If you are wondering that Nepal is all about Momos (steamed dumplings), Sel Roti (Nepali homemade ring-shaped rice bread) and Thukpa (Nepali Tibetan noodle soup), there’s more in store. Though the staple Dal-Bhat-Tarkari (Lentils-Rice and Veggies) is eaten throughout Nepal on a daily basis, yet the Thakali food is becoming gaining its much-needed prominence.
Origin of Thakali Khana
The Thakalis who are inhabitants of Thak Khola region of Mustang District is home to Thakali cuisine. The Thak-Khola Valley in ancient days used to be an easy trade route through the high Himalayas. And as trade was an important part of the Thakali people, they could import vegetables, and being in the higher Himalayan region most vegetables served were cooked in the dried version.
Not to miss that this one cuisine happens to be less vegetarian in nature.
A typical Thakali thali (thakali meal plate)
A typical serving of Thakali plate would see Dal, Bhaat, Tarkari and Meat (lentil soup, rice, green vegetable) along with Kanchhemba (Buckwheat finger chips) the Mustang Alu topped with Jimbu (Himalayan leaf garlic) and a generous dollop of ghee (clarified butter). Though it’s low on desserts a sweet curd or Phopké (fermented rice) completes the meal. Vivek Sherchan, Owner, Jimbu Thakali by Capital Grill, who himself is a Thakali from Tukche village of Mustang Region says “the style of preparation of Thakali food is different due to the use of some ingredients that are characteristic of Thakali cuisine like Sukuti or dried goat/yak meat, Gundruk (fermented leafy green vegetables) with soybean along with green cabbage, buckwheat, barley flour and timbur, a spicy Himalayan spice. This gives the cuisine a whole new taste and flavour. The thali is not only appealing in taste but also visually with a variety of colours from the pale green dal, green leafy veggies, rich red meat, rice being white along with the chutneys like mula ko achaar (white radish pickle), chap/golbjeda ko chutney (fresh tomato pickle)”
The main meals are always served in a thali and variety is the trademark of thakali dishes. In Thakali homes cooking is done with mustard oil, or fresh ghee while in restaurants some dishes are cooked in Sunflower oil these days. Adding to the same Gauravman Sherchan, renowned photographer and CEO Jimbu Thakali who has many eyes for detail for this cuisine says “the best way to understand Nepal and its people is to take a dig into the Nepali cuisine. The authentic Nepali taste is found in Newari and Thakali cuisines out of which Thakali sees much richness and diversity. The cuisine is heavily influenced by the terrain where the Thakali lives eg- in between the higher Himalayan and low hilly region. Though the flavours are simple, the aroma of ghee in dal (lentil soup) and the distinct taste and smell of timur (zanthoxylum alayum) in curry makes this cuisine unforgettable.
In Nepalese culture, food is eaten with hands and not spoons. Rishi Chaudary, a thakali Chef who has been coking this for the past 30 years but belongs to a Madheshi ethnicity quips “ Thakali flavour and spices is what set this cuisine different from the rest. While the other lesser-known dishes Leppakhu and Tasya that’s prepared from goat head meat and Ghuenti- a type of sausage prepared from the intestines, fat and other parts of a goat also have found it’s audiences and is gaining popularity.
Though the meal is often seen compared to Nepali khaana because of its similarities once you try the difference will emerge more than the similarities from how it is prepared to its taste. Paramita Rana, Nepalese Model, Actress, Singer “Being a foodie I must say that Thakali Thali is one of my favourite dishes to devour. The delicious thick daal and all the different vegetables and pickles make not only my stomach happy but my soul content as well. Thakali food is definitely one of my comfort food. Whenever I go out and get confused about what to eat, I always go for the thali”
To savour all the flavours of Thakali delights once is surely not enough. So next time you visit Nepal don’t forget to indulge in the traditional dishes and regional specialities