on the olive podcast nepal
Get to know all about Nepalese cuisine while you relax in your kitchen with our podcast chat with chef Rajiv Kc
Geography
“Nepal, geographically, is between China and India. It’s a tiny nation, and many people only know it because of Mount Everest, but we have 126 ethnic groups and 123 languages, so it’s incredibly diverse. Every village has a different cuisine. It’s very mountainous, so it’s difficult for people to travel easily to or between regions, which is why the cooking is so particular to each village. The Chinese influence is mainly from the border – they use similar spices. The Indian influence is from the north, but Nepalese food itself is completely unique.”
Heritage
“I’m from Kathmandu, and the food is from the Newari people. Once you move out of the valley, there are lots of villages, and the way they use spices and ingredients is quite particular. Ingredients are foraged or homegrown, as there isn’t easy access to produce. What really unites the food is that everyone cooks with open fire.
It’s something I want to do when I get a permanent restaurant. It completely changes the flavours, and it’s what defines Nepalese food for me.”
Meat vs veg
“The Nepalese are not huge meat-eaters. Meat we ate once a week on Saturdays, and everyone would queue early at the butcher. If you didn’t get there before 10am, you’d go home empty-handed. Goat is served at celebrations, festivals and weddings, special occasions. Lamb and chicken are also eaten widely.”
Nepalese food in the UK
“It was a huge culture shock when I moved to the UK. If you wanted Nepalese food you had to travel to Aldershot or Farnborough, where there’s a big Nepalese community (because that’s where the Ghurkhas are based). Even then, it was a mash-up of Nepalese and Indian. Even the Nepalese restaurants in London were 90 per cent Indian dishes, 10 per cent Nepalese.”
Momos
“Momos are Nepalese dumplings. The dough is made out of plain flour and water – nothing else. The filling can be lamb, chicken or pork with lots of spring onions, garlic and ginger. We don’t add spices as they will go in the sauce, so the idea is they’re kid-friendly.”
Rajiv Kc is the head chef and owner of Rajiv’s Kitchen, a pop-up restaurant and supper club which celebrates the food of Nepal. On episode 222 he talks about his food heritage and the comfort he gets from cooking the dishes of his homeland. Follow him on Instagram @rajivskitchen.