Classes take place in the home of a Newar family a short walk from Durbar Square, in a kitchen usually on the top floor, which is traditional in Newar houses where the hearth is kept far from the street. We start with a walk to the vegetable market near Mangal Bazaar to buy greens, radish, tomatoes and spices, and the cook explains Newar staples such as timur, the lemony Sichuan pepper of the hills, mustard oil, fenugreek and jimbu, a dried Himalayan herb used to temper lentils.
Back in the kitchen you cook four or five dishes side by side with the host. Bara, the black-lentil patty, needs the batter ground and whipped to the right lightness. Chatamari, the rice-flour pancake, teaches you to swirl a thin batter on a hot pan. Aloo tama is a sour stew of potato, bamboo shoots and black-eyed beans, and a fresh tomato achar with roasted sesame goes with everything. Folding momos takes the longest, and everyone's first pleats look a little rough.
Then everyone sits down to eat what they have made, usually on low cushions with a brass plate, around 1 pm or 7 pm depending on the session. You get printed recipes and a list of substitutes for ingredients that are hard to find outside Nepal. Classes run for groups of two to eight. We make the menu fully vegetarian on request and can leave out onion and garlic for Jain and some Hindu guests with a day's notice. Allow three and a half hours including the market.
Good for
- Couples
- Families
- Solo
- Groups
Questions travellers ask
Is the Newari cooking class vegetarian-friendly?
Yes. The core dishes in our class, bara, chatamari, aloo tama, achar and vegetable momo, are all easy to make without meat, and we run fully vegetarian classes on request. With a day's notice the host can also cook without onion and garlic for Jain guests and anyone else who avoids them.
Can children join the Patan cooking class?
Children from about eight can join and usually enjoy folding momos and shaping bara. They need supervision near hot oil and the gas stove, so the host gives them simpler tasks. Child rates apply for under-12s. Tell us their ages when booking so the family can plan the session around them.
Will I be able to cook these dishes at home?
Yes. Every guest gets printed recipes with measurements and a list of substitutes, such as urad dal flour for bara and supermarket rice flour for chatamari. Timur and jimbu are sold in Kathmandu spice shops and keep well in a sealed jar, so most guests buy a small stock before flying home.
