My Adventure to Nepalese Dining

The abundance of Nepalese Food

The adventure begins

This is a story of how I was introduced to a new cuisine that was completely unexpected. It has not become a part of my repertoire yet, but it is on my to do list. Several years ago I was visiting my sister and brother-in-law in NJ. We went into Manhattan one weekend to meet up with my nieces who has already gone into the city for an appointment. By the time we found each other, the dinner rush had begun.

We met the girls on 2nd Ave after searching for a parking space for a while, which we were unable to find. We climbed in the car went looking for a place to eat and, hopefully, park. The traffic was slow but not yet jammed. We circled around looking for a while and as the light changed, I noticed someone getting ready to pull out. As an added, bonus: there were a couple of restaurants nearby. I let George, my brother-in-law, and we waited for them pull out of our spot.

When we got out of the car, low and behold, there was a Greek and a Nepalese restaurant right next to us. George is from a Greek family and wanted to go to the Greek restaurant. I suggested he check the wait time while I looked at the Nepalese menu and asked how long to be seated there. None of us had ever eaten Nepalese but were all intrigued. George came back and announced that the wait at the Greek restaurant was ONE HOUR! That sealed the deal, and we were off on our culinary initiation to the delights of Nepalese fare!

 Into the Breach

The restaurant was understated but the décor was beautiful. It was a small, intimate setting. The aromas filled the air and delighted our senses as we were seated. We were welcomed by the sweetest waitress you could ask for. We told her we were had never eaten Nepalese food and would welcome her guidance as we browsed the menu. We pared her recommendations down and put in our order. We anxiously awaited the arrival of our first Nepalese feast as we sat there salivating from the wonderful scents coming from the kitchen.

Our order finally arrived! We didn’t really wait that long, but we were starving and it felt like an eternity. To our delight, every dish was outstanding! The flavors were a perfect marriage of Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian ingredients.

I have been to Indo-Chinese fusion restaurants and they were nothing like this. To me, that cuisine tastes like a Chinese dish ruined with an overabundance of Indian spices, especially ginger, at least in the ones that I have experienced. Nepalese cuisine on the other hand, truly brings the various flavors together in a perfect balance of umami, curry and, to a lesser degree, middle eastern stews. You can distinctly sense the presence of these components, but they do not overpower each other. They blend and meld together in perfect, subtle harmony while hitting all the notes of a unique flavor.

Why haven’t I started cooking Nepalese food yet? A major issue is finding Nepalese restaurants where I live. In turn this means I am not familiar enough with the cuisine to say “Oh, I love this, I have to learn how to make it!” However, as I prepared to write this post, I found several restaurants that got good ratings from Yelp. But they are a bit too far for takeout, so until immunization levels make it safe to sit down at a restaurant, postpone taking that step but at least I am prepared now.

 
I don’t have a specific dish that I want to find the recipe for, which it makes it hard to search for one as I have no idea what the end result will be. Yes, I am adventurous, but not to that extent. However, as I am writing this, I am giving serious consideration to looking at some recipes and seeing if there is one that piques my interest enough to take the plunge. And my search bore fruit in a recipe that reflects the combination of umami with earthy Indian spices that I will try. You can find it here:

Oven Baked Chicken Nepali Style

When I give it a try, I will let you know what I think.

I found others, some that had a stronger Chinese influence but used turmeric or curry powder. Others were strongly Indian but included Southeast Asian ingredients. Not all used an ingredient from a different cuisine, but they were those that did. Some of the dishes we ordered were not a blend of cuisines as much as the umami, the garlic and ginger were more subtle, but the effect was nonetheless delicious.

The next time you find yourself with an unexpected opportunity to try something random, take the leap. gf what new world of flavors awaits you, it may be the best thing you ever ate!