For this month’s Proven Platter, we “visited” Nepal. While the country is famously known for its majestic and beloved Mt. Everest, it’s also home to a variety of uniquely bold and flavorful dishes. The beauty of Nepali cuisine lies in the combination of simple ingredients that form the foundation of many beloved dishes. Vegetarian staples like lentils, rice, corn, and potatoes are transformed with the addition of aromatic spices and condiments. Some of these ingredients may already be in your pantry, such as turmeric, coriander or chilies, while others, like fenugreek seeds, mustard oil, and ajwain seeds, may require a special trip or an online order – but trust us, it’s well worth it!

Kristina first encountered two such dishes on the fabulous and unforgettable Together Women Rise trip to Nepal in 2022. Since returning home, she has continued to explore Nepali cuisine, sharing these delightful flavors with her family and friends. Terri graciously allowed Kristina to choose the recipes to feature in this edition. We are delighted to share with you Aloo Bodi Tama, a unique sour and spicy soup served with rice, and Badam Sadehko, a warm, spicy marinated peanut dish.

For this month’s recipe testing, Kristina and Terri, were joined by fellow Together Women Rise chapter member, Darlene. They spent a fun Sunday afternoon experimenting and tasting (and eating and eating and eating).

Why these two recipes? Both are incredibly unique and packed with flavor. Although they require several ingredients, they are surprisingly simple to prepare, and both dishes are vegetarian and gluten-free, making them great additions to your recipe collection, especially for those with specific dietary needs.

Let’s start with the Badam Sadehko, our appetizer. After exploring numerous recipes online, we discovered that while there are slight variations, the core ingredients remain consistent: roasted peanuts combined with a sauteed marinade of spices, chili, and seasonings. Since Terri is in the “cilantro tastes like soap” camp, we left cilantro out of half the dish and experimented with a few other variations. One unusual ingredient we found in a recipe was mango ginger. This unique ingredient does not actually taste like mango, but we got the idea that adding some mango would introduce a sweet element. Although the mango’s flavor didn’t stand out, feel free to add some to help mellow the dish’s heat. We also tried some ground coriander in the cilantro-free version, which added some extra flavor. However, the cilantro version remains the more authentic dish and that is the recipe we included this month.

Kristina first tasted this dish at a tea house during a trek in the Himalayan foothills, where it was served with freshly made popcorn. As a popcorn lover, Kristina was delighted to find it paired with this salad. While she has enjoyed this salad on its own, she finds that adding the popcorn really elevates the dish. Though Kristina did not see anyone in Nepal eating it this way, she enjoys placing some of the peanut salad on top of the popcorn and using a small spoon to eat – a perfect way to balance the heat of the chilies while adding a fabulous taste to the popcorn.

Darlene, however, preferred the dish on its own, so providing your guests options is the best presentation of this dish.

Kristina first encountered Aloo Bodi Tama when she had the great fortune of spending an afternoon cooking with a family in Bhaktapur, a city just outside of the capital center in Kathmandu Valley. This soup, a specialty of the Newars – one of the largest ethnic groups in the area – is a tangy blend of black-eyed peas, potatoes, tomatoes and sour/fermented bamboo shoots. It was unlike anything she had ever tasted, and she found herself craving its unique flavor profile for the rest of the trip.

Badam Sadheko (Marinated Peanut Salad)

Ingredients

1 cup roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely diced
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 thumb of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons mustard oil*
1 small tomato, finely diced
½ of a small dried red chili, seeded
½ of a fresh green chili / jalapeno, finely chopped
Pinch turmeric
½ lime, sliced
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
Salt

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the peanuts, yellow onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili. Add the chili powder and cumin to the bowl and give it a stir.

In a pan, heat the oil with the dried red chili, turmeric, and salt. Add the tomato and sauté for 1 minute. Pour the heated mixture over the peanut mixture in the bowl. Add the spring onion, cilantro, and a generous amount of salt.

Serve as an appetizer or side dish. Best with freshly popped popcorn.

*Mustard oil is essential. It has a spicy, fragrant quality that enhances the overall taste of the dish. If you have never used it before, it has a yellow hue and a distinct spicy mustard aroma.

Aloo Bodi Tama (Chhon Kwa)

Ingredients

3 Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½ -inch pieces
1 cup fermented/sour bamboo shoots*
1 15.5 oz can black-eyed peas, drained (dried black-eyed peas can be substituted but must soak overnight)
2 medium tomatoes, medium dice
1 medium onion, medium dice
1/4 of a fresh red chili, chopped (adjust to taste)
1½ teaspoons cumin powder
1½ teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cups water
Salt, to taste

Directions

Boil the potatoes and black-eyed peas until cooked (about 10-15 minutes). The potatoes should be tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, but not mushy, as they will cook further with the other ingredients at a later step.

Heat vegetable oil in a pot, then briefly fry the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add chopped onion, ginger paste, and garlic paste and cook until light brown.

Add fresh chili, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, and bamboo shoots and cook for about 1 minute. Add the cooked potatoes and black-eyed peas. Salt generously and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add 4 cups of water and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Serve with rice.

*We found these bamboo shoots at an Asian store. Some recipes suggest using canned bamboo shoots with added lemon juice, but the canned shoots had a tinny taste. The fermentation process is essential to achieve the soup’s unique flavor, and there is truly no decent substitute. Kristina also reached out to her Nepali friends who confirmed that nothing else compares.

Note: Both recipes here call for much less red pepper/chilis than would be used in Nepal.

Recipes and photo credits: Kristina Skepton and Terri Tucker