In this edited extract from his book Ayla, professional Masterchef winner Santosh Shah gives us an insight into the rich cuisine of his home country, shaped by Nepal's unique geography
Nepali cuisine is one of the healthiest in Asia because it is based on the complex integration of Ayurvedic medicine. Vegetables, herbs and spices are used according to the season and their benefit to the body. The root of our meals is a balanced combination of vegetables, pulses, grains and seeds.
It is a cuisine of geo-diversity too. For a country that only extends 885km from west to east and around 200km from north to south, Nepal has a unique geographical structure. Three regions, parallel to each other, define Nepal: the arid Himalayan high mountains, the middle hills – rich in green valleys, rivers and lakes – and the tropical grasslands of the Terai.
In the high Himalayas, 3,000m and above, small farming communities still grow crops and raise livestock using the inherited knowledge of their ancestors, who learned to deal with the weather and altitude. In the temperate climate of the high hills we grow cabbages, root vegetables and greens, while the sub-tropical middle hills have the climate for citrus fruit, peaches, apples, tomatoes and aubergines. Further south in the tropical Terai you will find mangoes, papayas, bananas, passion fruit, avocados, sugar cane and endless rice paddies.
Nepali people tend to eat two main meals a day and snack in between. This is because, traditionally, the fire was only lit in the morning and at night. Snacks are a way of life in Nepal and are one of the things I miss the most from home.
Chatamari (Dorling Kindersley)
Chatamari is a slightly fermented rice and lentil pancake covered with well-seasoned mince, egg or cheese. We call it a Nepali pizza. You will see chatamari stalls everywhere in the Kathmandu Valley. They are cooked on large flat pans, each pancake nested under a conical earthenware lid, leaving the base crispy and the top moist, hot and fresh. Chatamari are a big favourite during festivals.
Momos (Dorling Kindersley)
We all know that the best way to experience a country’s cuisine is by sampling its street food, and Momos are our signature dumplings. Legend has it that they were either brought by Newari traders from Tibet, or imported to Tibet through the union of a Newari princess to a Tibetan king. Whatever the history, momos are now Nepali. They are now Nepal’s most popular dish – we have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, where they are steamed, fried, served in soups or with a chutney. Minced buffalo meat is often used in the filling or I enjoy them filled with chicken.
Chana chatpate (Dorling Kindersley)
Chana chatpate is a totally addictive crispy, crunchy, spicy, sour, salad of puffed rice, potato and fried chana dal. You will find many street stalls in Kathmandu and all over the Terai region selling their own different versions of it. I like it Kathmandu-style: served wrapped up in paper cones and eaten with little squares of cardboard as a spoon. This is a strong childhood memory for me. We had five different chatpate stalls around our school. During school breaks, we'd rush to the stalls to get our paper cone of crispy, crunchy, spicy goodness.
Buffalo curry (Dorling Kindersley)
Cows are holy and protected in Nepal, but buffalos are farmed for their meat and milk. There are different breeds of buffalos, each adapted to the different climates and geo-conditions, from the Terai to the northern mountains. Buffalo meat has become increasingly popular and is used for curries, poleko (barbecues) and as
a filling for momos.
Yomari (Dorling Kindersley)
Yomari is the most iconic sweet in Nepal. It is a rice-flour dumpling, prepared during the Yomari Punhi, the rice harvest festival celebrated in December after the first rice is harvested. The origin of this sweet is unclear and its fig-like shape is often described as a fish or a Buddhist temple gajur (the ornate top part of a temple). This sweet is made as an offering to Annapurna, the goddess of grains to thank her for the harvest. Yomari is traditionally filled with chaku, a molasses toffee mixed with dark sesame seeds. It is steamed and eaten warm.
Santosh Shah’s aim is to put Nepali cuisine firmly on the map. He was a finalist in 2020’s MasterChef: The Professionals and won 2021’s MasterChef: The Professionals Rematch. Recipes for these dishes and more can be found in his debut cookbook Ayla out now (£20, DK).
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