Nepal: dal bhat tarkari [vegan]

Today we pay a visit to Nepal where we cook the Nepali classic dal bhat tarkari: lentils, rice and vegetable curry. For once, we don’t have to make any form of vegan version since this popular dish is vegan by default*. Nepal also happens to be one of the countries covered on this blog that I have actually visited in real life. A few years ago, my wife and I spent a few weeks hiking in Himalaya, eating our way up to Everest Base Camp. Read on to learn a bit about the Nepali cuisine or jump straight to the recipe. Also see this post for a recipe on mula ko achaar.

*Some recipes use ghee but replacing ghee with oil is barely an adaptation.

Nepal, a small country on the Indian subcontinent, is wedged in between India and Tibet. While the country is perhaps most famous for its massive mountains, including Mt. Everest and several of the highest peaks on the planet, the country has several different climate zones and even tropical regions in the lowlands ​[1]​. Nepal is home to many different ethnic groups often with their very own cuisine s and coking traditions which blend together to form Nepali cuisine.

Nepali cuisine

Nepali cuisine is quite similar to the cuisines in other South Asian countries, notably it’s larger southern neighbour, India, whose cuisine might be more familiar to many people. Nepali cuisine uses a lot of legumes and fresh vegetables like cauliflower, tomato and lots of different greens like spinach, cabbage and mustard leaves ​[2]–[4]​. Rice is a very important staple in most of the country but in the Himalayan region it is often replaced with other grains that grow better at altitude, such as buckwheat and millet. Flattened or beaten rice called chiura is common (similar to how oats are transformed into rolled oats). A large variety of spices form an essential part of the cuisine and the long list includes cumin, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, mustard seeds, chili and flavour enhancers like garlic, ginger and fresh coriander.

Popular Nepali dishes

While many Nepali dishes are similar to dishes in the neighbouring regions (Northern India and Tibet), there are several that are famous on the Nepali menu ​[2]–[6]​ Momos, steamed or fried dumplings served a red chili dip, have made their way far and wide and can be found on any Nepali restaurant around the world. A local variety of the momo, called bagiya, is instead made with a rice flour wrapping and stuffed with potatoes and lentils. Other popular dishes include chatamari (“Nepali pizza”), (bean stew) and bara (rice flour pancakes). (On a sidenote, recall our visit to Trinidad where we made doubles? Small pancakes filled with chickpea curry. That is an indo-trini dish were the pancakes are called bara. I haven’t looked into the etymology so don’t cite me on this but I’m pretty sure the two are connected.)

On the sweet side, you can find sel roti: rice flour batter with sugar and cinnamon/cardamom is shaped into rings and deep fired. Or why not try yomari: tear drop shaped rice flour dumplings filled with molasses or coconut. Traditionally eaten at the December festival Yomari Punhi but if you make your own, maybe you can do it year round.

Fermented foods (see achaar below) are a very important part of Nepali cuisine and is very often eaten as a side dish. One ferment that stood out to me is gundruk ​[11]​. Green leaves, usually mustard leaves but other leaves such as cauliflower or radish are acceptable, are harvested, cleaned and then dried in the sun. After drying, the leaves are soaked and placed in a sealed jar to ferment. After fermentation, the leaves are once again dried in the sun to preserve them further. What makes gundruk different from other ferments which are usually eaten as is, is that gundruk is used as an ingredient and can for instance be boiled into a soup with potatoes. Gundruk soup is then often served with dhido, a buckwheat porridge similar to how polenta is sometimes served. Gundruk is something I will keep an eye out for next time I visit a South Asian grocery store.

When we visited Nepal, we spent a lot of time hiking in Himalaya. During these treks, you usually trek from teahouse to teahouse where you both eat and sleep. Most of these have pretty much the same menu and dinner options for us tourists were primarily fried noodles with vegetables, fried potatoes with vegetables, sometimes momos or, the all time classic: dal bhat.

Dal bhat

Dal bhat, a simple dish of lentils (dal) and rice (bhat) is Nepal’s national dish. While the dal and rice are simple elements, they are usually accompanied by tarkari (vegetable curry), achaar (pickled vegetables), sag (fired greens such as spinach) and a papad or two. A few years ago, my wife and I went on a two-week trek in the Nepali part of Himalaya and dal bhat was one of our favourite dishes we would order at the teahouses along the popular route up to Everest base camp. This veritable feast is great for adding fuel back after a long day of walking.

