Aloo Paratha is a popular North Indian and Nepal whole wheat flatbread stuffed with a spicy mashed potato filling. It is traditionally served for breakfast but is also enjoyed for lunch or dinner across the Indian subcontinent.

Bamboo Shoot Curry is a popular, nutritious, and highly seasonal dish, particularly cherished in Asian cuisines, including India, Nepal, Thailand, and Laos. Known for its crunchy texture and slightly sweet, earthy flavor, it is often prepared during the monsoon season.

Bitter Gourd Masala (Karela Masala) is a popular, nutrient-dense South Asian dish that balances the natural bitterness of the vegetable with spicy, tangy, and sometimes sweet flavors. It is often prepared as a dry stir-fry or a semi-gravy curry, usually paired with roti, naan, or rice.

In Nepal, Bottle Gourd Leaves are known as Lauko Ko Saag (लौकाको साग) and are a highly nutritious, cooling, and everyday green vegetable. The tender young shoots and leaves are usually stir-fried in mustard oil with traditional Nepali spices for a simple and healthy side dish.

A traditional soup for young mothers, as it is said to promote lactation, children, or people suffering from colds and indigestion.

Cauliflower Pakora (also known as Gobi Pakora) is a popular Indian tea-time snack consisting of crispy, deep-fried cauliflower florets coated in a spiced chickpea flour batter.

Chayote Squash Curry is a healthy, mildly sweet, and versatile vegetable dish often served with rice or roti. The squash has a mild, cucumber-like flavor that pairs well with coconut, lentils, and South Indian spices.

Stir-Frying Chinese Cabbage (locally known as Banda Gobi or Chinese Cabbage) is a quick, highly nutritious, and budget-friendly meal. By adapting classic Chinese cooking methods using readily available Nepali pantry ingredients, you can make a fresh, aromatic, and savory side dish perfectly paired with Nepali dal bhat or steamed rice.

Dal Bhat is the traditional and most important meal in Nepal, consisting of steamed rice (bhat) and lentil soup (dal). It is usually served with a variety of side dishes such as vegetable curry (tarkari), greens (saag), and spicy pickles (achar). This wholesome and balanced meal provides essential nutrients and energy, making it a daily staple for people across the country.

Dhikri is a traditional and healthy steamed rice cake, very popular among the Tharu community of Nepal. It is a staple food at the Maghi festival. It is also served at other festivals such as Dashain and Chhath.

Dhindo (ढिँडो) is a beloved, traditional Nepali staple, essentially a thick, nutritious porridge or dough-like paste made by boiling flour in water.

Long considered the “fuel of the Himalayas” it was traditionally a staple in rural hilly regions where rice was hard to grow.

It is highly nutritious, fiber-rich, and beneficial for diabetic patients as it has a lower glycemic impact than white rice.

Nepali-style Eggplant Curry, or Bhanta ko Tarkari, is a savory, rustic dish made by stewing eggplant with tomatoes, onions, mustard oil, and spices like turmeric and cumin. It is a popular, daily vegetarian dish often paired with rice, lentils, naan or roti.

Taruwa is a popular traditional dish from the Terai region of Nepal, deeply rooted in the Maithil and Tharu communities. It consists of finely chopped vegetables or sprouts dipped in a spiced batter made from chickpea flour (besan) or rice, then deep-fried until crispy. It’s ideal as a side dish or snack.

Eggplant Pakora, also known as Baingan Pakora, is a popular Indian snack made by deep-frying thin slices of eggplant coated in a spiced gram flour (besan) batter. It is a gluten-free and vegan-friendly treat often served during tea time or as a starter.

Eggplant Puree in Nepal is typically enjoyed as a roasted smoky dip or side dish.

Aloo Phing is a hearty Tibetan stew made with potatoes (Aloo) and glass noodles (Phing) in a tasty broth.

It is usually served hot with tingmo (steamed buns) or rice.

Green Banana Curry (Kacho Kera ko Tarkari) is a traditional, nutritious dish commonly eaten by households across Nepal, particularly in rural areas, often prepared as a staple curry for lunch with rice. It is valued for its starchy texture, often cooked in a simple, spicy gravy or as part of a meal featuring daal bhat.

Gundruk Soup (ko Jhol) is a traditional, nutritious, and comforting soup from Nepal made from Gundruk, leafy greens (mustard, radish, or cauliflower leaves) that are fermented and then sun-dried. It is known for its distinctive tangy, savory (umami), and slightly pungent flavor, which is a staple in Nepali cuisine.

As a fermented food, it is high in nutrients and provides essential vitamins during winter when fresh vegetables are scarce.

Kinema is a traditional fermented soybean food native to the Kirat community (chiefly Limbu and Rai) of Eastern Nepal and the surrounding Himalayan regions. It is known for its sticky, slimy texture and a pungent, ammoniacal aroma often compared to Japanese natto. The name is derived from the Limbu word Kinambaa, where ‘ki’ means fermentation and ‘nambaa’ means flavor.

Kinema is considered a “functional food” and a vital protein source in rural Himalayan diets.

Bhindi Masala (Okra Masala) is a popular, flavorful North Indian dish featuring Okra (Bhindi) cooked in a spiced onion-tomato gravy. It is often prepared as a dry or semi-dry stir-fry, making it a perfect, non-slimy side dish for roti, paratha, or rice.