Cooking Aloo Tama (Potato with Black Eyed Beans) at home

ALOO TAMA

This is a popular hearty Nepali dish that and is sure to be a winter favourite. Timmur (Nepali Pepper) could be found in shelves of Nepali/Indian grocery store in your capital city.

Ingredients

½ cup (95 g) dried black-eyed beans
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion, sliced
½ tsp finely grated ginger
1 small clove garlic, crushed
2 potatoes (300 g), peeled and diced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 chopped tomatoes
Pinch of Nepali pepper (timmur)
1 tsp chilli flakes
salt, to taste
50 g sliced bamboo shoots
chopped coriander, to garnish

Instructions

Soak black-eyed beans overnight. Drain the water when ready to cook
Pour oil into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the onion, ginger and garlic until golden. Add the potato and soaked beans to the pan and fry for few minutes, stirring regularly, then add the cumin, ground coriander, chilli, salt & tomatoes. Once you smell the spicy aroma (1-2 minutes), add 1 litre (4 cups) boiling water and simmer until the potatoes and beans are tender. Add the pinch of timmur
Add bamboo shoots and simmer until warmed through. If using fresh bamboo shoots, simmer until tender
Garnish with coriander and serve.

Enjoy! Namaste

Canberra charity REACH for Nepal determined to make a difference

A Canberra charity set up in the wake of the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal is quietly raising money for much-needed restoration work and giving Australians the chance to work on local community projects, the Canberra Times reports.

Founded by Canberra trekking enthusiast and yoga teacher Lou Nulley and Nepalese-born Lachhu Thapa from The Hungry Buddha restaurants in Curtin and Belconnen, REACH for Nepal has also just finalised a sponsorship arrangement with Singapore Airlines to carry a limited amount of donated goods to Nepal for free when volunteers travel for a project.

The charity has also appointed 2016 Olympic gold medallist Kim Brennan as its first ambassador, a position she is “incredibly proud” to hold.

Entirely run by volunteers, REACH for Nepal’s priority is supporting people in remote, isolated areas of Nepal who have not been reached by other agencies. The areas are often only accessible by foot.

Anyone who participates in the trips treks for five days and spends three days working on a community project.

Each participant pays their own way and all money raised goes directly to projects for the Nepalese people. The trip participants are also asked to raise at least $250 to go towards a project.

On-the-ground work planned for this year includes building classrooms and helping with the production of school bags by people with disabilities in Nepal.

“There are not too many things in life where you can make a real difference, but this is one of them,” Mr Nulley said.

“It’s a fairly intense eight-day period but the experience is so rewarding. The people there are so grateful for the work that we do.”

“Almost without exception, people describe it as a life-changing event,” he said.

REACH for Nepal, meanwhile, stands for Rebuilding, Education, Assistance, Children/Communities (giving) Hope for Nepal.

Source – Canberra Times

beer on us – all march @ the hungry buddha curtin & belconnen

The Hungry Buddha is celebrating the month of March with some Beers 🙂

There is plenty of reason for us to celebrate the month of March here in Canberra. The biggest being, we will be welcoming the pleasant weather AUTUMN. The summer was long, and you might have been kicking in the couch for a while with a nice cold beer.

Where as in Nepal, in the month of March, we celebrate the festival of colour, HOLI.

So, we decided that we celebrate the month of happiness in Canberra & Nepal by treating you with a beer when you book online & use code “NEPALI BEER” for the month of March.

There is only one condition though, its only one beer per person per booking.

So lets welcome Autumn with family and friends at the hungry buddha, and your first beer is on us! Booking is a must.

Namaste 🙂

Mardi Himal Base Camp Trek 2017

I am headed to Nepal in September 2017 with family, with my two young daughters June & Maaya. Needless to say how excited I am, no really I am very excited.
I will be there celebrating Dashian (Biggest festival in Hindi Calendar) with family in Nepal after – I don’t remember. Surely it will bring back memories of the childhood.

Also when in Nepal, I will be doing two community projects around Annapurna Area, alongside travelers from Canberra in conjunction with Reach for Nepal Foundation. And in between that I will be trekking Mardi Himal Base Camp – all the way upto 4500 meters. The 5 weeks are full on 🙂


Situated just east of one of the most popular treks of Nepal, the Annapurna Base Camp trek, the Mardi Himal trek is a hidden gem.

Few trekkers make their way to the Mardi Himal Base Camp spectacularly situated at the base of Mardi Himal and the impressive Machapuchhre. The trail goes along small winding paths, through magical rhododendron forests. I am looking forward to get some amazing views of Mardi Himal, Machapuchre, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli & close up views of the entire Annapurna Range.

If you would like to join me, please contact me on 0422 657 897
Lachhu Thapa

Team Reach – Rickshaw Run Jan 2017

2017 started for us with a bang! 3 mates ventured on an adventure on a three-wheeled rickshaw in India on an unforgettable journey.

