Experience Chitlang’s Unique Food Culture: A Culinary Adventure
Dec 22, 2024

Experience Chitlang’s Unique Food Culture: A Culinary Adventure

Experience Chitlang’s Unique Food Culture: A Culinary Adventure
  • Dec 22, 2024

Chitlang, the organic village is known for its farm-to-table concept. The freshly sourced ingredients are made into deliciously tasting dishes. We will explore authentic cuisines that are widely popular in Chitlang and taste fresh goat cheese and wine.   Savory Dishes to Try Out in Chitlang Newari Village  1. Samay Baji Samay Baji, a traditional Newari […]

Chitlang, the organic village is known for its farm-to-table concept. The freshly sourced ingredients are made into deliciously tasting dishes. We will explore authentic cuisines that are widely popular in Chitlang and taste fresh goat cheese and wine.  

Savory Dishes to Try Out in Chitlang Newari Village 

1. Samay Baji

Samay Baji, a traditional Newari feast, consists of a base of crisp chiura (beaten rice). This thali-style platter typically fried soybeans (Bhatmas/Mushea), spicy curries like Aalu Tama ko Jhol, savory fritters (Woh/Bara), seasonal vegetables, and tangy chutneys.

A more basic Samay Baji set often includes Aalu Sadheko (stir-fried potatoes), Bhatmas Sadheko (stir-fried soybeans), Bodi ko Biraula (sauteed black-eyed peas), cooked black gram lentils, spinach (Tukancha/Woncha), boiled and sauteed eggs, Aalu ko Achar (potato pickle), Chicken Chhoila (spiced grilled chicken), and Bara (lentil fritters).  

Mustard oil is a key ingredient in many Newari dishes, adding a distinctive flavor profile to the cuisine This oldest Newari cuisine is quite wholesome and popular food in Bajra Yogini Jatra in Chitlang.

Samay Baji

Image Source: Altitudehimalaya.com

2. Momo (Nepali Dumplings)

Momo is one of the famous foods in Nepal. Newari community in Chitlang also serves it in various forms like Kothey, Jhol momo, and filling of customer choice be it meat, veg, or other options. 

Momo is served with tomato chutney, prepared with herbs and sesame seeds. It was first introduced in Nepal when one Newari princess married Tibet and brought a recipe with her unique fusion. Now, people love momo so much that it has become a famous snack for people. 

Jhol Momo

Image Source: www.foodnetwork.com

3. Chatamari

Chatamari, often referred to as “Nepali pizza,” is a savory rice crepe. Its thin rice flour base has spiced toppings of your choice like meat, vegetables, or a fried egg. It is made in a non-stick pan over medium heat, and an egg is cracked in the center to add more flavors (optional). 

Chatamari has side crisps which makes it extra tasty. You can also taste it at Newari street side stalls and restaurants across Bhaktapur, Patan, and Kathmandu city. 

Chatamari

Image Source: Newarirecipeshut.com

4. Bara 

Newari people have light snacks or breakfasts made with a lentil base. The overnight soaked lentils are made into paste and then deeply-fried, to enjoy it plan. You can enjoy bara with 

sadeko masaura (soybean) or dip it in chutneys. 

It is one of the best snack options for those vegans who want to taste a healthy gluten-free traditional snack in Nepal. Also, if you want you can crack eggs in there to have Anda Bara. 

Bara

Image Source: www.food.com

5. Chhoila

The marinated minced meat (chhoila) is a beloved appetizer traditionally prepared with buffalo meat, with bold spices and a smoky flavor. It is mixed with chili, fenugreek seeds, and onions, and is grilled to perfection.

Choila can come in variations of chicken, duck, and mutton meat. Even vegetarians these days make mushroom chhoila. It is a must-have in the Samay Baji set but can also be solely enjoyed with rice flakes. You can even try these in Kathmandu at street food stalls, restaurants, and cafes.

Chhoila

Image Source: bhojannepal.com

6. Dyakula (Buffalo stew) 

Dyakula is a buffalo stew with more flavors of coriander and served best with rice and Newari chiura.  It is cooked with a generous amount of cumin, turmeric, ginger,  garlic, chilies, oil, and seeds.

Dyaku la

Image: Dyaku la

7. Swoo (Fokso)

Swoo, Fokso fry, is a popular Newari appetizer featuring mutton lungs filled with batter, boiled, and deep-fried. Like other Newari dishes, it has a crispy texture and tender interior making it a popular snack among the youth. 

Swoo (Fokso)

Image Source: culinarycalls.blogspot.com

8. Gwaramari

Gwaramari is a round puffy bread taken with tea. It tastes like doughnuts. However, it is more small and a mouthful of taste. This puffy snack is most loved in the Newari community. It has all-purpose flour as a neutral base and even has coriander and cumin for that extra punch.  

Gwaramari

Image Source: recipenp.com

9. Sapu Mhicha

Sapu Mhicha is a Newari dish consumed in Chitlang featuring buffalo leaf tripe stuffed with bone marrow, including the prized Newari delicacy, Tesya (spinal cord). Diced bone marrow is stuffed in buffalo leaf tripe bags and then boiled first. Later it is fried to give an extra texture and make it on the crispy end. 

Sapu Mhicha

Image Source: culinarycalls.blogspot.com

10. Dhindo (Thick Millet Porridge)

Dhindo, also called Dhido, is the national dish of Nepal. Dhido with Gundruk ko achar and Khasi ko Mashu is a favorite for many Nepali people. When you go to Chitlang you can also order this. 

Dhindo can be made by slowly adding and stirring ground millet, buckwheat, or cornflour to boiling water until it is semi-solid and gooey.  Dal Bhat set and Dhindo set often have similar side dishes. But it’s the texture of Dhindo and its nutritional benefits that people love the most about it. 

