Food · Patan
Cook a Newar meal in a Patan family kitchen
A hands-on session in a Newar home in Patan's old town: buy vegetables in the local market, then cook bara, chhoyla, aloo achar and beaten rice, and eat together on the floor. We learn how a samay baji plate is built and why each part matters.
We start at the vegetable stalls around Mangal Bazaar and the morning market near Lagankhel, picking up greens, radishes, ginger, garlic and black lentils. Our host, a Newar home cook, explains which spices go into which dish and why fenugreek, timur pepper and mustard oil are the base of so much valley food.
In her kitchen we grind soaked black lentils for bara and fry them on a flat iron pan, learning to spread the batter thin. Meat eaters marinate buffalo or chicken for chhoyla with mustard oil, chilli and timur, and smoke or grill it over the flame. We also make a potato and sesame achar and toast beaten rice.
Then we sit on the floor to eat, the way families do at feasts, with the dishes arranged round a mound of baji. Our host explains the order of a samay baji plate and how it is offered to the gods before people eat. You leave with written recipes and a better feel for what is on every khaja menu.
Good for
Questions
Is the Patan cooking class vegetarian-friendly?
Yes. Bara, aloo achar, beaten rice, green vegetables and kwati are all vegetarian, and the host can skip meat altogether. Tell us when booking. Vegans should mention ghee and curd, which are common in Newar kitchens but easily left out of most dishes.
What will I cook in a Newar cooking class?
Usually bara (lentil patties), chhoyla (spiced grilled meat), aloo achar (potato and sesame pickle), a green vegetable, and toasted beaten rice, finished with tea or juju dhau. Dishes vary with the season and the host. You eat everything you cook together in the family home.
How long is a cooking class in Patan?
About three to four hours, including a short market walk to buy ingredients, cooking, and eating the meal together. It works well as an afternoon after a morning at Patan Durbar Square. Groups are small, usually two to six people, so everyone cooks.
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