Tibetan Food

[larry_stewart]

Next week Im going on a quick overnight trip ( first concert in almost 2 years).
Anyway, I always like taking advantage of trying new cuisines, and I will be driving through a town that has a Tibetan Restaurant ( with more than enough things on the menu that makes it worth while for me to give it a try).

They are only doing delivery / take out, so I will order a bunch of stuff and take it back to the hotel.

Has anyone ever eaten Tibetan food, and if so, any description?

Im going to get it regardless, jus curious what Im walking into.

Ive read up a bit, I actually did cook some kind of Tibetan noodle thing many years ago, and I know I saw Jacques Pepin make a Tibetan bread in a pan on the cook top in one of his shows from aa restaurant that a he often goes to ( I think this may even be the same restaurant, but want to hear it from some first hand.

Thanks

I used to have a friend who was Tibetan, but I have lost contact ( Unfortunately).

 

[GotGarlic]

I haven't eaten Tibetan food, but I believe it's similar to Indian food. I'm pretty sure I have seen shows with Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern filmed there. You might be able to find them online and get a better idea of what the food is like.

 

[pepperhead212]

I remember when I looked into the food of Tibet, back when I was first looking into the foods of India and the surrounding countries. One thing that I remember about it, that is not good for you, is that most of their traditional dishes were meat based. And no really unique vegetables in the area (at least that would appear in the internet reference areas I was checking), but I do remember the one thing that got my interest was that barley was the most grown grain in the country. I still didn't find many things that got me to make them, even though I love barley. Nepal food, however, seems to use a lot more spice in their food, so maybe some of the area next to Nepal has some spiciness, too, but I didn't see it in any of the recipes. And most of the meats recipes called for lamb, or yak. Still, I'm sure you will find something good, and have fun at the concert!

 

[summer57]

I remember watching Masterchef UK where a contestant cooked Nepalese/Tibet style dishes. He emphasized both the food, and the hospitality of the cuisine,


There are only a few restaurants near me that feature Tibetan-style. Looking at the menus, they seemed to be a Chinese/Tibetan mix, with spicy noodles/stir fries with Tibetan-style dumplings (momo, which look like xlb), mutton, and barley-based dishes.



There are lots of Indian-Chinese style restaurants around here, too, but I think that's a different thing. And Indian Pizza places -- you can get paneer tikka, butter chicken, sweet & sour pizza, so it's not surprising that there'd be an Indian version of Tibetan cuisine. Plus, Nepal, China, India and Tibet are near each other.

 

[larry_stewart]

When I was doing a little reading up on it, I saw the same thing about the meat varieties , barley ... and due to the mountainous region veggies were limited in variety. and there is a lot of influence from its neighbors ( as mentioned above).

While looking at the menu, I definitely see the Chinese and Indian influences. I didnt see anything specifically refer to barley ( im wondering if the breads , noodles , buns are made with barley flour). Im not sure how traditional menu is, but hopefully Ill be introduced to something unique . When I go to a restaurant of an unfamiliar cuisine, I usually order a bunch of things . They probably think Im throwing some kinda party or something cause I order way more than just for 2 people. I dont mind the leftovers , I just want to make sure I get a true sense of the cuisine, which may be difficult by trying only 1 or 2 dishes.

My friend, although born in Tibet, lived in India, so I know she used to talk a lot about Indian food.

Guess Ill find out in a week. Hopefully the food isn't rough on the stomach. Could be a really long concert if it is.

 

[taxlady]

A friend of mine is a Tibetan Buddhist. She said that they eat meat because of the climate. All that cold, means that meat becomes more important in the diet. A vegetarian friend of mine moved to Montreal from SoCal. She found that she needed to eat fish once in a while, all winter in Montreal, or she didn't feel good.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Next week Im going on a quick overnight trip ( first concert in almost 2 years).
..... snipped .......

Just curious Larry, what concert are you going to?
We haven't been to see anything in probably the same.
We saw John Foggerty, WOW!

 

[larry_stewart]

Just curious Larry, what concert are you going to?
We haven't been to see anything in probably the same.
We saw John Foggerty, WOW!

John Fogerty was great. He made a surprise appearance during a Billy Joel concert and played a few songs. My wife couldn't go to that concert and we had been trying to see him for years. Was she jealous. Later that year I scored tickets to see him ad radio city music hall. great show, a lot of energy.

Next week Im seeing the Doobie brothers. Their album was the first album I ever owned. Ive seen them multiple times over the years ( like a dozen). This was supposed to be their 50th anniversary tour, but got postponed 3 or 4 times. Was supposed to be a meet and greet, but due to covid, now its just attend the soundcheck ( + the concert, obviously). I guess technically its their 51st anniversary tour now. It will be the first time ive seen them all together on one stage. Ive seen Michael McDonald multiple times on his own ( he stole my sharpie, I was going to ask for it back, but with no meet and greet, missed opportunity.

