5 Traditional Nepalese Dishes You Should Try

Nepalese cuisine is as diverse as the number of languages people speak in the country. Each region has its own signature dishes you ought to try and experiment with.

^{Last updated: March 7, 2025}

5 Traditional Nepalese Dishes You Ought to Try

Exploring a new cuisine is an essential part of traveling. Visiting a new country without indulging in its traditional delicacies is impossible. It’s almost like exploring a new destination through the window of your car without touching the ground with your feet, inhaling fresh air, and interacting with locals. The experience is incomplete, to say the least.

I was introduced to Nepalese cuisine by Roshan. He warned me up front, though, that eating Nepalese dishes may be a “spicy” experience.

Somewhat similar to Indian and Bangladeshi food, Nepalese dishes are rich in flavor and taste. The abundance of spices gives the food not only a pleasant taste, but also a strong aroma that distinguishes South Asian cuisines from other cuisines in the world.

But while similar, these cuisines are not the same. Check out some of the favorite dishes you should try next time you walk into a Nepalese restaurant or travel to Nepal.

5 TRADITIONAL NEPALESE DISHES YOU OUGHT TO TRY

1. Dal Bhat Tarkari

Staple food of the Nepalese throughout the entire country, dal bhat tarkari is not one dish, but rather a combination of three different foods. The main ingredient is bhat or cooked grains, such as rice, buckwheat, miller, barley, or maize. The choice of the grain largely depends on the climate and part of the country where it’s grown and eaten.

Bhat is typically accompanied by dal, a cooked lentil soup with onion, garlic, ginger, and spices. The third part of the dish is tarkari, a curry made from different seasonal vegetables with spices and curry powder.

2. Momo

One of the favorite Nepalese dishes, momos are steamed dumplings filled with chicken, pork, buffalo meat, or vegetables. Nepalese often eat the dish as an appetizer, dipped in sauce. According to Roshan, the tomato-based sauce is what makes all the difference. Adding its own unique taste, it brings out the rich flavor of the dish.

3. Thukpa

A “countryman” of momo, thukpa originated in the mountains of Tibet. To keep themselves warm at high elevations, mountain dwellers created this warming dish that soon spread out to all parts of the country.

Although highly enjoyed by the majority of Nepalese people, this noodle soup with vegetables, meat (originally buffalo meat), garam masala, and chili is, however, not one of the Nepalese dishes you can eat as a vegetarian or vegan.

4. Dhido

Dhido is another favorite of locals and visitors. The second popular Nepalese dish after dal bhat tarkari, dhido requires only two ingredients (water and wheat or maize flour) and is very easy to prepare.

Bring water to boil and start adding flour, continuously stirring the ingredients together. Cooked without spices, salt, or oil, this Nepalese dish is normally served with gundruk soup or vegetable curry.

5. Sweet Nepalese Dishes: Sel Roti

Can you explore Nepalese cuisine without satisfying your sugar craving with traditional desserts? I don’t know about you, but I consider it a crime.

Nepalese don’t eat as many sweets as westerners. But if they have a sweet tooth attack, they reach for sel roti, a sweet ring-shaped bread prepared by deep-frying rice flour.