Dal Bhat

Dal bhat is less a recipe than the structure of Nepali eating. Dal is lentil soup, bhat is cooked rice, and around them sit tarkari — seasonal vegetable curries — along with pickles, greens and sometimes meat or curd.

It is traditionally eaten twice a day, in the late morning and the evening, and for many Nepalis it constitutes the great majority of meals. The combination of lentils and rice provides a complete protein, which is why so many cultures arrived at some version of it.

The saying dal bhat power, twenty-four hour is a trekking-trail joke, but it reflects something real: the meal's reputation for sustaining long days of walking in mountainous terrain.

The dal itself is usually a thin, soupy lentil preparation rather than a thick stew, seasoned with turmeric, garlic, ginger and cumin, and finished with a tempering of spices bloomed in hot ghee or oil poured over at the end.

The vegetables change with the season and the region: potato and cauliflower, spinach or mustard greens, beans, gourds. Higher altitudes lean on potato and preserved greens; the lowlands offer a wider range.

Achar — pickle — is essential and often the sharpest element on the plate, ranging from fresh tomato and coriander versions to fiercely fermented radish or lime.

Everything arrives at once on a compartmented metal plate, with rice occupying the centre and the accompaniments arranged around it. Diners pour dal over a portion of the rice and mix with the fingers of the right hand.

There is no fixed order of courses. Each mouthful is composed by the eater from whatever combination they want, and the balance shifts as the meal proceeds.

Refills are customary and generous, particularly of rice and dal, and in guesthouses along trekking routes a second helping is usually included without being asked for.