For our virtual visit to Nepal, I chose to recreate one version of this dish along with the sides we enjoyed on the trail. While all the elements themselves are quite easy to make, there are a few of them so plan ahead, especially if you choose to ferment your own pickle. The recipes below for dal bhat tarkari and sag are inspired by several sources ​[7]–[12]​.

Achaar – pickled vegetables

Achaar, or pickled vegetables, are of great importance as a side dish in many parts of the world, and South Asia and Nepal are no exceptions. In both Indian and Nepali cooking, achaar is used as a spicy condiment to many dishes. The word achaar encompasses a wide range of dishes but typically refers to vegetables preserved with fermentation or vinegar, with or without oil and usually with chili. In Nepal, popular vegetables include tomato ​[13]​, cucumber ​[14]​, and cauliflower ​[15]​. In Nepali cooking, the word can also be used for fresh vegetables, such as potatoes, dressed with plenty of spices ​[16]​.

For this post, I chose to ferment some daikon to create mula ko achaar with plenty of mustard and some chili, largely following a recipe by Nepali Tummy ​[17]​. But if you’re short on time or still hesitant about fermentation, any store bought, South Asian pickle will do. Recipe found in this separate post.

If you plan on making your own fermented pickles, be prepared that this takes a few days. Start them early in the week and they can be ready for the weekend. While there are many different pickles you can buy in a South Asian store, making your own lacto-fermented pickles is a very fun project, super easy, and can be used to impress guests!

Conclusion

This feast turned out great and threw us right back to Himalaya and the Nepali teahouses. While the dish as a whole is named dal bhat (lentils and rice), the meal is not complete without the tarkari, sag and some form of achaar. It is the combination of all of these that really come together to create something amazing.

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Dal bhat tarkari

Dal bhat (lentils and rice) are a Nepali staple enjoyed frequently thorughout the country. These recipes shows how to make the dal, a simple vegetable curry (tarkari) and fried spinach (sag). Serve with rice, papad and a pickle, such as mula ko achaar (fermented daikon, separate recipe on blog).

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine nepali, South Asian

Keyword curry, Dal, lentils, rice

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Ingredients

Dal (lentils)

• 250 mL red lentils
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1-2 green chili, slit lengthwise, seeds removed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt

Tarkari (vegetable curry)

• 3 potatoes, boiled and cubed 400 g
• ½ head of cauliflower, cut into florets 400 g
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 tsp cumin seeds or 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds or 1 tsp ground fenugreek
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 knob ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped optional

Sag (spinach)

• 1 bunch spinach, roughly chopped
• ½ onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 knob ginger, match sticks
• 1 tsp cumin seeds or 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1-2 dried red chili or ½tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds or ½ tsp ground fenugreek

For serving

• basmati rice
• papads
• pickled vegetables

Instructions

Bhat (rice)

• Cook rice how you usually like it.

  My favourite way is to soak basmati rice for 30+ min, then drain it.

  Put the rice in a pot, add water equal to the amount of unsoaked rice. (E.g. 400 mL rice + 400 mL water). Add a a pinch of salt.

  Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Turn of hotplate and let sit.

Dal (lentils)

• Heat oil in a pot. Sweat the onion for a minute, until they start to turn slightly translucent. Add garlic, ginger, green chili and all the spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric). Stir for another 30 s.
• Add the lentils, salt and 800 mL water.
• Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are done and just about start falling apart.
• Adjust consistency by adding water if needed. This dal should be quite watery.

Tarkari (vegetable curry)

• Heat oil in a pan. If using whole cumin, add the seeds now and fry until they crackle. Add fenugreek seeds and let them develop some colour. If using powdered spices, add them below.
• Fry onion for a few minutes until they start getting a bit of colour.
• Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
• Add the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, chili powder). If using ground cumin and fenugreek, add these now.
• Add the boiled potatoes and stir until spices coat all potatoes. If it starts to burn, add some water.
• Stir in tomatoes and cauliflower. Add ~200 mL water and salt.
• Bring to a simmer and simmer until the cauliflower is cooked through. Add water if needed.
• Mash a few potatoes to create a thicker gravy. Stir in coriander leaves if using.

Sag (spinach)

• Heat oil in a pan. If using whole cumin, add the seeds now and fry until they crackle. Add fenugreek seeds (if using) and dried chili (if using) and let both develop some colour. The chili will get soft. If using powdered spices, add them below.
• Add onion and let sweat a little, until slightly translucent.
• Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant.
• If using powdered spices (cumin, fenugreek, chili), add them now and stir
• Stir in the spinach, let wilt.
• Let simmer for a few minutes.

Serving

• Serve dal, bhat, tarkari and sag with papads and pickled vegetables.