Eating natural, seasonal food can be medicinal to the body. The food we prepare is as natural as possible with seasonal and local ingredients. This contributes to making a person healthy and nurtures nature at the same time. So it feels good!
Mother Nature and food have always had a special symbiotic relationship. With the culture of fast food and quick, easy meals taking precedence, the relationship between nature and food has been neglected. That wasn’t the case a hundred years or so ago. Back then, our part of the world had a largely agrarian society where people grew their own food at their homes in kitchen gardens and back gardens. It was a time when the gap between the farmer and consumer was minimal. People ate what they grew, and the lifestyle depending on locally-sourced, seasonal food was healthier. This type of cooking and eating practices brought family, friends and communities together.
I have always tried to pay homage to nature with the food I prepare. I am a city boy but my true calling has been embedded with nature. I have always tried to inculcate that aspect into my cooking and everyday life. Being close to farms, villages, forests, rivers, oceans, fishes, fire, water, and fresh air keep me grounded to my true calling.
I consider myself lucky because I’ve had opportunities and privilege to cook around the world. This experience has given me a renewed interest in our ancestors’ way of life. I prefer simple meal preparation with the best ingredients, cooked well and with love. I believe in respecting where the food comes from — being grateful for all stakeholders from farm to fork. While preparing meals, I try to incorporate the local, seasonal produce. This brings freshness to meals, besides helping to reduce carbon footprint.
Being environmentally-responsible matters to me because of where I come from. Nepal, having had negligible contribution to environmental degradation, happens to be one of the most-affected countries by climate change and prone to climate disasters.
I’m thankful and I’m going to show it
I have spent time researching food beyond and across continents whether it be in spice markets, on a farm cooking, or at oil pressing centers. But wherever I go, there is a crucial element to food and cooking – fire. When I am in the kitchen, I am near a fire. In Nepal, we pray to the god of fire, Agni. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Agni my Ista Devta because I spend so much time around it.
As with fire, the relationship with water takes me back to my childhood. I'm from Pokhara, but our family business was in Malekhu, some 100 km away from the city. The name Malekhu is synonymous with fish because it is considered famous for its fresh, fried fish delicacy. Our family has an interesting anecdote related to this hub. The Malekhu fish market was started by my uncle, Chabilal Marahatta. He started one of the first restaurants in Malekhu Bazar which sold Aloo Chop (fried potato pakora) and Tareko Machha (fried fish), local delicacies that are famous with Nepali people around the world. At first, fish used to be sourced from Malekhu Khola. As the Malekhu market boomed and its fish delicacy became popular, people ignored the sustainability of fish in this particular river. Within a few years, fish dried out. This small town still remains popular for fish but most of the fish sold here is brought in from other places. This is an experience that I faced in my own lifetime.
I believe sustainability means not taking out from Mother Nature More than She can grow back naturally.
Talking of childhood and sustainability brings back a myriad of food memories cooking in an open fire. My mother taught me how to cook and appreciate simple food. My father was in the Gurkha Army, so my Ama had to fulfill all of Buwa’s social responsibilities too. When she had too many responsibilities to handle, she used to rely on me because I was the eldest son in the family. Cooking became a necessity along with a safe haven.
The sound of crackling twigs, the warmth of the burning fire that I felt on my face while sitting close to the fire… it was magical! Sputtering whole spices, tempering curries and lentil, my mum’s simple cooking — aromatic and nutritious - reminds me of my simple beginnings and serves as a reminder of how far I have come.
My mum was a great cook. She has inspired me to make simple yet delicious and wholesome meals. She taught me three things about cooking. She taught me that meals made with love keep the heart warm; simplicity is key, and a good meal can be made with whatever is available. Love is the most important ingredient in any meal.
What makes traditional Nepali cooking unique from its neighbors is that we don’t use a lot of spices in our cooking. We use water for cooking sauces, but the food is still very flavorful. You can taste the vegetable that is made into a curry because there isn’t heavy use of spices, onion and tomato which is popular in South Asia. One of the best dishes I have tried is my mother’s unforgettable spinach curry that she used to cook with five ingredients within five minutes.
My mother always used to say that eating natural, seasonal food can be medicinal to the body. The food we prepare is as natural as possible with seasonal and local ingredients. This contributes to making a person healthy and nurtures nature at the same time. So it feels good! I appreciate my body by savoring the food that is in front of me. It excites me to be part of the transformative journey that ingredients go through – from a seed to a fresh produce and then to our tables and in our bellies.
Imagine if plants could chat, what incredible stories they could tell! It’s truly an extraordinary journey that we often forget to acknowledge. It really makes me wonder about the circle of life. Even more so, the food that we eat carries so much energy within itself, the energy from soil, air, water, moon, sun, and from the nourishing rain and a caring farmer’s hands.
Food wastage is another important aspect of this very discussion. Our ancestors did not believe in throwing away food. We used everything from nature. We were completely dependent on nature and the whims of seasons. We used to wait for rain and the wise sun. Even the meat that was put on our table was homage to using everything. Every organ of an animal was made into a delicacy. We tried not to waste much, as resources were scarce. I have a few examples from childhood. My mum used to wash rice and collect that water to add into the curry soup later. She also used to make potato curry and keep the peels. From that potato skin, she used to make Taruwa. We looked forward to eating this potato fry as it was delicious. It was very popular among us children. I like to call this cooking smart. This is how I want to train, teach, educate and celebrate this sustainable lifestyle of cooking and eating.
There are so many food stories from all over the world that I want to tell you. I’ll be patiently waiting for you, my audience, to read my upcoming series of books and articles about how food brings us closer to nature. Until then, farewell!