We only had certain things known, the start, the finish and the rickshaw – everything else was the unknown and little we knew that was the adventure.
Its not easy to navigate the way around India, let alone being on the bottom of the chain on Indian Highways. Mind you, it’s the cow on the top, then the trucks and buses, then the 4WD and cars, then the rickshaws and motorbikes. And on the 2nd January at 9 am it started with a bang, all up 87 rickshaws, teams from around the world. And in little less in a day, we knew it was about the journey, not the destination.

Each morning, we would get up at 6:30 am and start the day before sunrise. Get the rickshaw started for about 15 mins to heat the engine and off we go. We were headed north, and made our own way. There was no plan, no route, no stops planned, no breakfast planned and no rest stops. It was all about the road and we did what we wanted.

We got offered to have tea with locals on average 3 times a day, We played Cricket with locals, Had Chai (indian cup of tea) about 6 times a day, Flew a kite with locals, got offered free accommodation in Goa, Met lots and lots of Nepalese people along the way, and tired awesome new food each meal we had. It was just amazing.

Would we recommend you go on a Rickshaw Run? Hell yes. Go for your life. There is no better way to see India.
And we did all this for a cause. We raised $1000 for Cool Earth, a charity based in England to save rainforest in South America. We did our bit to raise more funds, and it all went to Reach for Nepal Foundation, around $1300. So all up, we raised $2300 for the foundation, made abundant friends and saw real India and its hospitality.

Whats next? Mongol Rally in 2019. Driving 16,000 miles across Europe and Asia from London, England to Ullan Bator, Mongolia

Adventure on

Namaste
Lachhu, Ben & Yog

Celebrate Valentines Month @ The Hungry Buddha

For the month of February, enjoy a three course dinner for two with a glass of wine each for only $75! Celebrate the valentine’s month with us 🙂

This is what’s included –

Entrée – mo:mo & chicken chilli
Mains – aloo tama & khasi ko masu served with large rice & naan
Dessert – nepalese rice pudding each
Wine – foundstone shiraz or foundstone semillion sav blanc

We will endeavor to cater for any allergies, please let us know beforehand. Anything extra will be charged as per the price in the menu.

Bookings essential. Offer valid until end of Feb 2017 across our both venues, Curtin & Belconnen

Namaste

Cook Nepali Style Chicken Chilli at home

So if you have been to Nepal, don’t tell me you haven’t tried chicken chilli at one of the restaurants in Kathmandu or Pokhara or somewhere in between 
It is one of the most famous snacks in Nepal alongside mo:mo, chowmein and thupka. There is nothing much to it, really! Get Chicken Leg fillets, dice and marinate it (overnight is always good) before frying it in a bit of oil. Once cooked, you toss it up with some onion, capsicum, tomatoes on a separate pan alongside some spices, and its ready

Prep time: 20 mins, Cook time: 30 mins

Ingredients
• Chicken Thighs in small cubes (400 gm)
• Capsicum – (Red 1, Green 1)
• Onion (1 small, cut in cube sizes)
• Shallots/Coriander (some to garnish)
• Tomato (1, cut in cube sizes)
• Cumin seeds – (half a tea spoon)
• Ginger-Garlic Paste (1/2 table spoon each)
• Red Chili Paste (1/2 table spoon)
• Tomato Ketchup (4 table spoons)
• Corriander/Cumin powder
• Oil (3 table spoons)
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:
• Marinade the chicken with bit of oil, ginger/garlic paste, salt, chilli paste
• When ready, on low heat fry the chicken until cooked
• On a new pan, start off with 2 table spoon of oil
• Cumin seeds in, alongside the onions
• Salt to taste
• Throw in the chicken, you just cooked on the side
• Put in more ginger/garlic, chilli paste, cumin/coriander powder (all the spices)
• Toss for a while
• Throw in the capsicum, fresh tomatoes & tomato ketchup, and toss for 30 seconds and you are done
• Put in fresh coriander/shallots just before serving

Namaste

Reach for Nepal Foundation – Introduction & Vision

The REACH for Nepal Foundation was established after the devastating 2015 earthquakes of Nepal provides practical and financial assistance to rural Nepalese communities affected by the earthquake.

R =	Rebuild areas affected by the 2015 earthquakes, and provide support to other schools and villages that need assistance.
E =	Educate – Provide school textbooks and tuition, as well as scholarship programs and vocational training to improve employment outcomes.
A =	Assist – Ensure that projects benefit the lives of children and their communities, while also stimulating the local economy by employing locals to assist in community projects.
C =	Children/Communities – Our focus is to improve the livelihood of both children and Nepalese communities who have been worst affected by the 2015 earthquakes and other events.
H =	Hope – Give hope to communities that have lost family members, homes, schools, income and opportunities as a result of the 2015 earthquakes, or who are otherwise in desperate need of assistance.

