Nepal – Kanchemba

by Ananya Fatima

Kanchemba is the very famous snack of Nepal, which is served with pickle or any other type of spicy sauce. This is a very unique food or snack, almost few people know about it. Many of us don’t know about this unique and tasty snack. This is the BUCKWHEAT FRIES. If you are Asian then you may say that as a Pakora or fried snack. Buckwheat is the most famous snack of Thakali. It is available in almost all Thakali restaurants. It has a very unique aroma and texture. It is crispy from the outside and sweet and soft from the inside. Buckwheat is actually the STAPLE FOOD of Thakalis or Nepalese.

There are many varieties of BUCKWHEAT in NEPAL.

• Common buckwheat
• Tartary Buckwheat

Common buckwheat is sweet in taste but Tartary buckwheat is bitter in taste.

Buckwheat is not only famous just due to this dish but Buckwheat is popular because it can use in many famous dishes of Nepal like

• Dumpling
• Dhido
• Chapati
• Syangdan
• alangkhu, etc.

STAPLE FOOD

The staple food is the food that is eatable in routine. You can consume it daily and anytime. The food which is in your daily routine is called staple food. So, Kanchemba is the staple food of Thakalis because this food is in their daily routine. They can eat it, at their tea time or snack time.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMON AND TARTARY BUCKWHEAT

There is the common difference between both of them varieties. Common and Tartary buckwheat is differentiated with their taste because

• Common buckwheat is sweet and simple in taste
• Tartary buckwheat is bitter and sour in taste

Common buckwheat is available in almost all regions like

• Himalayas
• Mid-Hills
• Tarai

Tartary buckwheat is available and grown only in Cold places.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• Buckwheat flour
• water
• salt
• oil

METHODS

The very first thing that you have to do is to take pan and add water in it. When the water starts boiling then take Buckwheat flour and start adding in the water gradually. When you add flour in it, you have to keep it in your mind that you should constantly stir it. Stir it well that, lump will be ready.

Now add sugar and salt in it.

When you add sugar and salt in it then it gives you a very unique sweet taste because both of them.

Knead the dough well, and leave it for 1 hour for resting. After that this dough swells and become very smooth in texture.

Now take the dough and shape it like finger and fry it in the fry pan.

SERVING

Serve it with

• Pickle
• Sauce
• Chili sauce
• Tomato ketchup
• or any other spicy sauce