What do they eat in Nepal? Nepalese cuisine has similarities with the cuisines of nearby countries. Nepal has borders with Tibet (China) and India, Bhutan isn’t far away and some foods can be found throughout the Himalayan region. I find Nepalese cuisine and the dishes we’ve enjoyed in Nepal to be very tasty, a little spicy, often vegetarian, and with a big focus on both breads and rice. Dal Baht is the national dish of Nepal and it’s very good indeed, but there are also many curries, thalis, momos, noodle soups, and some very interesting dishes to be found in Nepal. You should also be able to find most western dishes in Nepal, particularly in Kathmandu and Pokhara, major tourist destinations for trekkers and travellers.
In this post we explain some of the best dishes to try from Nepalese cuisine, and give you some Nepalese recipes to make at home.
Nepalese Cuisine
We’ll start with a list of Nepalese dishes that you’ll likely find when exploring Nepalese cuisine.
- Dal bhat (rice with dal soup and other accompaniments
- Thukpa (soup with noodles)
- Momos (dumplings)
- Tibetan bread
- Dhindo (a thick buckwheat or millet paste, served instead of rice)
- Sel roti
- Gorkhali lamb
- Tarkaari (curry)
- Gundruk
- Sekewa
Nepalese Dal Bhat
Dal bhat is the dish of choice in Nepal. With roots in Bengal, this meal consists of lentil soup with rice and a seasonal vegetable or curry. The taste varies depending on which region you are visiting and some offer meat as an accompaniment while others have pickles or curd alongside the rice and lentil soup.
The flavors of India, Tibet, and more can be found in the dal bhat dishes that accompany it. Dal Bhat is similar to an Indian thali dish like those we had in Malaysia as well as of course, India. It’s always a good idea if you’re hungry when visiting Nepal to go for the Dahl Bhaat because top-ups are traditionally offered but they vanish quickly at touristy restaurants.
Nepalese Cuisine, Dal Recipes
I have my own recipe for dal bhat here, this is how I make dal bhat at home. In Nepalese cuisine there are many dal recipes. Try making dal fry, dal jhaneko, or dal makhani. Dal mhakani is traditionally Indian, but we’ve eaten it often in Khathmandu and in Nepal.
Momos
Nepalese dumplings, momo are usually filled with steamed vegetables or meat and encased in flour-based dough that is then steamed or fried. Commonly eaten as snacks, they often come served with a delicious dip or spicy sauce. These are great Nepali treats and can be found as Nepali street food.
Making momo is extremely difficult. I’ve taken a 2 day momo-making class and I’m a professional chef, I still can’t do it nearly as well as the people of the Himalayas. We’ve been told by Nepalese friends that the shape of the momo, be it round or crescent-shaped, shows it’s country of origin. Momos can also be found in Bhutan, Tibet, and India.
Nepalese Pulao
Rice is the foundation of many a meal in Nepalese cuisine, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. A common dish here in Nepal called pulao can be made by frying rice with turmeric and cumin for an authentic taste while you’re on vacation abroad or at home. Pair your fried eggplant curry from India – another staple food item during any visit-with this popular side dish that will surely leave you feeling full after suppertime!
Accompaniments to pulao can include yoghurt and poppadoms.
Nepalese pulao recipe
Find a recipe for a Nepalese vegetable pulao here and a Nepalese chicken pulao here. Pulao is basically Nepalese fried rice and is usually made with Basmati rice.
Nepalese Sel Roti
Sel roti is a deep-fried, bagel-like rice bread from Nepal.
Sel roti is a dish that resembles something of a cross between donuts and deep-fried french toast. This puffy sweet soft doughy treat can be enjoyed as breakfast or a snack on the go.
The Hindu festivals of Tihar and Dashain are good times to eat hot, freshly-made sel roti. You’ll find street vendors cooking this dish sometimes in Nepal.
Sel roti in Nepalese cuisine is similar to Tibetan bread in Tibetan cuisine.