OUR VISION

Enable villages to become more self-sustaining

The Reach for Nepal Foundation encourages and facilitates opportunities for Nepalese people to complete vocational training through local providers. This will improve employment outcomes, create jobs and improve stability and harmony in remote villages. With in-demand skills, people won’t need to travel to the Middle East or India looking for work.

The Reach for Nepal Foundation also works with villages and schools to provide facilities so that residents and students have access to clean drinking water.

Assist local communities to rebuild schools and libraries

With abundant local knowledge, the Reach for Nepal Foundation identifies schools in Western Nepal that need help rebuilding classrooms or other facilities. These projects are funded through fundraising activities in Australia.

In all rebuilding projects, we use local labour and materials. This creates jobs and stimulates the economy by investing funds locally.

Provide education scholarships and student support

The Reach for Nepal Foundation, with the support of its Nepalese director, uses local networks to identify students in remote Western Nepal that would most benefit from an education scholarship.

When undertaking school projects or visits, the Reach for Nepal Foundation donates used Australian textbooks to students. If you have school textbooks in good condition that you would like to donate for distribution in Nepalese schools, contact us.

Enhance the skills of local teachers

The Reach for Nepal Foundation encourages qualified Australian teachers to travel to Nepal and volunteer to pass on their skills and share their knowledge with local teachers.

Extend participation in sporting activities

Children who grow up in Nepal are often told to study hard. A good education helps graduates find jobs and provide a better future for their families, but it is only one part of the equation. At the Reach for Nepal Foundation, we believe that sports participation is also beneficial to school-aged children.

Sport is a common language throughout the world, as it connects people. Participating in a sporting activity helps to:

Develop decision making abilities
Develop communication skills
Build self esteem
Provide safe and supportive community spaces for women
Improve quality of life for people with a disability through participation and social integration

The Reach for Nepal Foundation encourages grassroots programs in villages with sports including cricket, football, soccer, badminton and table tennis. In the initial phase, the Reach for Nepal Foundation distributes sporting equipment to the school administration. We are always in the lookout for schools who want to travel to Nepal on such sporting and community projects.

For more information contact the foundation directly here.

The Buddha Odyssey is set to organise their third Yoga, Trekking & Community Trip to Nepal in 2017

Yoga Pathways & The Buddha Odyssey are again coming together in Oct 2017 and organizing another trip to Nepal from Canberra.

The trip will again focus on the Community Project in conjunction with Reach for Nepal Foundation, while also providing travellers the experience of trekking the Annapurna range & Hatha Yoga wherever possible.

Lou Nulley, yoga instructor at Yoga Pathways & co-founder/director of the foundation leads such a trip each year to Nepal alongside Odyssey tour leader Raju Thapa. Over the years, Lou and Raju have developed a special working relationship and delivered very successful trips.

Lachhu Thapa, the co-founder/director of the foundation is also keen to join the tour group this year. Lachhu is excited to be going back to Nepal with family and finish off the project in Annapurna village.

The travel group raises funds for the project before they head off to Nepal.

The tour starts in Kathmandu, with sightseeing of major attractions of a 2000 year old valley. We then head to picturesque Pokhara where we spend another couple of days. From there we embark on a trek which sees you walking up to 5 hours a day on a route that’s less popular with tourist – making the experience more authentic whilst absorbing the mesmerizing views of the Himalayas.

The 5 days trekking leads you to our Community Project where you will spend another three days working on the project and spending time with villagers, school teachers and students. Yoga is incorporated on the trip where ever practical. We then head back to Pokhara and fly out to Kathmandu for last minute shopping before our flight back home.

Historically these trips are fully booked, as participants enjoy the blend of trekking the Himalayas at a relaxed pace, making a real difference in the lives of many people through the community project and maintaining a sense of equanimity through regular yoga sessions.

The cost of the trip is around $3790 (to be confirmed around Jan 2017) including international airfares, accommodation and most meals.

To lock in a spot please contact us by filling this form

Namaste

Lachhu Thapa

Successful first ever mo:mo: & trivia night in Canberra

Last night The Hungry Buddha Nepalese Restaurant, Canberra hosted a Mo:Mo: night to raise funds for the Reach for Nepal Foundation.

The event which was booked out in just under a week back in Aug 2016, raised around $1650 for the foundation. The event was organised to support Lachhu, Ben and Yog’s quest to raise money by doing a Rickshaw Run in India in Jan 2017.

There were four kinds of mo:mo:’s on offer –

Chicken,
Lamb/Rosemary,
Potato/Spinach &
Pumpkin/Cauliflower/Pistachio

The event was a huge success with local community coming together for a wonderful cause, and is sure to be not the last one.

We would like to thank family, friends, patrons, staff and wonder MC Gordon Scott.

Namaste

Lachhu Thapa & The Hungry Buddha Team