#dal baht

[wildbluewander]

Gandruk // Mountains. Without snow, they’re just hills.

[piper-rell]

Ate lunch with the kids today. Using no utensils is great!!! There is actual a method and rhythm to it that makes it look not gross at all, almost like a finger dance.

[piper-rell]

Finally at Kopila! Today was amazing and exhausting (the good kind) After breakfast (oatmeal w/pomegranate seeds) we headed from home to school and split into groups. Today was community service day. My group took a bus to the jungle, where we made a small climb up some of the mountain planting trees all the way. The children were absolutely amazing and inspiring with their everlasting excitement and passion about planting and being in nature. They showed me one plant, where when you bent it you could blow bubbles and soon bubbles were flying all over the forest. They also showed me a type of fern that had white chalk and if you placed it on your arm and gave it a light slap it would tattoo your arm. We discovered my arm was too pale, so we innovated and rubbed mud all up my arms so the white chalk would leave it's pattern. Upon our return to school we were served lunch. I sat with two lovely girls on the rug and ate our dal baht, while they laughed at my attempts at Nepali. Learning names is a bit tricky, especially because sometimes they tell you their last name as well which can be many syllables. After school Orren invited me to check out some bee hives with him. We both expected to be driven in cars, but to or surprise we both rode on the backs of motor bikes through the streets. At first it was a little terrifying but then I adjusted and it was exhilarating. We had to dodge goats, chickens, pedestrians, pot holes, cows, other cyclists, etc. The bee hives themselves were surprisingly similar to bee hives of america, and should be easily installed in the new land of Kopila Valley. Sunday or Monday Orren has to transport the hives from part of Surkhet to Kopila some how. The ride home from the bee shop was just as fun because the rain had really started to beat down. When we got back home, Orren and my roommate Suzie and I sat down for some tea and coffee, curled on couches on our balcony watching the downpour. The roof that wasn't underneath the balcony began to flood and practically was a swimming pool, which the kids definitely took advantages of. It became a slip and slide water fight extravaganza. Like I said, today was an amazing and exhausting day, and it was only day one. I can't wait to see what else is in store for me.

[thesingingcyclist-blog]

Thulo-mummy's perfect dal

Oh how I miss the delights from Thulo-mummy's kitchen. Just as much as I miss her cute shuffle and warm smile, always eager to spread the love of her food. She is the reason my face got a bit softer round the edges whilst in Nepal, but she's easily forgiven as I couldn't refuse the kana that had been created with such thought and care.

We were lucky enough to be invited into Thulo-mummy's kitchen to learn her secrets, which I'm now sharing with you! The dishes seem pretty standard fair in Nepal, only Thulo-mummy's are by far the best I've eaten.

Dal bhat is a traditional Nepali food consisting of steamed rice (bhat) and cooked lentil soup (dal). It is generally eaten twice a day, mid-morning and early evening. It's also served with vegetable tarkari and may also come with a curry of chicken or goat and a spoon full of curd. A small portion of pickle (achar) is usually included.

It is eaten (traditionally) by mixing the dal with the rice to form a soupy mixture, making a ball of the mixture with your hands, and adding curry and pickle. Disclaimer! Thulo-mummy's dishes were typically feeding up to 20 people, so I've adapted the measurements which means they may not be fully accurate! Please read through a few times, especially the instructions for the chicken and veg dishes as they are both cooked at the same time. For spices, it is best to rely on "parts" relative to each other. If there is one thing I learned in Nepal is that every dal bhat is different and are all up for experimentation, so just have fun with it! Perfect dal Ingredients: 1.5 cups split yellow lentils (for up to 4 people) 5 cups water 10 small cloves of garlic 2 chillies (whole if dried or chopped if fresh) Salt (to taste) 1 tbs turmeric 1-2 tbsp ghee/oil Instructions: Wash lentils and let soak; drain. Add fresh water, the salt and turmeric and boil for 20-30 minutes.* In a frying pan, heat up the ghee/oil and add the garlic and dried chilli. Once the lentils are cooked (soft) and the garlic has browned, add the garlic and chilli to the dal. Add coriander. *Whilst the lentils are cooking you can start cooking the other two main dishes and the rice as follows. Baht To make fluffy rice, first wash and then boil rice in water for 10-20 minutes, until a rice grain is still slightly hard when squeezed with the fingers. At this point, it is almost cooked; pour the contents of the pot into a drainer, and then steam the rice above a steamer until ready to serve. Nawari chicken curry and vegetable tarkari Ingredients: 4 breasts of chicken 1 kg of ripe tomatoes (some need to be kept back for the chicken dish at the end) 500g potatoes 500g Cauliflower* 2-3 onions, finely chopped 1 tbs Garam masala 1 tbs Garlic and ginger paste (you can make this up prior to cooking and keep in fridge) 1 tbs Turmeric 1 tbs Chilli powder 2-3 tbs Sunflower oil Boiling water Salt *you could also add other vegetables. Other Nepali choices are green beans, cabbage, peas, carrots, but any will do. Instructions (for both dishes, cooked side by side): Chop tomatoes and add to boiling water in a wok. Boil until tomatoes are half mushy. Take out a third of the tomatoes and put into a bowl. Add Garam masala and a paste of garlic and ginger into the blown and mix. Leave bowl on side for now. Leave the mushy tomatoes in the pan to one side. Heat sunflower oil in frying pan. Chop potatoes fairy small and add to sunflower oil. Add finely chopped onions and turmeric. Chop chicken into pieces and add to frying pan with hot oil.

Break the cauliflower into small stalk pieces. When potatoes are half cooked, add cauliflower. Add salt and more turmeric. Once the potatoes and cauliflower is cooked, add the tomatoes from the bowl.

Place the pan with mushy tomatoes back onto the heat. Add more chopped tomatoes. Add salt, chilli powder and more turmeric and mix. Add garlic cloves and also the garlic and ginger paste. Mix and then add the chicken and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!!!