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Rain changes what people eat in Kathmandu. On wet, cool days, locals reach for hot soups, spicy set meals and fried or roasted street snacks. Most of the city's rain falls between June and September, when average temperatures stay around 23–25°C. Mornings are often clear, and showers usually arrive in the afternoon.
Jhol Momo is the dish most people choose when it rains. It is steamed dumplings filled with chicken, buff (buffalo), mutton or vegetables, served in a bowl of soup called jhol achaar. The soup is made from tomatoes and often roasted sesame and soybean, and it tastes sour and spicy. A plate usually has 10 pieces and costs roughly NPR 150–300, depending on the filling and the place. Jhol Momo is sold in cafes, restaurants and street shops across the city.
Thukpa is a noodle soup of Tibetan origin, made with garlic, ginger and vegetables or meat. Kwati is a Newari soup of nine types of sprouted beans, including kidney beans, chickpeas, soybeans and black and green gram.
It is cooked with cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger. Kwati is traditionally eaten on Janai Purnima in August and is believed to help with colds and coughs. Gundruk Jhol is a sour soup made from fermented mustard and radish leaves. It is eaten across Nepal, from the plains to the mountains.
Thakali Khana comes from the Thakali people of Mustang. The set includes rice or dhido (a thick buckwheat or millet porridge), lentil soup, vegetable curries, meat curry, pickle, curd and ghee. Rice, dal and curry are usually refilled at no extra cost. A set typically costs NPR 400–800. Thakali Bhanchha Ghar, Tukuche and Jimbu are well-known places that serve it.
Newari Khaja is a set of small portions from the Newar community of Kathmandu Valley. It usually includes beaten rice with several side dishes:
Yomari is a steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with molasses and sesame. Honacha in Patan, and Newa Lahana and Sasa in Kirtipur, are good places to try Newari food.
Poleko Makai is corn roasted over open coals and rubbed with salt, chili and lime. Pakoras are fried vegetable fritters, and Potato Chops are stuffed potato cutlets. Aalu Tama is a sour curry of potatoes, black-eyed peas and fermented bamboo shoots. Sukuti and Chiura is dried spiced meat served with beaten rice and a tomato-timur pickle. Chiya is milk tea with cardamom, ginger and cloves. It is the standard drink on a rainy afternoon.
Drink only filtered or bottled water, avoid raw street food from unknown sources, and use insect repellent, since mosquitoes increase in wet weather. Low-lying parts of the valley can flood. Carry a compact umbrella, a light hooded jacket and sandals that can get wet. Plan street eating for the morning, and keep afternoons for sit-down meals indoors.
