Love for street foods in Kathmandu

 

Rozzina Gurung

2020April 20

The use of organic and fresh produce has become one of the defining characteristics of street food. Street food is a delicious and healthy food option at a much cheaper price. This transforms street food into providing an unparalleled experience for all those who take part.

Street foods are gaining more and more popularity and have become a major source of income for many families who has started their own business in the street using a push cart or a barrow. They set up their business in mostly crowded area with a continuous flow of people. As the prices of the food are affordable and delicious people doesn’t hesitate to take a bite and enjoy the food even in the side of the streets when passing by.

Nepal has a wide variety of ethnic cuisines. From Tibetan to Newari to Thakali, Nepal has it all. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal and has a dozens of street vendors offering delicious food items with hygiene.

Popular street foods:

1.    Laphing

Laphing is a cold noodle dish made from flour starch or potato. Many restaurants serve it with chili sauce. Ingredients like onion, coriander, garlic, and vinegar to enhance the flavour, and make it spicier. Since it is quick and easy to serve, you won’t have to wait long for it to arrive. It is a popular street food available in Kathmandu and known for its spicy flavor.

2.    Panipuri and Chatpatey

PaniPuri is the easiest street food available in the streets of Kathmandu. The water is heavily seasoned which makes it pani whereas the crisp, puffed deep fried bread is the puri. The puri is stuffed with potatoes, chili, and onion and then dipped into the pani before it is served whereas Chatpatey is the mixture of puffed rice, dry noodles, potatoes, chili,onion and desired spices. The taste is usually a bit different with a twist of their own by the vendors.It is a delicacy among spice lovers and is desired by most Nepalese people.

3.    Sekuwa

Sekuwa is the best option if you love having barbequed meat. You can easily find one place where they have grills fired outside their door. You can easily get to know their distinct Nepali flavor because of all the spices used and the irresistible aroma that can be sensed even from far away. You can choose from chicken or mutton sewara or buff depending on your taste.

4.    MoMo

Momo is a very popular street food. An average Nepali consumes around four plates per week. They are available in street, restaurants, hotels, and roadside carts. It is a steamed dumpling where meat is stuffed in flour. Varieties like pork, chicken, and veg momo are also available. They are served with other varieties of chutney. You can consume them steamed, fried, or in the soup.

5.    Dahipuri

Puri, a small crunchy shell made from dough is found in almost every corner in the street. DahiPuri is another popular dish loved by all. The puri is stuffed with chickpeas and potato mixture; then it is drizzled with dahi (yogurt), tamarind sauce, coriander, seasoned with chili and cumin powder. It is sweet and  abit of sour taste with the mixture of the seasonings.

6.    Samosa and samosa chat

Samosa is a deep fried dish that has a filling of mashed potato, peas, onions, and other spices. It tastes best with a hot cup of tea leaving you with a sense of satisfaction and also made it into samosa chatby breaking it into pieces, and it is then topped with tomato, onion, yellow peas, curd, and coriander. Spices like chili powder, himalayan salt, and cumin powder are added to enhance the taste.

Iced drinks to beat this summer in Kathmandu.

 

Rozzina Gurung

2020April 20

This summer season is in full swing and the heat constantly gets us as we feel dehydrated and tired. So, in this season, it goes without saying that having water, fruits and vegetables is of utmost importance. To slake the thirst and keep them hydrated enough people are having cool and iced fruity drinks in this summer heat.

In Kathmandu, cafes are gaining much popularity nowadays having relaxing interior designs or with a theme to make people more attracted and curious to try out new places and new drinks.   People are usually seen with plastic tumblers with straw on the road this summer. The drinks stations and cafes are becoming more and more popular in many places providing hot and cool beverages.

The most popular drinks in Nepal this summer are:

1.      Lassi

Lassi is probably one of the first smoothies ever created, a truly ancient drink.Lassi, a great refreshing and nutritional drink, is one of the traditional beverages in India, with a creamy texture, sweet-sour- savory taste, made with yogurt, water, and often with sweetener or salt and have become a popular drink in Nepal which can be found in any cafes, restaurant or a drink station. It has become known to all ages and have become one of the favorites.

