Namaste GGJ Pilgrims! Today we are ascending some of the highest mountains in the world (metaphorically of course) as we sample some delicious Nepalese vegetarian cuisine. Now I know you are thinking "Leo, just because Nepal has the greatest proportion of Hindus than any other country, doesn't mean that they are all strict vegetarians." Well I say to you, good factoid! Way to go with the knowledge! However, I didn't choose Dal Bhat to be the Nepali national dish. But I did choose to cook the national dish of Nepal based on its' vegetarianism, due to it being my favourite vegetarian's birthday, Lady Cara!
Lady Cara is an interesting Moleface. She has a few paradoxes. Smart as a whip, Lady Cara is very intelligent. But place her in a conversation of more than 3 people (especially a conversation between Molefaces) and she'll be lost quicker than the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815! We always have to remind her of upcoming events, especially if we want to see her at them. But due to her vagueness, Lady Cara has developed her own ingenious philosophies. From "time is time, but we'll never have that time again" to "does anyone feel like it's five hours ago but now?", she is a venerable monk.
Unfortunately, Lady Cara does cop some flack from The Molefaces. As she is a vegetarian in a group of devout meateaters, she is generally catered for separately when we dine together. For instance, when we have BBQs, Molefaces feel there is no need to make salads for Lady Cara. She can always eat bread and sauce! Plus as everyone knows, you don't win friends with salad! And as avid GGJ pilgrims will remember, she is never gonna live down not putting peanut butter in the spiders! Despite all this, Lady Cara is still the Queen of the baked treats (if you exclude Hay Rae and myself)!
However, she is thoroughly genuine. What you see is blessedly what you get with Lady Cara. Compassion and tolerance in abundance, Lady Cara is always willing to extend a listening ear. And dismissive she is not, as without exception Lady Cara finds the positives in people and situations, and is willing to give people many chances at redemption. Even with these incredible traits, don't try to take advantage of her kindness, cause Lady Cara don't suffer no fools! So I thought we would find an extra special vegetarian national dish to cook for her birthday.
Dal bhat is a staple dish found across Nepal and consists of a lentil soup (Dal) and steamed rice (bhat). It is generally eaten twice a day, first in the mid-morning and then later in the early evening. At higher elevations, where rice is harder to grow, it may be substituted for other grains such as maize, millet or barley. Recipes for the dal vary from different ethnic groups, localities and even from different seasons. The lentils may be cooked with tomatoes, onion, chilli, ginger and garlic. But most recipes contain coriander, garam masala, cumin and tumeric. Dal bhat is often accompanied by a vegetable curry (tarkari), and a portion of pickle or chutney. Although a chicken, goat or fish curry and yoghurt may replace the tarkari.
Enjoy, or as they say in Nepal, Masti garna!
A vegetarian national dish is rare, but look no further for the recipe: http://tbird86ghz.blogspot.com/2008/10/recipe-nepali-dal-baht.html
Difficulty: 4
Appearance: 4
Taste: 4
TOTAL: 12
Note: Difficulty is scaled in reverse to the other categories, where 1 = was extremely difficult to make, and 5 = was easy to make.
Note: Difficulty is scaled in reverse to the other categories, where 1 = was extremely difficult to make, and 5 = was easy to make.
Not a very difficult dish to make, which one would expect from a dish that doesn't involve cooking meat. The dal has a few processes but that is nothing to baulk at. The only thing that made this meal slightly difficult to cook was having two Molefaces in my kitchen. My kitchen is basically the size of a matchbox, and it is hard enough for me to find space on my own. But with 2 lovely ladies "performing" what could only be described as a skit about bus travel between Broadie and Franger, cooking time is extending dramatically. Eventually we sat down to eat, so all's well that ends well.
Well the bhat looked like it should, it was white and fluffy. But since it is rice, I guess I cannot really expect more from it than it is. The dal on the other hand looked nothing like rice. The lentils smelled amazing with all the spices and herbs and the taste was something I had never experienced before. The texture of the lentils and the vegetables mixed with the mustard flavour of the turmeric and the earthy aroma of the jeera (cumin), produced a taste sensation. And as you would have heard in the video it was totes brothy! Perfect for any cold winters night. And with the side dishes of the chutney and tarkari it provided a venerable feast of colour.
And to top it off we of course had to have a birthday cake. Lady Cara has a weakness for chocolate, so she was an easy birthday diner to cook for. So for her I made a simple Chocolate Butter Cake. The cake devoured and the bus finally reaching its' destination the ladies left my kitchen. With full bellies and contented faces. Hope you enjoyed your specially vegetarian GGJ dinner Lady Cara, for it may be a while before we come across another non-meaty national dish!