Nepalese sel roti recipe
Find a Nepalese recipe for sel roti here.
Nepalese Thukpa
Thukpa is a hearty noodle soup from the mountains of Nepal that can include meat, egg or just vegetables. It’s often served with an accompanying dish of momo, which are tasty dumplings filled with ground beef and veggies wrapped in dough before being steamed to perfection.
This traditional Nepalese soup dish is a perfect winter treat if you’re looking for something warm during these cold months or trekking high in the mountains.
Nepalese Soup Recipes
Nepalese soups and thukpas come in many varieties. Garlic soup is very common in the tea houses on the Himalayan treks in Nepal. I’ve been unable to find a Nepalese garlic soup recipe, but this creamy Indian version looks to be a similar recipe. I need to make my own Nepalese garlic soup recipe!
Here is a recipe for chicken Thukpa soup.
Sherpa stew is another classic Nepali soup served to trekkers in Nepal. Also known as syakpa or shukpa, ingredients vary, but the Sherpa stew tends to contain thich flat noodles, roughly torn into large pieces. Find a recipe for Sherpa stew here.
Gorkhali Lamb
Gorkhali lamb is a dish that embodies all the flavors and textures of Nepal. The curry features hearty ingredients like garlic, turmeric, ginger root, cumin seed powder, coriander seeds with black pepper plucked from the ground below your feet as you walk in Kathmandu’s old town; this only adds to Gorkhalis’ intense flavor profile.
The lamb is first slow-cooked in the curry with onions and potatoes before it’s removed, grilled, and sealed with a spicy chili mix. It then transferred back to the curry where it cooks for just an extra few minutes more! Served over rice or roti – this dish will quickly become your new favorite comfort food whether you’re visiting during winter’s chill or not.
Dhido or Dhindo
Dhido is one of those dishes that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Himalayas. This food became more famous after being featured in the movie “Sherpa” where the Sherpas enjoy Dhido just before they head out onto their journey. We’ve eaten this in the “Tibetan Kitchen” restaurant in Kathmandu and really enjoyed it.
Native to the mountain regions of India, Dhido is a hot dish made from buckwheat flour, water and butter. It’s traditionally eaten with your hands along with soups, curries and other accompaniments. It’s a replacement for rice in a Nepali thali basically
Other Dishes You Will Find in Nepal
I had the opportunity to try many different kinds of food in Nepal, and I loved every minute.
One of my favourite experiences was tasting dishes like dal fry which is a kind of lentil curry soup with garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, chili peppers, coriander, cumin, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, and cloves. It’s spicy but really good!
I also liked that there were so many vegetarian options available as well such as channa (chick peas) aloo mutter (potatoes and peas, the same as the Indian food we’ve eaten further south), palak paneer (fried spinach blended with cheese and spices).
Chicken curries can be great, but maybe it’s better to be safe and stay vegetarian when you are eating high in the mountains of Nepal.
Nepali Snacks & Street Food
Expect to see deep-fried sel roti (like a donut), puris with salads and pulses, meat on a stick, pancakes or fritters fried in oil or on hot plate (like roti) as well as popcorn and samosas.
We recommend the freshly made doughnuts for sale from tiny shops around Durbar Square at night time.
You’re really experiencing your destination if you get off the beaten path and find these old-fashioned vendors on carts or barrows at night selling snacks. There are also more modern street food outlets selling momos, Egyptian falafel, and burgers.
When most tourists hear about Nepalese street food they tend not have much interest because they don’t feel safe getting street food in Nepal. Be careful, street food isn’t always safe to eat and we’ve occasionally been very sick in Nepal.
You probably won’t eat much meat in the mountains. It’s expensive and not always fresh as it has to be carried up there on porter’s backs. So when your stomach starts rumbling on one of these long treks, remember that there are plenty of good Nepalese dishes like dal baht or fried potatoes waiting for you at the end. And who knows – maybe this will even inspire some creativity among future mountain chefs with their own local twists on Nepalese cuisine.
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