Category Archives: Kathmandu

Our Unconventional love story …

As I mention on my previous post Big ,Loud, Crowded, Nepali wedding”, I know my husband, AS since high school. But our story is nothing like childhood sweethearts with happy ending. We were just friends at that point and never in my wildest dream thought will we end up marring each other. It is so true when they say, “You don’t know what future holds for you”.

I was ready to take next step of my life – marriage and family. The only problem with my plan is I have no plan. I didn’t know what I really want. I have never thought in my whole life I will agree with arrange marriage. But as I can’t find the man of my dream, I thought, I will hand over the duty to my parents. As my parents always nag me about marriage, I thought this will make them busy and I always can say no. They were more than willing to take the charge and was so proud that despite living abroad for almost a decade, I choose to go traditional way.

AS is not a very social person so we used to be out of touch for ages. Our email frequency used to once every 6 months. But thanks to Facebook, which I was genuinely surprised he had one, we start talking again. Our infrequent message turned into more frequent one and it was like high school all over again. We had same memories, same friends and it was easy. During this period, I told him one day what I told my parents about looking for a guy for me. To this he said that his parents are looking for a girl for him as well. And then we used to joke about how life has turned out and may be we will meet again only when both of us will be married and have kids. He used to be in US at that time and I was in Australia.

That year I decided to go home for holiday and I had 12 hours transit in Singapore airport. I told him, if he had any time I will appreciate the company over net as I don’t know what else to do in Singapore in the middle of the night. As the time difference was right for him, we chatted for almost 10 hours out of 12. (He told me later he made a special effort that stage.) I think that probably was the first time I felt more close to him. We made fun of each other and asked silly questions and it was great. I wasn’t bored at all and hoped he enjoyed it too. During this conversation, he told me he is planning to come to Nepal as well and try to make it when I will be there. I was really happy thinking at least we can meet again.

We didn’t meet until next 3 weeks but lots of things changed during that period. We used to Skype a lot and talked about my “Possible husband “. It was not that they were bad but I was not ready to meet anyone new so I just made any excuse not to meet them. And numbers of photo was increasing as my parents were determined to find someone before I leave Nepal.

I think my frequent mention of these eligible bachelor made AS realise that the plan he had to express his love for me after he sees me Nepal can’t wait till then. He has to do something otherwise I may be engaged before he knows it. So while we were talking on phone one day, late at night for me and early morning for him, he expressed his feeling for me. He told me how he was in love with me since our school and I am his first love who he never forgot. I was surprised that I never saw that vibe from him ever but I was happy at the same time. During last few months I felt closer to him but I was so sure he will never fall for someone like me; I even try to set him up with one of my good friend. She will kill me if she finds out now. Anyway that was how we started our journey for our happily ever after :). And after all I am not the “Arrange Marriage Type”.

Yomari Recipe

It was my nephew 4th birthday yesterday , so my cousin sister (D) decided to make Yomari to celebrate his birthday in Newari tradition. In Newari tradition, we make Yomari every even birthday (2,4,6,8,12) until a child turns 12. Yomari defined by Wikipedia is “a delicacy of  Newars. It consists of an external covering of rice-flour and an inner content of sweet substances such as  Chaku (Molasses)”

I have helped my mum make Yomari before but never knew the step. Finally I know how to make it and I am sharing here if anyone else want to experiment. So this how we did it.

yomari

Ingredients

  • Rice flour
  • Hot water
  • Sesame seed
  • Chaku(Molasses)

Steps

  • Mix rice flour with hot water and make dough. Make sure you don’t make the dough too soft. Cover the dough with a warm and damp cloth and rest it for 10-15 minutes.
  • Use fry pan to heat chaku (molasses) to get a liquid chocolate like mixture.
  • Mix Chaku and fried sesame seed.
  • In a small bowl pour some water and oil. Now take small amount of dough in a hand and make a round shape.
  • Now press the dough to make a cone-shaped crust as shown in picture.Yomari
  • One side of Yomari should have long tip and other side is hollow.
  • Fill it with mixture of molasses mixed with Sesame seed.
  • Using both hand slowly close the hole and make shape as shown in the picture.

  • Steam it for 15 min.
  • Now it is ready to serve. Enjoy!

 We made 4 with only rice stuffing inside to make Yomari mala (garland) for birthday boy  and rest was made with chaku  (Molasses) . It was yummy.

You may also like :

*Aloo chop *Chatamari *Gundruk Aloo Bhatmas Curry

Earthquake in Kathmandu

It was end of a beautiful Spring weekend , around 11:00pm, Sunday 18 September 2011 . I was about to go to bed and just browsing my facebook page. My heart sank when I read the status of one of my friend “Earthquake in Kathmandu”. Without thinking, I pick up the phone and dialled my parents’ home number in Kathmandu. I got through but noone was picking up the phone.

I was really scared as I was trying to get more information but as it just happened, there was no information in any media apart from facebook. Now it seems like everyone have calm down in Nepal and updating their status in twitter and facebook. I have read so many times before that Kathmandu is hotspot for big earthquake so my mind was racing 1000mile/hr on why noone is answering phone at my parents house. In the mean time, AS got hold of his family and they were fine.

Seeing me worried, AS asked me to call my dad’s mobile and he picked up the phone in 2 rings. I was so happy to hear his voice and to know everything was fine. He just explained to me that they went to ground floor when earthquake started and they are still there for a while in case aftershock occurs. I talked to my mum for a while before hanging up.

After I hung up the phone, I couldn’t get the fear out of my head . I am so far away from them, the only way I have contact with them is phone and Skype. Imagine if something happened and there is no phone and internet in Nepal for sometime, I won’t be able to be in touch with them. I can’t imagine what would I do .I am trying my best to go there more often and they have come and visit whenever they could but it is nothing like living in next city or next door. We are so far away, 8,028 km according to Google that it make me wonder sometime “Is that really worth coming so far from my parents to find a better life?” Is my life really better now that it would have been if I have stayed and lived in Nepal?

 Sometime I feel really bad thinking my parents have given up so much to make me who I am .Now when I am capable and independent, I am so far and they have noone to look after them. I know they are really happy for me that I am doing well and happy in life but from within I always feel guilty that I let them down. They are growing old everyday and I hope I can be with them when they need me the most. One day I want them to be living  around the corner from them so I can pop in whenever I want but until then thank you Skype for making me feel closer to them. Can’t wait to talk to them this weekend.