Bú Kebá - Organic Village Restaurant, Kathmandu - Nepal

                                                         Bú Kebá

Once in a while a revolutionary comes along and every one thinks that he or she is absolutely crazy. History has always told us that no matter how crazy these people were, they managed to leave a mark in the pages of man kind. Take for example Galileo Galilei and Albert Einstein; they revolutionized modern day science yet people thought that they were absolutely out of their mind. Similar story is of this rising culinary star, Sandeep Khatri, head chef of Bú Kebá organic village cafe in Sanepa, Kathmandu.

They say that great minds create unimaginable things and when it comes to food Mr. Khatri has created one of the best Nepali Fusion dishes. Needless to say, I was also very skeptic when I first went to this amazing establishment. However, as soon as I entered the restaurant it just started drawing me into its fantastic ambiance and ever so mesmerizing smell. Bú Kebá offers a quite and simple yet elegant venue for all youngsters and families alike.

As I was sat down on M3, a beautiful sitting arrangement where you get to dine sitting down, I was thinking, “So the ambiance is great, but is the food really going to deliver.” This question was immediately answered when I ordered a drink called “Panchamrit”, which was a savory blend of magical ingredients that just cleansed my palate. Another dish on the menu that soon caught my eye was Corn Sadhkeo (Corn lightly dipped in batter and fried, then marinated in savory spices). I have heard of Badam Sadekho (Peanuts) and Bhatmas Sadeko (Soy Beans), but never have I seen or heard of this creative appetizer. When I tasted it, the corn just melted in my palate and I was again blown away by the creativity and innovation of this genius.

For entree I ordered a very primitive dish to our culture, “Fafar ko Pancake” (Buckwheat Pancake). I have never really been much of a big fan of Buckwheat but this dish completely blew me away. Mr. Khatri completely changed the prospective of Buckwheat and fused Paneer (Goat Cheese) in the batter along with a creamy spinach sauce which was just a glory on a plate.

I was also suggested to try a special bread that is prepared fresh at the restaurant. When I was growing I was always told to keep a distance from Sishnu (Nettle Leaves). It is scrubby and when you touch it with bare hands, you better be prepared for some serious consequences. Not lot of people probably know this but Nettles Leave has flavor similar to spinach when cooked and is rich in vitamins iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium. Considering the quality and benefits of this rarely used ingredient, Mr. Khatri infused it in his bread. At first I was thinking, “Is this going to hurt my palate, because I have touched it once and I regretted it for a long time”. I was amazed. Never have I seen such a fusion of two different ingredients of two different classes. Simply Amazing!!

I am not a not a sweet tooth kind of guy. I like food that comes in sizes and saltiness describes my palate. But when I tried the two desserts at the restaurant, it completely turned my views towards desserts. “Intercaste Marriage”, a simple blend of yogurt and orange, a marriage between Lactose and Fructose family, was remarkable. The “Lychee Cake” which was fluffy and light, you can taste the chunks of lychee, made me think, “where has this been all my life”. It was a fantastic end to an unprecedented dinner that I had at this establishment.

Within few minutes I requested an audience with Mr. Khatri himself. Mr. Khatri exemplified what a great chef he really is when he started deconstructing his food and explained to me how he got the ideas for the dishes he created. The mixer of different families of food, the technique of execution, and his background as a chef in different cuisines in Hong Kong made me realize that he was THE modern day contemporary chef of Nepal. I have had food in one of the best restaurants in DC, New York and whole America, but I am proud to say that finally a Chef has risen himself to a standard well beyond anyone I have seen in Nepal. I wish Mr. Khatri all the luck I can give and a personal suggestion to put out his own cook book showing to the world what Contemporary Nepali Cuisine is all about. 

From my experience, this restaurant receives 5 out of 5 stars for food and ambiance.
Below are some of the pictures of the food I ate at Bú Kebá.

Buckwheat Pancake - Fafar ko Pancake 

Corn Sadheko

Inter caste Marriage

Lychee Cake, Corn Sadeko & Inter Caste Marriage 

Lychee Cake 

Sushi - Spicy Tuna Roll and Avacado Roll

Sushi is an old Japanese delicacy that has become really popular with people of all generations. People generally have a love and a hate relationship with sushi. The taste and the fact that it is actually raw fish, startles lot of people. However, people who love sushi will definitely tell you that it is indeed a small pack of joy. Making sushi is not easy although the ingredients are simple and easy available. The texture of the rice, the way you roll the sushi, and even the  quality of the ingredients determine if you will be able to create a perfect roll.

Ingredients: Spicy Tuna Roll & Avocado Roll
1) Sushi Rice - 1 1/2 Cup of Water for each cup of rite
2) Bamboo Mat covered with either Zip Log bag or a sandwich wrap
3) Rice Wine Vinegar
4) Sashimi grade tuna
5) Fish Roe
6) Roasted Sesame seeds
7) Cucumber - Thinly Sliced
8) Cream Cheese - For Avocado Roll
9) Soy Sauce, Pickled Ginger & Wasabi (Condiments)
10) Siracha & Mayonnaise - Spicy Tuna Roll
11) Sea Weed Paper

Directions:

Cut the cucumber into thin strips and avocado into medium thick strips. Cut the tuna against the grain and marinade it in mayonnaise and siracha sauce. Let it sit for atleast 5-8 minutes.

In a bowl take rice wine vinegar, Oil and Sugar and stir to make a vinaigrette. Depending upon how much rice you make, you have to adjust the amount of vinaigrette you prepare. After the rice is cooked, marinade the rice for about 3-5 in the vinaigrette.

Make sure your work station is properly setup and you have everything handy. This includes all your ingredients and a bowl of water. You have to constantly dip you hands into the bowl of water to prevent the rice sticking.