2.      Iced Tea

Iced tea or ice tea is a form of cold Tea. Though usually served in a glass with ice eit can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar, syrup and/or apple slices. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink and can be mixed with flavored syrup, with multiple common flavors including While most iced teas get their flavor from tea leaves, 

Iced tea can be found at some of the restaurants and cafes in Nepal. Mainly it can be found around the tourist areas such as the Boudhanath area, Thamel and some other major malls. Some variations are lemon, green mint, peach, etc.

 

3.      Smoothie

A smoothie or smoothy is a beverage made by blending fruits or vegetables. The smoothies are in trend in Nepal from a long time being a healthy and delicious drink that goes well with almost any dishes ordered in the restaurant or any cafes.

4.      Bubble Tea

Bubble tea also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea, or bobal tea or boba is based drink that originated.it most commonly consists of tea accompanied by chewy t can be made with other toppings as well such as grass jelly, aloe vera, red bean, etc.Bubble tea has many varieties and flavors, but the two most popular varieties are pearl  and  pearl milk tea as the pearl signifies the tapioca balls at the bottom.

 

Smart phones affecting childhood

 

Rozzina Gurung

2020April 20

In present generation, the use of smartphones has become very common. The use of cellphones has become an inseparable part of our daily life. Following the trends and culture of the digital age and era, the children of this age are exposed to smartphones and internet directly from an early age. This has resulted in concerning issues related to the health, psychology and behavior of the children.

It can be basically said as a smart phone has stolen childhood from the present day children. As we all know who are born before the craze over internet and smartphones. They had a childhood filled with fun games, playmates, memories and many more experiences than of today’s regular child who usually sits in front of TV or their phones most of the time. The children are engrossed in the colourful world shown in the smart phones not spending time with their parents or playing outdoor games which is very essential for a growing child. Especially after the devastating spread of the pandemic all over the world, the people were forced to sit in their homes and the uses of smart phones for children were more normalized for academic purposes. The time a child spends on the phone or the internet grew significantly after the pandemic situation.

 A child gets enough exercise in the process of playing games and doing different activities and moving their bodies resulting in healthy mind and body likewise making plenty of memories as well but that is not the case in present situation.

Price inflation in Nepal

 Srijana Rai

27April2022

Nepal doesn't boast strong economic ties to either Russia or Ukraine, but the war between those two countries has battered the Himalayan nation's already feeble economy. Skyrocketing fuel and food prices brought on by the conflict are hitting Nepal's economy, which has already been weakened by a pandemic-induced loss of tourism, a fall in remittances, a widening trade deficit and depletion of foreign exchange reserves.

Nepal is a nation of 29 million people, enclosed between giants China and India, relies solely on imports to meet its fuel needs. With the rise in global crude prices following Russia's Ukraine invasion, the state-owned oil monopoly, Nepal Oil Corporation, has been forced to hike prices of petroleum products. Prices of other commodities like food stuffs, soybeans and palm oil as well as iron, have also surged, making life much tougher for many Nepali people.Nepal is the fifth-most remittance-dependent economy in the world, with estimates suggesting that there are about three to four million Nepali migrants employed across the globe.

In a process to save the foreign currency reserves, authorities this month imposed restrictions on imports of luxury goods like cars, gold and cosmetics. But the effectiveness of the move in the long run is concerning.

why ginger is a healthy spice to use daily

Srijana Rai

27 April 2022

Garlic has been used culinarily and medicinally since ages across the world. Ginger is a flowering plant that originated in Southeast Asia. It’s among the healthiest and most delicious spices on the planet.It belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, and it’s closely related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. The rhizome (underground part of the stem) is the part commonly used as a spice. It’s often called ginger root or, simply, ginger. Ginger contains Gingerol which has powerful anti-inflammatory effects, according to research

Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, or as an oil or juice. It’s a very common ingredient in recipes. It’s sometimes added to processed foods and cosmetics.Besides adding pungency, flavor, strong captivating aroma and delicious taste in the dish items, this small root has plenty of surprising health benefits. Here are 6 health benefits of ginger that are supported by scientific research.

Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional and alternative medicine. It’s been used to aid digestion, reduce nausea, and help fight the flu and common cold, to name a few of its purposes.Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger. 

