fire.
There’s something about the smell of barbecued meat cooking over charcoal that gets your appetite going long before you sit down. Sekuwa is made with marinated meat, often goat, buffalo, chicken or pork, cooked over an open fire until the edges pick up a little char while the meat inside remains juicy. Ginger, garlic, mustard oil and spices usually feature in the marinade, although every good sekuwa cook will have their own variation.
Lots of restaurants serve it, but in Kathmandu the most famous is Bajeko Sekuwa which originally opened close to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, turning what is essentially grilled meat into a destination in its own right. Airport Sekuwa is one of the names many people who know Kathmandu will immediately recognise… they have since expanded the business with branches all over Nepal including Pokhara and Chitwan
This is one where I’d follow the smoke - and follow the crowd. Find somewhere with the grills working constantly thanks to lots of locals dropping in, order a few different varieties for the table and eat them as soon as they arrive. Let’s face it, Sekuwa really doesn’t benefit from sitting around while everybody photographs it!
Also look out for… Ask what achar they make to go with the sekuwa - a good, sharp pickle cuts beautifully through the smoky meat. If you see paneer sekuwa on the menu, it’s a great vegetarian way of joining in with the charcoal-grilled experience.
4. Samay Baji: A Newari Feast on One Plate
Where: The Kathmandu Valley, particularly Kathmandu, Patan and Kirtipur.
When: Traditionally associated with festivals and celebrations, but readily available in Newari restaurants.
The vibe: A table covered with different tastes and textures, discovering something new with almost every mouthful.
If you want to understand just how diverse Nepalese food can be, find yourself a traditional Newari restaurant and order Samay Baji. The Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley have one of Nepal’s richest culinary traditions, and this is a wonderful way to encounter several elements of it at once.
At the heart of the meal is usually chiura, or beaten rice, surrounded by an assortment that can include boiled egg, black soybeans, potatoes, pickles and choila, the wonderfully smoky and spicy meat dish that could easily have earned a place on this list in its own right.
That’s the pleasure of Samay Baji. One mouthful can be smoky and hot, the next sharp with pickle, followed by something crunchy or cooling. Don’t rush it, and don’t worry if you don’t immediately recognise everything on the plate. Find somewhere specialising in Newari cooking and ask what everything is. Half the fun is in the discovery.
Also look out for… Choila. It may already be part of your Samay Baji, but if the restaurant specialises in it, order a little extra. Smoky, spicy meat with chiura and achar is one of the great combinations of Newari food.
5. Chatamari: Much More Than a ‘Newari Pizza’
Where: The Kathmandu Valley, particularly traditional Newari eateries.
When: As a snack, light lunch or part of a wider Newari meal.
The experience: Finding somewhere making them fresh and watching your chatamari cook before eating it while the edges are still crisp.
Chatamari is often described to visitors as a ‘Newari pizza’. I understand why, but I think it rather undersells it. A thin rice-flour batter is spread over a hot pan and topped with combinations of minced meat, egg, vegetables and spices, creating something closer to a delicate savoury pancake or flatbread, with a soft centre and lightly crisp edges.
What I like about chatamari on this list is that it offers something completely different from the heavier meat dishes. Find a traditional Newari eatery making them fresh and watch yours being cooked. It makes a terrific light lunch or snack while exploring the older neighbourhoods of the Kathmandu Valley, particularly if you’re spending a day wandering around Patan.
Also look out for… Try more than one topping if you’re sharing. An egg or minced-meat chatamari alongside a vegetable version lets you see how versatile this deceptively simple rice-flour base can be.
6. Sukuti: Nepal’s Dried Meat Speciality
Where: Across Nepal, particularly in traditional restaurants and Newari eateries.
When: As a snack or shared dish with other food.
The Vibe: A plate of intensely flavoured dried meat, plenty of conversation and something cold to drink alongside it.
Long before refrigeration, drying meat was a practical way of preserving it, particularly in a country where geography could make fresh supplies difficult. Sukuti is the delicious consequence of that necessity: meat, commonly buffalo or goat, dried and then often fried or tossed with onions, chilli, garlic, mustard oil and spices.
It’s intensely savoury, chewy and absolutely packed with flavour. If you like biltong or jerky, the principle will be familiar, although the way Nepalese cooks bring the dried meat back to life with chilli, spices and mustard oil takes it somewhere quite different.