Place the bamboo mat flat and put a sea weed paper. If the paper is too long, fold and cut the edges. I had to take off atleast half an inch from each side.

Take a handful of rice and put it in the center and slowly start spreading it around. Remember there is no easy way of doing it. Just make sure you dip your hands in the water constantly.

Sprinkle some Fish roe and roasted sesame seeds. Place your ingredients about an inch away from the edge of the paper on your side. This picture above is of spicy tuna roll. Spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber.

Grap the top two edges of the bamboo mat and roll half way. The picture above shows how it should look when you have folded it half way.  Continue folding it once more. Remember you only have to roll it twice. If you have to roll it more than twice, you did something wrong. On tips of how to roll sushi, you can check out various tips available on youtube.

Avocado and Spicy Tuna Roll.

Take a sharp knife and remember to dip it in water constantly as you are cutting it. This prevents the knife from sticking to the sushi.

The end Result. Perfect home made sushi :) More pictures below.

Bon Apetite or i should say itadakimasu

In search of magic on a plate - Nepal

What is a cuisine? Is it something that you eat everyday or something that you randomly run into and realize that it is the sole most beautiful thing you have ever seen? It is really hard to explain what a cuisine is. You may call an elaborated small piece of wonder in a plate a cuisine or you might say a raw fish on plate with a mere dipping of soy sauce is a cuisine. While two can keep on arguing what cuisine really is, we all can agree to one thing, and that is when we eat something and it bursts out in our palate like sweet symphony, we all call that magic of food.

Cooking is an art and we all should probably know that. It is an art that has been passed down to us from generations and generations. It has evolved in many years and a lot of people have put their heart and soul in creating what we now call cuisine. It was never easy to create a dish and it will be never because creating a dish requires knowledge of what ingredients really infuses with another. Needless to say what our ancestors have done is create a miracle on a plate. Keeping that in mind, I really wanted to explore the world of Nepalese Cuisine at its best.

Sometimes when a nation is surrounded by two gigantic masses of land rich in culture and food, it is very easy to forget that a small being even exists, let alone to actually see it as a place where food in its primitive form can be sublime. That is the sad story of Nepal. Surrounded by India and China, who mind you have been two giants of the culinary of world, it has always been really hard for Nepal to shine in the world of food. It even breaks my heart that whenever we take a trip down to a Nepali Restaurant, all we get served is a toned down version of Indian Cuisine. That is not what Nepali food is all about. Sure, surrounded by two culturally diverse nations we are heavily influenced by the spices and methods of cooking from both the Nations, but Nepali food is something that shows respect and a lot of restrain. We combine all the charismatic yet simple ingredients and create a wonder in a plate. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of creativity to make food taste like a Nepali Food. Needless to say, my trip to Nepal after eight years showed me how magical and delicious food in Nepal really is.

It is extremely hard for me to sum up my entire three weeks of magical journey through the streets of Kathmandu, shoving down any good food I can find, in a couple of paragraphs. However, all those who have taken a trip to Nepal will understand when I say that although our cuisines are simple, we value the taste and the culture behind it. Here are some of the delicious cuisines I ate in Nepal. - Neerakar Uprety

Morning Tea with a serving of Pakoda (vegetable dipped in batter and fried)

Fresh caught fish Curry ( High View Resort - Dulhikehl)

Ann array of food in traditional Nepali Thali - From top right - Cauliflower Tarkari, Tomato Aachar, Grilled Chicken Kabob Rice, Papad, Mustard Greens, and lentils - High View Resort

Fapar ( Buckwheat) Chatamari (Pancake)  with poached egg and meat stuffing, Chicken Sadheko ( Boneless chicken boiled and grilled and then marinated with lime, cilantro, scallions and spices) - High View Resort

I loved this Chatamari so much I had to make a Happy Face :)

Okra dipped in batter and fried. I didn't even know you could make pakodas out of Okra - High View Resort

Deep Fried Sesame Chicken - High View Resort

Simple yet delicious fried potatoes - High View Resort 

Cheese Pakoda - High View Resort 

Grilling Sekuwa (Boneless Chicken and Goat marinated in spices by yours truly)

Sekuwa served in a traditional Nepali style. With pickled ginger, cucumber, tomato aachar and peanuts sadheko

We were shoving our mouth with it :) 

Simple vegetarian Home made lunch with Black lentils

Home made tama aloo bodi (Pickled bamboo, potatoes and black eyed peas)

Chicken Chilly - Amazing 

Array of home cooked wonder - Rice, lentils, Goat Curry, Cauliflower Tarkari, Thai Spinach, Deep Fried Chicken, Mango Chutney, and tomato aachar

Steamed Momo (Tibetan style dumpling with hot chili and mild tomato sauce)

Momo Sampler at Royal Sino Durbarmarg - (Steamed, Lightly Fried, Deep Fried and Chili Momo)

Delicious goat leg soup at Bajeko Sekuwa - Old Baneshwor 

Goat Sekuwa - Bajeko Sekuwa 

One of the best Chicken Tandoori i had in a while - Bajeko Sekuwa

Chicken Masala Curry - Amazing ! - Bajeko Sekuwa 

Home cooked meal with Curd based soup, mustard green and cauliflower potato tarkari 

Traditional Nepali Thali - Mustard Green, Goat Curry, Lentils, paneer fry and cucumber aachar)

Homemade Chicken Masala Fry 

The best mushroom ravioli in tomato basil sauce - La Dolche Vita, Thamel 

Again, one of the best margarita pizza i had - La Dolche Vita, Thamel

Home made chicken manchurian 

Another traditional nepali thali - Rice, Cauli- Potate Tarkari, Goat Curry, Cucumber aachar, Tofu aachar, and kidney beans)

all the pictures here are copyright of www.nickspalate.com