One of my days here in Thamel, the tourist district of Kathmandu, I was fortunate enough to be part of a 'Cook Like a Local' class provided by Social Tours. ST is an organization that runs trekking tours, cooking classes and local walks to raise awareness and keep money in the hands of local Nepalese people. I was excited to find out I could be part of a class to learn how to properly cook Dal Bhat, pretty much the national dish of Nepal. Rice, lentil soup and some type of vegetable curry is what most Nepalese eat at least twice a day. At the monastery, I fell in love with dal bhat, and when I came to Kathmandu I missed it. I am now happy to say I feel confident in my abilty to cook it when I get home. The ingredients aren't exotic, and the spices used are available in the supermarkets at home. It is just knowing the amounts and the steps involved.
I showed up about 15 minutes early, the Social Tours office only a couple minutes walk down the main street, Tridevi Marg. There I met Erika, a local who had lived most of her life outside of Nepal, but had returned as a young adult and was motivated to make a difference in the lives of her people. I also met the two other tourists who were signed up for the class, both from England, although they had been living in Honk Kong for the the last couple years. I, of course, easily chatted with them as we enjoyed milk tea and filled in our registration forms. Then we met our teacher, the office's resident cook, and started out for the market.
Now when I say market, I mean a tiny stall down one alleyway and onto another, even smaller alley. The store was packed with fresh vegetables, bags and boxes of spices, dried lentils, beans and chickpeas, and bottles of sauces and pickles (not what we think of pickles, but Indian style ones, more like chutneys). Our teacher asked what vegetable we wanted to make, and I knew right off- potato and green bean. It was my favorite combination at the monastery, and I wanted to know how to make it right.We also bought some mustard greens and spinach, a bag of mixed lentils, and fresh garlic and ginger. We were shown what spices we would normally buy, but didn't have to because the kitchen already had them.
Then we made our way back to the office where the kitchen was, and surprise surprise, it started to rain. You learn quickly that even when the day starts hot and sunny, you bring your umbrella with you because during rainy season, it can change in the blink of an eye. We opened our umbrellas and were spared a soaking.
Then the cooking began. I had so much fun. Using a mortar and pestle to mash garlic and ginger and create the tomato pickle (kind of like a salsa), chopping veg and learning what amount of water, spices and oil to use to create the deliciousness that is a proper dal bhat. It took about an hour, then it was time to eat our creation! The entire office staff came in to eat with us, and it was a wonderful time talking and laughing and going back for seconds.
After the class, Erika asked us to fill out a small form that rated our experience. I really couldn't have been happier, so I wrote out a glowing reccomendation and promised her I would be going online to talk them up on tripadvisor.com or whatever travel site I could find.
Really, it only cost about 10 bucks American for 3 hours of instruction and touring. And I got a meal, which at home would have been about 10 bucks anyway.
I can't get enough of this place. I love it here. Yes, I miss home, but I'm sure I'll miss Nepal when I finally get back to Canada.
Namaste
I showed up about 15 minutes early, the Social Tours office only a couple minutes walk down the main street, Tridevi Marg. There I met Erika, a local who had lived most of her life outside of Nepal, but had returned as a young adult and was motivated to make a difference in the lives of her people. I also met the two other tourists who were signed up for the class, both from England, although they had been living in Honk Kong for the the last couple years. I, of course, easily chatted with them as we enjoyed milk tea and filled in our registration forms. Then we met our teacher, the office's resident cook, and started out for the market.
Now when I say market, I mean a tiny stall down one alleyway and onto another, even smaller alley. The store was packed with fresh vegetables, bags and boxes of spices, dried lentils, beans and chickpeas, and bottles of sauces and pickles (not what we think of pickles, but Indian style ones, more like chutneys). Our teacher asked what vegetable we wanted to make, and I knew right off- potato and green bean. It was my favorite combination at the monastery, and I wanted to know how to make it right.We also bought some mustard greens and spinach, a bag of mixed lentils, and fresh garlic and ginger. We were shown what spices we would normally buy, but didn't have to because the kitchen already had them.
Then we made our way back to the office where the kitchen was, and surprise surprise, it started to rain. You learn quickly that even when the day starts hot and sunny, you bring your umbrella with you because during rainy season, it can change in the blink of an eye. We opened our umbrellas and were spared a soaking.
Then the cooking began. I had so much fun. Using a mortar and pestle to mash garlic and ginger and create the tomato pickle (kind of like a salsa), chopping veg and learning what amount of water, spices and oil to use to create the deliciousness that is a proper dal bhat. It took about an hour, then it was time to eat our creation! The entire office staff came in to eat with us, and it was a wonderful time talking and laughing and going back for seconds.
After the class, Erika asked us to fill out a small form that rated our experience. I really couldn't have been happier, so I wrote out a glowing reccomendation and promised her I would be going online to talk them up on tripadvisor.com or whatever travel site I could find.
Really, it only cost about 10 bucks American for 3 hours of instruction and touring. And I got a meal, which at home would have been about 10 bucks anyway.
I can't get enough of this place. I love it here. Yes, I miss home, but I'm sure I'll miss Nepal when I finally get back to Canada.
Namaste
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