This is a full Nepalese meal that I cooked in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in my visit to Azores. This is to anyone that lives abroad, and even though they enjoy the local beauty still miss their home country and food. Wherever you are don't stop cooking authentic food from your own country and enjoy.
In this meal I have made 7 simple and delicious dishes which is very easy to follow and the step by step recipes are below. I hope you cook and enjoy this typical and authentic Nepali meal with full of flavor.
1. Mung Beans Lentil Dal
Cooking time 50 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
200 grams overnight soaked Mung Beans
1 tsp sea Salt
1 Star Anis
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 small piece Ginger
1 Cinnamon or Bay leaves
3 liters Water
To seasoning Lentil
1 large clove minced Garlic
1/3 cup dried Garlic Chives cut finely
1 whole dried red chili
2 tbsp butter or Ghee
How to make:
Soak the Mung Beans overnight or 6 hours, next day you will see the beans double the size.
Add it into large pot with 3 liters of water and 1 tsp sea Salt, 1 Star Anis, 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1 small piece Ginger and 1 Cinnamon or Bay leaves to give aroma.
On the high heat let it boil, lid on and turn heat down to medium and let it cook it around 45 minutes or until it becomes very soft. Meanwhile prepare the seasoning ingredients.
After 45 minutes with a Ladle combine it very well until it becomes creamy.
Next heat a pan on medium high heat with 2 tbsp of Butter or ghee, let it melt properly and add in minced Garlic, finely cut dried Garlic Chives and whole dried red chili and let it infuse until it changes the color than add into the cooked lentil, mix it very well. Taste then if you need more salt than add to your taste and you are done!
2. Chicken Curry
Cooking time 30 minutes plus more to marinate
Serves 4
Ingredients
600 grams chicken thighs chopped into bite size
4 cloves minced Garlic
1-inch minced Ginger
1 medium finely chopped Onion
3 tbsp spring Coriander chopped
2 dried Chilies chopped optional
2 medium minced Tomatoes
2 tbsp cooking Oil
Salt to your taste
To marinate the Chicken
1/3 tsp Turmeric
1/3 tsp Garam Masala
1/3 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp cooking Oil
To make Masala Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Black pepper
To infuse in the Oil
1 small Cinnamon stick
4 Green Cardamom
3 Cloves
1 Cinnamon leaf
How to make:
First marinate the chopped chicken with 1/3 tsp Turmeric, 1/3 tsp Garam Masala, 1/3 tsp Chili powder and 1 tsp cooking Oil, combine them very well and let it sit for at least about 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare rest of the ingredients.
Heat a Pan with 2 tbsp of Oil on medium heat.
After the Oil gets slightly hot add in Cinnamon stick, Green Cardamom, Cloves and Cinnamon leaf, mix it to infuse around 30 seconds.
Add in the marinated meat and let it seal 3 minutes each side or until it becomes golden and move it a side of the pan and add in Masala Powder on the other side of the Pan and mix around 30 second only Masala to infuse and combine it with the chicken very well.
Next add in Salt to your taste, combine it and add in minced Garlic, Ginger, chopped Onion, chopped spring Coriander and chopped dried Chilies, mix them very well and cook them until soft around 6 minutes.
Add in finely chopped Tomatoes, combine it very well and cook it around 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes add 250 ml water or a bit more if necessary, mix and let it cook around 10 minutes on medium heat to meat to cook well and observe all the spices.
P.S if you want more gravy you can add a bit more water or for dry version let it dry all the sauce.
Finally mix again and you are done. To serve if you like you can garnish with spring coriander.
3. Cumin fried Potato
Cooking time 15 minutes
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
1 big Potato chop into Strips
1 tsp minced Garlic
1/2 tsp minced Ginger
2 tbsp cooking Oil
1tsp Cumin Seeds
1/3 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/3 tsp Red chili Powder
Salt to your taste
How to make:
Heat a Pan on Medium high heat with 2 tbsp Oil and let it get hot.
Next add in Cumin seeds and fry it until it changes the color and becomes fragrance then add in the chopped Potato strips and combine it very well.
Add in Turmeric and chili powder, mix and let it cook around 5 minutes. Add in Ginger, Garlic and Salt, mix and fry it around 3 minutes or until it becomes golden in color and slightly crispy. Mix it and our Cumin fried Potato is done.
4. Stir Fried Leafy Greens
Cooking time 10 minutes
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
300gr of Leafy Greens washed and chop into big size
1 diced Tomato
2 dried whole red chilies
3 cloves sliced Garlic
1 & ½ tbsp cooking Oil
A few pinches of Turmeric Powder
Salt to your taste
How to make:
Heat a Pan on Medium heat with 1 & 1/2 tbsp oil and infuse Garlic and chilies
until golden in color.
Add in Tomato and cook it until soft meanwhile add in Turmeric and salt too and mix.
Next add in leafy Green and combine it very well and cook it until it soft around 4 minutes then you are done.
5. Tomato & Sichuan Pepper / Timur Pickle
Making time 10 minutes
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
1 dried Red chili spicy one if you like
1 big ripe tomato
1 minced Garlic
1/3 minced Sichuan Pepper / Timur
Fine Salt to taste
How to make:
Boil a big ripe tomato 3 minutes and dried chili 5 minutes until they get soft.
Next let it cool the tomato down and peel the skin.
After add in with Garlic, Sichuan Pepper and salt next grind it or crush it very well until it becomes fine sauce then you are done.
6. Basmati Rice
Making time 16 minutes
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
2 cups of boiling Water
1 cup of washed Basmati Rice
How to make:
Boil the water in high heat. add in washed Basmati rice, mix it and bring up to boil, lid on, turn heat to low and let it cook around 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes heat off and let it stay still 5 more minutes. Before serving fluff it with a fork lightly and enjoy.
7. Gundruk Ko Achar / Fermented Leafy Green’s Pickle
Making Time 10 minutes
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
30 grams Gundruk
1 minced Garlic
1 tbsp chopped spring Coriander
1/2 tsp Chili Powder or to your taste
Salt to your taste
1/2 tsp Oil
How to make:
Wash the Gundruk very well and chop then add in rest of the ingredients above and combine them very well with a spoon then you are done.
