Shilarna Vaze has her own cooking show (Firangi Tadka) and formerly ran a restaurant in Goa as well as a sushi delivery service in Mumbai. She is a flower child who takes her free spirit and stove wherever she travels. Email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

So I have to admit, I haven’t given much thought to our neighbours (countries, that is). Somehow, my mum being an artist always wanted to go to Italy or France and my dad being an erstwhile playwright was kinda obsessed with English theatre, so we never did make it across our borders into the countries that could almost be India (in fact, some were till not so long ago).

But then last month I finally planned Nepal. The trip happened because of three reasons: the chance to take a girlie trip, to attend a safe, electronic dance festival at a 5-star hotel (!) and the hope of discovering some yum food.

Mountain Michelin

Let’s get to the food first. It might seem strange but all I ate in Nepal was the most amazing, authentic Japanese food! In Pokhara, I stayed at a cute guest home called Mountain Villa that also houses Momotaro, one of the best Japanese restaurants in the city. They make their own silken tofu (which they promised to teach me and then found excuses not to) and miso! Get the tempura prawn sushi (prawns in Nepal?); egadashi tofu, batter-fried in the most fragrant ginger soy broth ever; and the super healthy go-mai.

Cafe Dive Maar

Pokhara also has a couple of new cafes like Olive and Moondance, all done up in wood and fancy canvas sun umbrellas, packed with trekkers and adventure sport freaks,  serving organic Nepali coffee. My friends who live up there go para gliding everyday, so I was taken up for free. What followed were nights of non-stop dancing at the trance festival, and then… more food !

Secret Passages that Lead to Breakfast in Kathmandu

Kathmandu was a whole new scene from party time Pokhara. We were staying at the home of a friend who just happens to be a prince. And when the government seized his palace to make it the department of roads(!), they converted their stables into a gorgeous living quarters with a cute French restaurant called Chez Caroline in the backyard. They actually have a secret passage that leads straight to breakfast: roll out of bed, down the tunnel and voila – there’s scarlet rhododendron jam, poached eggs on smoked salmon with a light dill hollandaise.

A quick visit to the shopping and backpacking district of Thamel, brought us to Fire and Ice, an institution that serves one of the best pizzas in the Sub Ccontinent. Here, I also scored a fluffy NorthFace jacket for me and dad, a trekking blankie from cool label Sherpa, DVDs for mom and crazy books from a used book store (check out Frtij of Capra’s Uncommon Wisdom).

Finally, we ended with a visit to Pashupatinath Temple - bells clanging, hundreds of Shiv Lings, just amazing!

Neighbourhood Watch

Nepal reminded me of different parts of India: a cleaner version of Manali, a friendlier version of Goa, a more adventurous version of Rishikesh. I’m definitely going back and sheepishly adding Bhutan and Sri Lanka to my list of neighbours to visit.

Make Food from My Trip

Quick Poached Eggs with Hollandaise

For the Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

2 egg yolks + 2 tsps water (1 tsp per yolk)

¼ cup clarified butter

½ lemon juice

salt, pepper, paprika

Method

Clarify butter by placing it in a saucepan on medium heat until it separates. Remove the white whey and keep only the clear, clarified butter. In a double boiler (saucepan filled with water, with another saucepan on top) put the yolks and start whisking till ribbon like. Remove from heat, if curdling and start pouring in a thin stream of the butter. Be careful not to let it curdle (in case it does, whisk in a tbsp of hot water). Once all butter is incorporated, add lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika (optional - add some fresh or dried herbs).

For the Poached eggs

Ingredients

4 eggs (room temperature) placed in 4 individual bowls.

Saucepan filled with water (simmering, not boiling).

1 cap white vinegar

Method

Bring the water to a simmer, not boil, and do not add salt. Lower the eggs gently into the water one by one and drape the white around the yellow and then leave them alone for 3-5 minutes (first 3 minutes, the yolk will still be runny). Remove gently, if they have stuck together, use kitchen scissors to cut them. Serve hot on buttered toast, with smoked salmon or ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on top.