    This area of research is relatively new, but ginger may have powerful . In a 2015 study of 41 participants 2 grams of ginger powder per day lowered fasting blood sugar by 12%.It also dramatically improved hemoglobin, a marker for long-term blood sugar levels. Hemoglobin was reduced by 10% over a period of 12 weeks.However, keep in mind that this was just one small study. The results are incredibly impressive, but they need to be confirmed in larger studies before any recommendations can be made

   

One of the traditional uses of ginger is for pain relief, including menstrual pain.In a 2009 study, 150 women were instructed to take either ginger or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for the first 3 days of their menstrual period.The three groups received four daily doses of either ginger powder (250 mg), mefenamic acid (250 mg), or ibuprofen (400 mg). Ginger managed to reduce pain as effectively. More recent studies have also concluded that ginger is more effective than a placebo and equally as effective as drugs such as mefenamic acid and acetaminophen/caffeine/ibuprofen. While these findings are promising, higher quality studies with larger numbers of study participants are still needed.

Ginger has been studied as an alternative remedy for several forms of cancer.The anti-cancer properties are attributed to gingerol, which is found in large amounts in raw ginger. A form known as gingerol is viewed as especially powerful In a 28-day study of individuals at normal risk for colorectal cancer 2 grams of ginger extract per day significantly reduced pro-inflammatory signaling molecules in the colon.However, a follow-up study in individuals at a high risk for colorectal cancer didn’t produce the same result.There’s some evidence, albeit limited, that ginger may be effective against other gastrointestinal cancers such as pancreatic cancer and liver cancer.

   

Nepali market making Tik Tok a source of advertisement

 Srijana Rai,

27April,2022

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Although TikTok is widely used for entertainment purposes, many Nepalese are using this platform for marketing purposes. This has proven to be very effective and a revolutionary approach. Although not free from controversy, TikTok as a platform has seen unprecedented growth in users from all over the globe than any other social platform.Nepalese are largely invested in tiktok as a trend and for entertainment as well as an income source so using tiktok as a tool for marketing can access a large audience.

1.     Influencer Marketing

TikTok has emerged as a hotspot for influencer marketing. A recent study shows that influencers on TikTok have an engagement rate of 17.96%, while the same figures for Instagram and YouTube stand at 3.86% and 1.63%, respectively.Hence, roping an influencer to speak positively about your brand can have some serious benefits.An influence may talk about your products or services in the video. They may also post your website link in the video description and motivate their followers to visit your website and/or purchase your products. 

 

2.     Reach the audience that matters

In online marketing, finding the right audience is crucial. TikTok lets you reach the audience that matters the most for your brand. But, it is prudent to know that TikTok is not the best platform for getting an older audience.Over 60% of users in TikTok are in the age group of 16 and 24; increase the maximum age to 34, and over 80% of users fit in. Hence, TikTok is the best platform for catching a young audience.

 Create contents like a pro

TikTok mainly thrives on viral content. You need a strong theme or audience connection to make your brand super popular. All this can be easy when you use the best video editor. Top-class video editors, such as InVideo, lets you design a video in a format suitable for the platform you wish to upload to. So, Twitter videos look and feel a little different from YouTube videos. While YouTube videos might be informative and slow-paced, TikTok videos must be vivid and fast-paced.

Catch trends early and define them

TikTok is an excellent place to identify the latest trends yet to be popular. TikTok’s algorithm makes it easy for anyone to spot the latest trends and create relevant content.Another excellent thing about TikTok trends is that they are never static, meaning you will have fun creating the content and testing them to make your audience happy.

 

 

 

Now it is not possible to bring expensive mobiles, import of expensive phones including iPhone has stopped

 

Kathmandu. The government has banned the import of mobile sets above Rs 73,000 ($600). The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies published a notice in the Gazette on Tuesday banning the import of mobile phones. The government has banned the import of some items due to pressure on Nepal's foreign exchange reserves due to excessive imports. Accordingly, the import of expensive mobiles has also been banned.

As per the information published in the Gazette, such ban will be effective only till mid-July. Mobile imports below the stipulated price will not be stopped.

Banks will not be allowed to open letters of credit for mobile imports worth more than $600 as the rule will take effect on Tuesday. According to the statistics of the Customs Department, Nepal has imported more than Rs. 34 billion worth of mobile phones in the first nine months of the current Fiscal Year 2078/79. Mobile is the fifth most imported commodity in Nepal.