The appetizer known as kukhura ko sekuwa looks like a mistake, basically: It looks like tandoori chicken in which the chef forgot to add the chili powder and brick-red food coloring to the marinade. But as I devour one charred morsel after another, I’m struck by the meat’s complex mustard-oil pungency and its pronounced sourness, which rattles the edges of my tongue with a watery, metallic tang. I’ve experienced this sensation before, but not in this context. I feel like I’m watching a familiar play in a foreign language. Then, out of nowhere, as if dreaming while awake, my brain whispers two words into my ear: Sichuan peppercorns.
A few days later, I’m on the phone with Atma Ram Upadhyaya, co-owner of Namaste restaurant, and grilling him about the kukhura ko sekuwa, a dish from his native Nepal. Ingredient by ingredient, we dissect the appetizer, trying to pinpoint the source of the sensations I experienced. Finally, a light goes off in Upadhyaya’s head: He says chef Nabin Kumar Paudel uses Nepali timur pepper in the dish, a powerful spice known to produce similar reactions.
A few keystrokes later at the computer, I discover that Nepali timur peppers belong to the same botanical family as Sichuan peppers, differing in color but sharing many of the same characteristics. I didn’t know it at the time, but the distance between the rugged, unforgiving terrain of Nepal and the flat, densely populated lowlands of eastern Sichuan had just shrunk to the size of my appetizer plate.
The Nepali thali — say that 10 times fast! — gives you the best glimpse into the country’s decidedly vegetarian habits. A snowball of rice sits at the center of the metal platter, surrounded by the rainbow colors of the Nepali table: the bruised burgundy of the mas ko dal (a stewlike mix of black lentils and tomatoes, with a spicy edge), the muted green of the fried mustard leaves (which, I swear, smack of peanut butter), the mango tint of the fried potato “pickles” (slathered with that bewitching yellow chutney) and the hickory hue of the goat curry (its gravy ignited with ginger). This short tour of Nepal cooking goes best with a basket of Namaste’s warm, pillowy and perfectly chewy naan.
Namaste
6138 Rose Hill Dr., Alexandria.
703-822-0408. www.namasteva.com.
Hours: Daily,
11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday-Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 5 to 10:30 p.m.
Nearest Metro station: Van Dorn Street, with a 2.4-mile trip to the restaurant.
Prices: Entrees, $9.99-$24.99.
0 comments:
Post a Comment