Dal Bhat Tarkari: Nepal, in Your Kitchen

Dal bhat tarkari.  It's essentially the national dish of Nepal, and if you're a nerdy food dork, you might refer to it as DBT. (NB: I am a nerdy food dork.)  If you ever journey to Nepal, you'll eat a lot of DBT...possibly for breakfast, and most likely for dinner.  It's comprised of three parts: dal, a lentil soup that can be curried and seasoned in a variety of ways, bhat, or rice, and tarkari, an assorted mix of seasonal vegetables.  It's usually accompanied by a side of pickled vegetables, or chutney (called achar).

DBT really is a staple, and for good reason...it's healthy, filling, and delicious.  Ginger, garlic, garam masala, fenugreek, cumin, chili peppers, coriander, cinnamon, and asafoetida all make appearances in dal and tarkari, with varying degrees of spicyness based on the number and variety of chili peppers used.

Sidebar: asafoetida (which I sadly did not have on hand this time around) is a spice derived from the dried latex gum exuded from the underground root of a perennial herb called ferula.  You can find it Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores. It has a strong odor and flavor in its raw state, but once cooked it mellows out. Also, it "reduces the growth of indigenous microflora in the gut, reducing flatulence." So, you have that going for you, which is nice.

A few days ago, my friend and Nepal-expert Kerry posted on Facebook that she was making DBT for dinner.  And because I'm easily influenced, I determined that I had to make some myself asap. I riffed on a couple of recipes from a lovely cookbook I picked up in Kathmandu (but is also available on Amazon) called Taste of Nepal. If you're looking for a easily accessible, yet comprehensive introduction to Nepali cooking, Jyoti Pathak's 2007 book is a wonderful resource.  It is divided into several parts (Bread, Snacks, Rice Dishes, Poultry, Sweets, Drinks, etc.) and also includes a Nepali-English glossary, ingredient and kitchen equipment lists, as well as menus for planning your own Nepali feast. Each recipe is prefaced by an explanation that gives insight to the dish, and suggestions for its preparation.

DBT is also great because it's an easy introduction to Nepali cuisine...the flexibility it offers in flavor means it's pretty hard to mess up.  For dal, you can pick up basic green lentils at any grocery store, but if you get yourself to an Indian grocery, there will be myriad varieties to try.  Simply toss them in enough water to cover them by an inch or so, add any spices or aromatics you'd like (chopped garlic and ginger, a couple teaspoons of garam masala, cumin, and coriander, plus any chilies or chili powder you desire) bring to a boil, then simmer until the lentils are tender and the consistency is to your liking...Nepali dal tends to be more soupy, I like mine with less liquid.  Served with bhat and some veggies, and you have a flavorful, authentic meal...all without the three day flight to the other side of the world. 

If you're looking for some more info on traditional Nepali/Newari dishes, swing by Moti Eats, a tumblr blog by the lovely Kerry.  She documented many of her meals during her last trip to Nepal, offering photos and explanations about what she ate and what it all means.