Ive never gone longer than 2 months without seing a concert, so im looking forward to it.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I´ve got no idea what Tibetan food is like; I´d imagine it´s something Indian, something Chinese and something local.
I´d love to hear some feed back when you try it, Larry.

 

[larry_stewart]

Ok, so I ordered in from the Tibetan Restaurant and have finally competed everything.

First off, we were on a quick overnight trip, the restaurant was take out or delivery only ( as a result of covid), which is ok, cause with the amount we ordered, it made more sense eating it in a hotel room then covering a table with way too much food for 2 people.

Any time I try a new quisine, I like to order multiple dishes to get a good sample of it. This was no exception. We ordered 3 things from the soups & sides section, 5 entree and one side . Although I tried everything day 1, I didn't eat all of it. Just sampled and ate it over the past 3 days.

First
Thang ( Soup) - Tofu, Sweet Potato noodle & spinach in a clear broth.

- The most interesting thing about this soup was the broth. There was some flavor to it that I've never experienced before. I didnt see any new veggies, herbs or spices so I couldn't identify it. I wouldn't say it was great, but just experiencing aa flavor I've never had before was cool. Just wish I knew what it was.

Dali - A hearty lentil soup garnished with cilantro.

- Typical lentil/ Split pea like soup. There may have been some broken down potatoes and onions in it as well, but hard to determine due to the amount it had broken down. Wouldn't call it unique, but was a good lentil ( more of a split pea type of tasting) soup.

Im splitting the post up so its easier to match the pics with the commentary.

 

[larry_stewart]

Picking up where I left off, I love soups so anything that was a soup option, I got. I also had to stay vegan cause of my wife and not spicy ( cause of my wife). There were a lot of selections for vegan and not many were spicy.

Tsel-Thukpa - Wheat Noodle soup topped with tofu, cabbage, carrot , celery, bog choy

- Best I can explain this was a noodle soup with veggies. Nothing unique about it, although the broth was similar ( but not exact) to that first soup with a hint of that unique flavor I cant identify.

Tsel-Mokthuk Mini Vegetable dumplings in a clear vegetable broth

- Exactly what is sounds like. Veggie pot stickers in a broth. Kinda like their version of won ton soup. This broth was basic, no exotic flavors.

***We had to eat everything out of containers ( no plates or bowls) so I apologize about the pics. In the next post, I was home so was able to lay things out on a plate***

 

[larry_stewart]

This last bunch I took at home on a plate.

Starting at 12:00 O'Clock and going clockwise:

Bhaklep - Pan fried bread

- As described, a pan fried flat bread. Very similar in taste and consistency to an Indian Roti bread. Dense, chewy, a little flaky and greasy.

Shogu-Ngopa - Himalayan style seasoned potato with spinach

- This tasted about 2 or 3 spices away from an Indian dish. Definitely blander than Indian, but if some cumin, garam masala thrown in with a little cilantro on top ( and some heat) would be the same as Indian dishes ive had in the past.

Himalayan Ne-Zom - A spicy medley of tofu, peas, cauliflower with seasoned potatoes tossed in a homemade tomato sauce

- When. first bit into this dish, I thought it was going to be spicy. it had that smell and feel that Id be reaching for a glass of water and some bread. But never quite ht that level. It says tomato sauce, and I dont doubt there were tomatoes in it, but seemed more pepper based than tomato.

Shogo Mok-tak Pan fried dumplings stuffed with potato & peas

- This was my favorite. When I first bit into it , I turned to my wife and said " this is like a really good pierogi". the dough was thick and chewy, great potato stuffing ... Then I started to examine and disect it and notices the yellow color along with the peas. Then, it kinda reminded me of an under spiced samosa. Once again, toss a few Indian spices in it and thats what it would have tasted like.

Tingmo - Tibetan steamed bread ( The thing in the center that looks like a cinnamon bun)

- Not too much flavor. very similar to a bao bun. Soft, spongy. Good dipping tool for sauces.

Finally, in a separate bowl:

Tsel-Thenthuk - Hand pulled Tibetan noodle soup topped with radish and spinach

- Ive actually made something similar to this before. The radishes tasted more like turnips. The noodles very hot styled, thick chewy ribbons. nice hardy soup.

So all in all, I enjoyed the food and the variety. Other than the mystery ingredient in that broth, nothing really threw me for a surprise. I would definitely eat Tibetan food again. Wouldn't necessarily go out of my way for it, but would consider it an option if/ when the option was there.

Also, considering I only sample their vegan, non spicy food, cant consider it a true Tibetan eating experience.