Dhindo

Image Source: whatthenepal.com

11. Thakali Khana

Thakali Khana is a Nepali feast, more on the side of celebrating the combo of rice, lentil soup, and a bunch of veg and non-veg curries. It is named after the staple Nepali Dal Bhat set uniquely flavored in Thakkhola valley in Mustang. Since many people enjoyed it the flavors are now available in many parts of Nepal. 

In the original set, ground buckwheat leaves, chicken gravy, pickles, and fried potato sticks are added with ground spices of Mustang. Now you can also find its popularity increasing in Chitlang. You can dine it with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. 

Thakali Khana Set

Image Source: topic.finmail.com

12. Dashain Special Khaja set 

Dashain when there is the performance of Khadga Jatra in Chitlang, various rituals and festivals are celebrated. People savor samay baji and special Dashain Khaja set with Sel roti and Koja at this time. This set is inclusive of, 

  • Sel Roti
  • Yomari 
  • Aloo Tama (bamboo shoot and potato curry)
  • Gundruk (Fermented mustard leaf pickle)
  • Koja ( Sweet, fried dough balls)
  • Mutton and Buffalo Meat with beaten rice (chiura)
  • Side pickles, and curry

Cultural Practices and Food in Chitlang 

Food in Chitlang is deeply intertwined with its rituals and ancient Newari cultural practices. For different occasions, they have different food, but Samay Baji is the staple one of all time. 

During Khadga Jatra, one of the unique festivals Chitlang natives make animal sacrifices. They particularly offer goats or buffaloes to Durga and Taleju Bhawani during the Navami Puja. It is believed to be a peace offering to seek blessings and protection for the community.

Even during the Festival of Lights, the Newari clan celebrates Mha Puja, for which they prepare sel roti, anarsa, laddu, barfi, finni roti, and savory dishes to share with neighbors and loved ones. This festival is another way of celebrating the love they have within the community. 

Special side pickles in Chitlang 

  • Naspati ko Achar 
  • Gundruk ra Bhatmas ko sadheko achar 
  • Mutton Sukuti Achar 
  • Buff Sukuti achar 
  • Methi Sprout 
  • Timmur Chhop 
  • Lapsi Achar 
  • Mula ko achar 
  • Mushroom Achar 

Seasonal Vegetables in Chitlang 

Chitlang has fertile land and every year produces potatoes which are supplied to Kathmandu and nearby districts. Even corn grows here decently as an annual produce alongside barley. Some of the seasonal vegetables harvested here are, 

  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Green Beans
  • Spinach
  • Squash 
  • Carrot
  • Radishes
  • Pumpkin 
  • Bitter Gourd 
  • Bottle Gourd 
  • Okra 
  • Brinjal

If we talk about vegetables alone, then, spring and winter are the times when we can harvest vegetables like Cauliflower and Cabbage. 

Sweet Dishes to Taste in Chitlang 

While Chitlang is best known for its natural beauty and agricultural produce, tourists often enjoy Newari sweet and savory dishes on their visit. Let’s have a look at the Newari desert. 

1. Yomari

Yomari is a steamed dessert made out of rice flour with sweet stuffings of molasses or chaku (local jaggery). There are other varieties of Yomari like the one with stuffing of Khuwa (made from milk). 

It is widely consumed during Yamari Punhi as the festive treat by the Newari community in Chitlang. They also sometimes make it different with honey, ginger, sesame fillings, and meat. 

Yomari

Image Source: thegundruk.com

2. Lakhamari

Lakhamari is a Newari sweet dish with a mix of textures, rather crunchy on the exterior and a soft texture inside. It has a distinct taste from sesame, rice flour, sugar, and black gram. It is one of the main sweets used in Newari weddings (as Sagun from the groom’s side to the bride’s). 

Lakhamari

Image Source: tasteofnepal.blogspot.com

3. Sel Roti 

Sel roti is a famous desert prepared in the Tihar festival in Nepal as a gift to brothers. This Sel roti is also often prepared for birthdays, celebrations, and other festivals, and mandatory sweet dish in any auspicious rituals. It’s like a rice doughnut but more crispy and less fluffy. 

Sel Roti

Image Source: washburnreview.org

4. Chhurpi (Hardest Cheese In The World)

Chhurpi is a unique diary product made from yak and cow milk. But in the Chitlang goat cheese factory, you can also taste goat cheese and the rock-like texture of Chhurpi. It is eaten raw as candy in many parts of Nepal. 

Chhurpi

Image Source: english.makalukhabar.com

5. Anarsa:

Anarsa has a similar sweet taste to Sel roti but is different because of the method of cooking. It is also cooked in the festive season of Tihar and has sprinkled sesame seeds on it. Earlier when the celebration started women gathered to make Anarsa on ghee on a banana leaf with love. Because of the technicality of making, it is less popular than sel roti in modern households. 

Anarsa

Image Source: www.kasthamandapbhandar.com

6. Fini Roti:

Fini roti is also a bread-like sweet dish often flat and layered. It’s crispy and made with wheat flour, served with curry, or eaten alongside other dishes during celebrations. 

Fini Roti

Image Source: newarirecipeshut.com

7. Juju Dhau (King Curd) 

King Curd, Juju Dhau is a famous yogurt from Bhaktapur. This buffalo milk creamy curd tastes so wonderful with a Newari Khaja set. It is offered as prasad during rituals like Mha Puja. 

Juju Dhau / King Curd

Image Source: whatthenepal.com

Conclusion 

Chitlang not only has postcard-perfect views but also mouth-watering dishes. Chitlang is also known for its fresh dairy products, including yogurt, cheese, and butter. These products are made using traditional methods and are known for their rich flavor and high quality. To know more about the Newari village and have a pleasant stay here, do contact Chitlang Organic Village Resort