Haven’t you missed your comfort, homely cuisine when you lived away from your humble abode? Many Nepali people who live away from the country for work, study, and several other purposes miss the food from home.
But now, there is no need to stress about missing out on your homely taste when you live away. You won’t miss them because Nepali masalas have made their way to different places worldwide.
A large amount of the Nepali population lives in Qatar for work purposes. Thus, it is evident that one can find different types of food from different cultures in that country.
Nepali people who moved to Qatar took Nepali spices along with the food. Currently, you can find all different herbs from the cuisine from every corner of the country in the golf country.
Some of the major food items that are popular among the Nepali residing in Qatar are Mo: Mo, Sekuwa, Choila, Gorkhali Achaar, Kachela, chowmein, thukpa, etc. One needs Nepali spices to cook such Nepali-style of food. Thus, you may find many different types of Nepali masala in Qatar.
Different types of Nepali spices.
Keep reading this article to learn about Qatar’s top ten Nepali masalas.
Sekuwa is a special delicacy for Nepali people all around the globe. The dish, spiced meats roasted over the wood coal slowly. Sekuwa masala is an integral constituent of Sekuwa. The marination process uses these spices before roasting over a slow flame and coal.
Sekuwa masala is a blended spice consisting of spices like cardamom, cumin, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, chilies, fenugreek, black pepper, coriander, and salt.
Similarly, for Nepali people, mo: mo isn’t just food but an emotion. That’s why mo: mo masala has made its way to the kitchens of restaurants and residents of Qatar.
A few spices complement the taste of the mo: mo cooked in the Nepali way which is usually used while marinating the Keema (chopped fillings of mo: mo). This masala has spices like cardamom, turmeric, dry ginger, coriander, mustard, fenugreek, red chilies, salt, cassia, onion, garlic, nutmeg, and black pepper.
Although chowmein is a Chinese dish, it has made its way to Nepali taste buds. A pinch of chowmein masala can accentuate the taste of those noodles to a different level. The Nepali style of making chowmein needs Nepali spices, and that’s how chowmein masala has made its way to Qatar.
Chowmein masala contains ingredients like dehydrated mixed spices, flavor enhancers, dehydrated onion, garlic, sugar, palm oil, and acidity regulator. The powdered mixture of dry herbs consists of coriander, chili, ginger, cumin, and black pepper.
4. Meat masala
Meat masala has all necessary spices that complements the taste of meat so it is also used in restaurants for cooking all different kinds of meat. The masala includes coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, asafetida, fenugreek leaves, nutmeg, mace, dried ginger, mustard, fennel seeds, and cassia.
People use meat masala in cooking all the meat dishes.
5. Chicken masala
Similarly, chicken masala is a blend of spices that can enhance the flavor of chicken meat. One can use it to fry the chicken, marinate it, or cook the chicken gravy. Nepali people often use the Nepali chicken masala to get that authentic Nepali taste in their meat.
The Nepali type of chicken masala consists of the ingredients like coriander seeds, dry red chilies, black pepper, cardamom, turmeric, bay leaves, curry leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise hence, the blend of these spices gives the meat a tangy, spicy, and mouth-watering flavor.
6. Thukpa masala
Nepal is diverse in culture and similarly diverse in food and its cooking style. Thukpa, a soupy noodle dish primarily cooked in Tibetan and Mongolian households. However, the entire mass of Nepali people has acquired the taste of it. And hence it has come a long way for Qatar and the Nepali people.
The thukpa masala has ingredients to cook the soup, which completes well with the boiled noodles usually added later. It has ingredients like ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, turmeric, chili, onion, black pepper, etc.
7. Garam masala
A blend of fried, hot spices that can complement any curries is termed garam masala. As the name suggests, these spices are roasted and grounded to blend and generate an aroma and flavorful taste.
It is rich in aromatic ingredients like cinnamon, mace, cloves, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cardamom. They are carefully segregated, roasted, and then blended to a fine powder to give that punch. Nepali chefs in Qatar use Garam masala to add Nepaliness to their food.
8. Turmeric Powder
Turmeric powder is an essential spice for every kind of Nepali dish. This spice has a bitter taste and bright yellow color when tasted. But, whenever added to any, it imparts an attractive color and flavor to the food.
This spice has health benefits for its consumer since it has antitumorigenic and antiseptic properties. It is majorly used in Nepali and Indian restaurants in Qatar.
9. Mustard
Mustard and its powder are dearly loved spices for making different kinds of pickles and gravy dishes. Both black and yellow mustard are used to make curries and meat gravies. Likewise, soups and Nepali-style pickles have mustard added in them.
Mustard is an essential ingredient for making Nepali style of fish gravy. Hence, the mustard powder is also one of the top Nepali masalas for Nepali people in Qatar.
10. Sesame powder
Like mustard, sesame powder is also one of the most used ingredients to make Nepali-style pickles. The Qatar cooks use black and white sesame powder to make Nepali-style achar, which is pretty p