Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Breakfast at Kathmandu...



Evening Aarati for the River Bagmati at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu

And for the body too! The routine goes thus...
  • A Cup of tea, followed by Dal, Rice and Tarkari= Lentils, Rice and Vegetables with a pickle or a simple salad
  • Tea with milk and a Millet Roti around 3-4
  • Dinner: rotis with dal, curd, vegetables, pickle and salad.
Waking to the sounds of the radio or TV news, a sharp and furious stretch of handheld bells to awaken the Gods, Shiva mantras by the old gentleman next door, sounds of cooking, a loud moaning  like a dog in pain turned out to be a mixer, sounds of vigorous exercise and yoga, a scolding from a spouse or a mother to the child, sweeping. The particular memories of different fragrances and smells, from a many years ago....wafts of mustard oil stirring up the  hearty dishes to sustain the day.
Potatoes and Spinach, tomato pickle with black salt.
Fried paneer and capsicum in a thin gravy
with vegetable greens
Potato and Sesame Seeds Pickle with sharp green chillies.
Indian Long Beans with potatoes and a special dal with dried vegetables: thin, soupy variety with soy beans and potatoes
Millet roti with a touch of ghee and a delicious tomato chutney.
Another dish of Punpkin leaves, tender stems and potatoes.
Served with another  vegetable dish of a gourd with potatoes and a tadka of mustard seeds=delicious.
A thin, soupy moong dal: light and delicious and a simple tomato pickle.

This breakfast, for folks who are more used to rice as lunch/ in the afternoon and a lazy pace afterwards will take some adjusting! :-)
With the present routine, a small stash of 'Glucose biscuts' during the afternoon hours carries you over until the tea-time.

7 comments:

  1. Haven't tried millet rotis. Are they soft?

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  2. This made me go flashback!! I have lived in Kathmandu for 3 years & these pics brought back all the memories!! ;)

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  3. The Millet rotis are not spongy soft but slightly chewy and delicious, when served hot. It is dish that takes time to digest and I believe a staple of the hardworking hill people.

    Thanks Loveandcalories.
    :-)

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  4. wow, the whole experience with food sounds amazing.

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  5. Have to visit Nepal some time,thanks for sharing.

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  6. Well, I went there a loooooong time back and dont remember a thing, except for the fact that I saw a lot of mist!!!! Enjoy! The temple looks heavenly!

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