Masterclass | Yeti, The Himalayan Kitchen

{Nepalese Thali}

{Yeti, Hauz Khas Village}

Here’s another edition of our MASTER CLASS {for those unfamiliar with this- we bring you an easy-to-make recipe from one of our must-try/must-visit restaurants in Delhi}. What’s on the menu this time? Flavors and food from Yeti, The Himalayan Kitchen- one of Delhi’s few authentic Nepalese joints.

Okay, so I confess, that my idea of Nepalese cuisine was restricted to noodle soup and momos. But on my first culinary exploration of quintessential mountain cuisine, I was astounded firstly, by the size of the menu {12 pages long! It took me 20 minutes to make up I mind. I actually didn’t even make up my mind I just asked the waitress to get her favorite dish, which thankfully turned out to be yum!} and secondly, the variety within the menu… there was something for every palette. So I caught up with Ardahun Pinky Passan, half of the duo which runs & owns Yeti, and here’s a little behind-the-scenes scoop. And yes, the recipe follows. Happy cooking!

What was the idea behind Yeti?

Ardahun: Yeti started because Delhi didn’t have a restaurant serving authentic Nepalese food. The idea of Nepalese food was restricted to small stalls in Paharganj or Majnu-ka-tila, but nothing really apart from this. So our idea was to open a restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere, no-airs… nothing fancy, which serves good and authentic food from the hills. The menu has been chosen very carefully, my partner Tenzing is actually half Tibetan-half Nepalese and he really knows his food. So together, we pooled in our resources, our understanding of Himalayan cuisine, and yup next thing you know, we were up and running!

LBBD | The response has been pretty great for you guys! There’s this saying that your belief is often reflected in your actions… What was your belief while opening Yeti?

Ardahun | Yeah, its really wonderful to see how this place has picked up! I mean I’d be happy if this was serving just me and my friends, because we really just wanted a happy, humble place with great food, but through word of mouth and reviews, we’ve seen immense support and I’m ecstatic! I’ve always told myself to be positive, and I work with the mindset that nothing will go wrong, it’ll all work out fine… and it’s good to know the philosophy works!

{Thupka | Noodle Soup}

{Aloo Sadeko}

{Steamed Momos}

LBBD | What’s your favorite dish from the menu?

Ardahun | Ohhh, that’s a toughie. I get my lunch and dinner from here, so it’s literally like eating home food everyday. But if I had to pick a few, I’d say the Nepali thaali with mutton, Dat-chi which is a Bhutanese dish, and some Ting-Mo on the side… Yes, I love food! And of course there’s the Wai Wai Sadeko. It makes a fantastic appetizer!

So especially for y’all from the kitchens of Yeti, here’s the recipe for WAI WAI SADEKO!  

{Note: always remember- if we can cook it, ANYONE can. And the best part about this one is that it doesn’t even need cooking!}

Ingredients:

• Regular pack of wai wai noodles from the local store
• Ginger….. just a little
• Garlic…….. just a little
• Tomatoes, diced …….. half a cup
• Onions, diced…….. half a cup
• Chillies, diced…. just a bit
• Coriander, chopped…. quarter cup
• Mustard oil… half a teaspoon

How to:

• Crush the wai wai {dry} in a bowl
• Add the chopped tomatoes, onions, chillies, coriander to the crushed wai wai
• Add the masala of the wai wai noodles to the mix
• Pour half a teaspoon of mustard oil
• Mix it all up!
• If you want, you can add some lightly fried chicken pieces to this as well!

And……. That’s about it…. Told you, it’s super easy to make, and its a great starter!

For more from YETI, check out their facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/YETIThe-Himalayan-Kitchen/132962034049

Image courtesy: Yeti, The Himalayan Kitchen