Nepalese cuisine is a beautifully diverse tapestry which tells a story about each region. From the beautiful but harsh mountainous regions of the Himalayas, to the hot and dusty flat plains that border India, in the past, traditional dishes have come from the ability to grow and cultivate local ingredients, which all depended on the surrounding environment and landscape.

Food in Nepal is often likened to Indian cuisine, especially here in the UK, and while there are some similarities with spices used and common dishes shared such as curries, Nepalese cuisine is very much unique in its own right.

From the unique flavours of native spices such as tongue-tingling Timur (from the Szechuan pepper family), smoky black cardamom, and sulphurous Himalayan black salt, to a focus on preservation through pickling and dried foods.

Over the years, due to improved trade and transportation links, influences have crept in from surrounding countries, resulting in a fusion between traditional dishes and modern influence such as Nepali Chow Mein (Nepal’s take on the Chinese equivalent) and Thukpa, based on the classic Tibetan noodle soup dish (however usually served much spicier to suit Nepalese tastes). Nepal has adopted these dishes into their own cuisine, but adapted them to suit their own palette.

However, there is still debate over where the famous Nepali dumplings of Momo actually originates from, with opinions divided between Nepal and neighbouring Tibet as the country of origin. Regardless of where they started, Momo is known to have been part of Nepalese cuisine as far back as the fourteenth century and so you will find them everywhere in Nepal!

While Nepalese food can be spicy (and chef Ameer certainly enjoys a lot of chilli) our food is generally served mild as we appreciate not everyone can handle a lot of heat and we want our dishes to be accessible to as many people as possible. We can offer hotter options for some of our dishes, such as our Momos which are available with a spicy/very spicy sauce. We can also add more chillies on top too if you like the heat – just ask!

As we trade at a variety of different events, we tailor each menu to suit and so the dishes available will be different at each event, although you will often find some of the favourites repeated. This gives us the opportunity to offer a wide range of different Nepalese dishes and experiment with different recipes too! We usually post our menu for each event on our social media pages (click to follow us on Instagram & Facebook) a few days before an event so you know what to expect.

You can also check out our photos below which shows a range of different dishes that feature on our menus.

Almost all of the food we serve is homemade including our momos, curries, pakoras, sauces, chilli oil and even our sweet spiced tea. This means that our dishes are often very labour intensive as we make everything from scratch. But it’s worth it! We want to bring you the best of Nepalese cuisine with the best flavours and be proud of the food we serve, and so we’re happy to spend that extra time and effort on making sure you love it.

Yes! As we want the best flavour from our dishes, we try to use local suppliers where we can.

This includes getting our Pork from Balcaskie Estate in East Neuk of Fife for our momos, Buffalo meat from the Buffalo Farm in Kirkcaldy, and even flour for our momo casings from Carrs in Kirkcaldy, to name a few. As we grow, we want to grow the number of amazing local suppliers we work with too so watch this space.

Our menu will always include at least one vegetarian and vegan dish – but often other dishes can be made vegan on request too. With such a small trailer and team, we are limited with the number of dishes we can offer at each event but we do try to offer a good selection of options for everyone to enjoy!

Often in Nepalese cuisine, dishes will be vegetarian as standard so we don’t treat it as an afterthought – some of our most popular dishes are vegetarian/vegan such as our Aaloo Dum & Sel Roti, and our Chilli Cauli Bites.  

At the most of our events, we aim to offer at least one dish, if not more, which doesn’t contain gluten. For gluten intolerances/coeliacs, it’s always best to speak with us before ordering so that we can advise you on what you can enjoy from the menu!

We must highlight that while we take great care not to cross-contaminate, sometimes we do use gluten in dishes such as our momos, and with our trailer being very small, food is often prepared in an environment which contains gluten. So do let us know of any allergies first and we’ll keep you right.

In September 2023, we cooked our award-winning Buffalo Tar Kari on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen! You can find the recipe on the BBC Good Food website here and you can also watch the clip of us making it by clicking here!

We had the best time on the show! Everyone was really lovely and they all enjoyed the dish too which is just amazing. Definitely a big ‘pinch me’ moment for both of us and we’re so grateful for the opportunity!

As well as popping up at markets, we can also cater for private events, including weddings! We offer bespoke menus based on your tastes, preferences and requirements. If you would be interested in discussing what we could provide for your event and our availability, please get in touch with us at hello@choola.co.uk