I think sukuti is at its best as one of several plates in the middle of a table, with friends, conversation and something cold to drink alongside it. It isn’t subtle, and nor should it be.
Also look out for… Sukuti sadheko, where the dried meat is tossed with chilli, onion, tomato, coriander, mustard oil and other seasonings. If plain sukuti sounds a little daunting, this is a cracking way to discover it
7. Thukpa: A Bowl of Warmth in the Himalayas
Where: Solukhumbu, the Everest trekking routes and Nepal’s northern Himalayan regions.
When: Lunch or dinner, particularly after a long day walking.
The experience: Arriving at a mountain teahouse, taking off your boots and wrapping both hands around a steaming bowl of noodle soup.
If you’re trekking in the Everest region, there will probably come a moment when you are cold, tired, hungry and wondering why walking uphill for several days sounded like such a good idea. That’s when thukpa comes into its own.
With its roots in Tibetan and Himalayan food culture, thukpa is a warming noodle soup usually containing vegetables and sometimes meat in a substantial broth. Nepal’s northern regions have centuries of cultural and trading connections across the Himalayas, and those influences are evident in the food.
You can find thukpa in Kathmandu, but that’s not where I’d choose to introduce you to it. I want you coming into a teahouse in Solukhumbu after hours on the trail, boots finally off, temperature falling outside, other trekkers swapping stories around you and both hands wrapped around a steaming bowl.
Some dishes simply taste better because of where you are when you eat them. Thukpa is definitely one of them.
Also look out for… Sherpa stew if you’re trekking in Solukhumbu. Recipes vary from lodge to lodge, which is half the fun, but expect another hearty bowl designed to put some warmth and energy back into tired trekkers.
8. Thakali Khana with Dhido: Mountain Comfort Food
Where: Pokhara, Kathmandu and towards the Annapurna and Mustang regions.
When: Lunch or dinner, ideally somewhere family-run.
The vibe: A modest restaurant, the matriarch cooking in the kitchen and a generous plate of food that tastes as though it could have been cooked at home
This is one of my personal favourites. Thakali food originates in the Thak Khola region of the Kali Gandaki Valley and has become popular throughout Nepal. A good Thakali khana brings together lentils, seasonal vegetables, achar and perhaps meat around rice or another staple, with each element contributing something different to the plate.
If you get the opportunity, however, ask for dhido, particularly one made with buckwheat. Dhido is cooked with water until it forms a thick, smooth paste and has relatively little flavour by itself, which makes it perfect for scooping up all those curries, vegetables and pickles around it.
The restaurants I love for this sort of food aren’t necessarily the grand ones. Check out my video from a modest family-run place we go to where the matriarch is in the kitchen cooking much as she would for her own family, and we just love it!. Nothing elaborate, no fussy presentation, just generous portions and wonderful home-cooked flavours - and usually at remarkably good value.
If you’re in Pokhara or heading towards the Annapurna region, this is one meal I’d actively seek out.
Also look out for… Mohi, the traditional buttermilk drink. It’s thinner, lighter and saltier than the creamy lassi many visitors know, and wonderfully refreshing alongside a substantial Thakali meal.
9. Malekhu Fried Fish: Make the Journey Part of the Meal
Where: Malekhu, on the road between Kathmandu and Pokhara.
When: As a lunch or snack stop during the journey.
The vibe: Getting out of the vehicle, stretching your legs and eating freshly fried fish while the river and the organised chaos of the highway carry on around you.
Anyone who has travelled by road between Kathmandu and Pokhara knows the journey can be an adventure in itself. The road winds alongside the river through spectacular scenery while buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles negotiate the same route, and your anticipated arrival time should perhaps be regarded as more of an aspiration than a commitment.
Malekhu became famous as a place to break that journey for fried fish. Stop, stretch your legs and find somewhere busy where the fish is being seasoned and fried fresh, crisp on the outside and served simply with achar and whatever accompaniments the house offers.
Not all fish sold around Malekhu necessarily comes from the nearby Trishuli River, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on romantic claims about where it was caught. The pleasure is in the roadside stop itself: freshly fried fish, the river nearby and the journey continuing around you.
