Dorjee Khando
Taas, one of my favourite dish, a nation-wide popular food first emerged from Chitwan, the southern part of Nepal. It really fascinates me how locals and other people are so addicted to it that they come here just for it.
The whole course of taas constitutes of fried mutton meat, garlic fries with natural herbs, beaten rice/ bhuja, salad and pickle made up of radish and tomatoes. Although I have mentioned several food items in the preceding statement, the important items are mutton meat and garlic fries.
Let me share some information about mutton meat; how the preparation is done. Firstly, the meat is fried in the thick-bottomed pan called tawa. The pieces are made small and are fried with olive oil, Cumin and Coriander seed, ginger and garlic with a pinch of red chilli powder. They are fried for a while until it becomes soft and again deeply fried to make sure that it golden brown/black in colour with smoky flavour, but tender and juicy inside.
Secondly, the method of frying garlic is not much complex but if you are not aware of how it is cooked, it may get overcooked. Garlic is chopped finely and fried on one side of tawa while mutton meat is cooked on another side. But you must be prudent while keeping mutton meat and garlic on tawa. Mutton meat must be fried where there is more heat and garlic must be fried where the heat is low else garlic would be overcooked.
Being from a Nation where we have a variety of healthy food recipes, taas is also one of those meals which has a peculiar recipe and is liked by most of the people who have ever tasted it. One of the famous restaurants of Chitwan for taas is Bhetghat taas. It’s been decades that this restaurant is serving mouth-watering taas. Moreover, Bhetghat taas, itself has got its branch here in Anamnagar, Kathmandu where all the required ingredients for cooking mutton meat and garlic are sent from Chitwan daily. The well cooked and roasted mutton meat and garlic is the secret behind the mouth-watering taste and smell of the taas.
–Seema Bhandari
