Meat has a special significance in Newari feast, including beef. Chiura, soybeans, eggs, nuts, pickles, and yogurt are often eaten at Newar feasts.
But in spite of all these, Newar’s feast is not complete without meat. There are many types of buff in the Newari feast.
In the Newar community, the meat that is indispensable at any time is raga meat. The meat of other chickens, goats and goats is eaten according to the time and festival.
Buff meat dishes eaten by Newars can be found in most of the shops in Bhaktapur. Many of the snack shops here have a variety of buff dishes.
In the shops here, instead of chicken and goat meat, but the meat of buff is available in almost all the shops, probably because everyone eats. The Kutumb Khaja outside the west gate of Bhaktapur Durbar Square also has all kinds of meat dishes of raga eaten at Newari feasts.
According to Krishna Suwal, the shop is frequented by both internal and external tourists. He said that many of them ate beef because it was sweet.
Suwal said that he used to make typical Newari food at the family lunch house. He said that all kinds of dishes made from raga meat are made in this shop.
He said, “We have been making rago meat choyala, kachila, dayakala (liquid raga meat with liquid), takola (meat cooked by making big pieces of raga), bhutan, sausage and sekuwa.” On Saturdays, he says, he can’t keep his hands shut even for a moment.
He said that the shop was run by his wife and two others. Lovers of Newari dishes and raga meat entered the family lunch house. Cheaper than other shops, says Dinesh.
Apart from meat dishes, Newari food set, Samebji, chicken lake piece, sausage, bara, chatamari and yomri etc. are also available here.
Some popular meat dishes
Krishna Suwal of Kutumb Khaja Shop said that most of the customers come to the shop from outside the Kathmandu Valley. Also, as soon as customers enter the store, they ask if they have a touch. He said, “Most of the customers who come to visit come to eat Choyala.”
He also said that Choyala is one of his favorite meat dishes. In the local Newari language, choyala is the meat made by burning the beef in pieces, which in Nepali means roasted meat.
‘I love to hang out. I also want to taste the new dishes of the new place, ‘said Amita Maharjan, who came to the family lunch house. ‘When I first came to Bhaktapur, a friend brought me to this shop.
After that, when we come to Bhaktapur, we do not go here, ‘she says. He said that he used to come here even when he came with his friends. Sometimes there is no place to stay and you have to wait outside. This is the best place for those who love meat dishes. ‘She says that it is also a suitable place for girls. Don’t let other people come here. You can go to a room and chat with your friends and live happily.
Sekuwa
The meat fried in oil is called sekuwa, wherever you find Sequoia, in the hotel shop restaurant. But the taste of the family lunch is different. Dinesh Shrestha’s favorite meat dish here is Dis Sekuwa. He said that he used to eat choyala and kachila after that.
Bhutan
Another favorite dish in the family is Bhutan. According to Suwal, many people from Bhutan come here to eat Chiura. He said that some locals come to eat Bhutanese Chiura.
He said that the customers who come to visit from outside keep coming once they come. He says that group friends come to the family from time to time. They say that they come here because the place is suitable for a group of 10 to 25 people.
And finally
When I came to visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square for the first time, I returned hungry, says Dinesh Shrestha of Kathmandu. He recalled that there were not so many shops here about 15 years ago.
There were very few restaurants, coffee shops and canteens like now. ‘He said that he was happy to know that the family would come to Bhaktapur to eat this canteen. He suggests that after eating lunch here, he doesn’t like other places.
Praveen Tuitui from Bhaktapur says, ‘We have played a game of Dhukuti together. We always gather at the family lunch house. ‘He said,’ we went to other places besides here.
He said that people would not be disturbed like in other places. Rooms are partitioned. She also says that when she comes here for lunch, she feels at home, because this is an old house.