Also look out for… Ask what fresh achar or chilli sauce they serve with the fish and have it the way the locals do. And have a look at what else is coming out of the fryer – the busiest roadside places often have several snacks worth trying.
Also look out for… Ask what fresh achar or chilli sauce they serve with the fish and have it the way the locals do. And have a look at what else is coming out of the fryer – the busiest roadside places often have several snacks worth trying. If I remember quickly, crispy handmade aloo samosas are also really popular and a delicious alternative to fried fish.
10. Dhikri: Discovering Tharu Food in Chitwan
Where: Chitwan and other Tharu communities across Nepal’s Terai.
When: As part of a traditional Tharu meal or cultural experience.
The experience: Coming back from exploring Chitwan and discovering that the food of the Terai is every bit as interesting as its wildlife.
Most visitors go to Chitwan for the jungle, hoping to see rhinoceroses and perhaps, if they are extraordinarily lucky, a tiger. But travelling down into the warmer Terai also brings you into a very different food culture.
Dhikri comes from the traditions of the Tharu communities and is made from rice flour, shaped and steamed before being eaten with curry, achar and other accompaniments. The dhikri itself is quite mild, so much of the pleasure comes from what you eat with it.
If your Chitwan itinerary includes a Tharu village visit, homestay or cultural experience, ask whether there’s an opportunity to eat a traditional meal as well. Don’t simply watch the dancing, take a photograph and get back on the bus. Sit down and discover what people eat.
And if you’re around Narayangarh and fancy something meatier, keep an eye out for taas, the spicy fried meat speciality for which the area has also become known.
Also look out for… Taas if you eat meat. Particularly associated with Chitwan and Narayangarh, this spicy fried goat or mutton makes a brilliant counterpoint to the much gentler dhikri
11. Gundruk Ko Jhol: A Taste of Traditional Nepal
Where: Across Nepal, with particularly deep roots in the hill regions.
When: As part of lunch or dinner with other dishes.
The vibe: Trying one of Nepal’s distinctive preserved foods and discovering what fermentation does to something as simple as leafy greens
Gundruk is one of those ingredients that tells you something about the place from which it came. Leafy vegetables are fermented and dried, originally providing a way of preserving food for later use, but in the process developing a distinctive sour flavour that became desirable in its own right.
Gundruk ko jhol turns those fermented greens into a soup, often with tomatoes, garlic and spices. We served gundruk soup at Kilroy’s because I felt it was important that guests had the opportunity to encounter flavours that genuinely belonged to Nepal rather than only the dishes they already recognised.
It won’t be everyone’s favourite on this list, but if you’re interested in understanding Nepalese food rather than simply eating the safest things on the menu, this is exactly the sort of dish you should try.
Also look out for… Gundruk ko achar. The same fermented greens appear in different forms, and trying the sharper pickle alongside the soup is a great way to understand just how versatile this very Nepalese ingredient can be.
12. Aloo Tama: Potatoes with an intriguing twist
Where: Kathmandu Valley and across Nepal.
When: Lunch or dinner, usually as one part of a larger meal.
The vibe: Starting with the comforting familiarity of potato and then discovering the unmistakable tang of fermented bamboo shoots.
Potatoes aren’t going to frighten many travellers. Fermented bamboo shoots might sound a little more adventurous. Put them together and you have aloo tama, a wonderfully distinctive curry in which the comforting softness of potato meets the sour tang of fermented bamboo shoots. Some versions include black-eyed beans, while others keep things simpler.
This is another example of how important fermentation is within traditional Nepalese cooking and another dish I’d order as part of a larger meal rather than on its own. It looks reassuringly familiar until that first tang of bamboo shoot arrives, which is precisely why it deserves its place here.
Also look out for… Versions made with bodi – black-eyed beans – which turn aloo tama into something more substantial. Eat it with steamed rice and let the rice soak up that wonderfully sour, savoury gravy.
13. Sel Roti: The Taste of a Nepalese Celebration
Where: Across Nepal, particularly in family homes.
When: Festivals and celebrations, especially Dashain and Tihar.
The vibe: Watching my Sister-in-law Anjali pouring the rich rice batter into hot oil late into the night knowing everyone loves her sel roti! See Video >>
Sel roti looks a little like a large doughnut, but that’s roughly where the comparison ends. It’s made from a sweetened rice batter poured by hand into hot oil in a circular shape, producing a lightly crisp exterior and a distinctive texture inside.
You’ll see sel roti particularly around celebrations and festivals such as Dashain and Tihar, when families make batches to share with relatives and visitors. And that’s how I’d most like you to encounter it: standing near the kitchen watching someone who has made thousands of them casually pour a near-perfect circle into hot oil without a mould in sight, while everybody waits for the next batch.
It can be eaten with sweet or savoury accompaniments, but if somebody hands you a freshly cooked one, I’d start there.
Also look out for… Don’t assume sel roti has to be eaten as something sweet. Try it with aloo tarkari or achar if it’s being served that way - the slightly sweet rice bread works surprisingly well with something spicy and savoury.
14. Kheer: Save Room for the Homemade Version
Where: Across Nepal, particularly in family homes.
When: Festivals, religious occasions, celebrations and family meals.
The experience: A generous bowl of homemade rice pudding prepared from a recipe that probably exists more in somebody’s hands and memory than on a piece of paper.
Kheer isn’t uniquely Nepalese; versions of rice pudding are eaten across South Asia. But it has a firm place in Nepal’s family cooking, religious occasions and celebrations, and I have a particularly good reason for including it here. Arati’s mother makes the most wonderfully rich buttery kheer… so I had to add to this list
At its simplest, rice is slowly cooked with milk and sugar, usually with cardamom and perhaps nuts, raisins or other additions. Yet, like so many apparently simple dishes, there is nowhere to hide. The consistency has to be right, the rice properly cooked and the sweetness balanced.
You’ll find kheer in restaurants, but if somebody’s mother or grandmother offers you a bowl of her homemade version, that’s the one I want you to eat. Every family will probably tell you theirs is the best. I’m already committed to one side of that argument.
Also look out for… Ask what has been used to flavour it. Cardamom is common, but nuts, raisins and other additions vary from kitchen to kitchen. If someone proudly tells you it’s their mother’s or grandmother’s recipe, that’s probably the bowl you want. Oh, and personally, I prefer eating a big bowl of this cold from the fridge the next day… don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s because Ama always makes extra for her jwai saab… lucky me!
15. Juju Dhau: The King of Yoghurt in Bhaktapur
Where: Bhaktapur, in the Kathmandu Valley.
When: Any time you visit the old city, particularly as a sweet treat after exploring.
The experience: Wandering through Bhaktapur’s historic streets, finding a traditional yoghurt shop and enjoying a little clay pot of something extraordinarily good.
And finally, something beautifully simple. Juju Dhau, usually translated as the ‘King of Yoghurt’, is one of Bhaktapur’s great specialities. Traditionally made with buffalo milk, it’s thick, creamy, gently sweet and often served in the little clay pots that have become part of the experience.
Bhaktapur is somewhere I’d encourage anyone visiting Kathmandu to spend time anyway. Wander through the old squares and narrow streets, look at the temples and traditional architecture, and then find somewhere selling good Juju Dhau. Don’t buy it because yoghurt happens to be number fifteen on an internet list. Buy it because you’re in Bhaktapur, this is what the city is famous for, and you’re unlikely to find a better place to eat it.
Also look out for… Yomari, one of the great Newari sweet treats. These distinctive steamed rice-flour dumplings are traditionally filled with chaku, a rich mixture based on molasses, although you’ll find other fillings too. If you’re exploring Bhaktapur, try one warm before finishing with a cooling clay pot of Juju Dhau
Sometimes the best menu is the journey itself
Perhaps that’s the point of this whole list. Some of the most memorable things you eat in Nepal won’t necessarily be the most complicated dishes or come from the smartest restaurants. They’ll be memorable because of where you were, who you were with, and what was happening around you when you ate them.
If you’re invited into somebody’s home, take the opportunity. If your trekking guide recommends something at a mountain teahouse, ask them what they would order. If you see a busy little restaurant full of local people eating something you don’t recognise, find out what it is.
And, of course, don’t forget to eat your weight in Momos and Dhal Bhaat. I certainly intend to!
Arati and I will be back in Kathmandu next week, and I suspect quite a few of these dishes will find their way onto our table. If you are in Nepal, or visiting soon… let us know what would make your list.
