Today, we ordered pick-up from Tara's Himalayan Cuisine's Venice Blvd location. They also have a Brentwood location, by the way. I found the Himalayan cuisine to be quite unique and influenced by several countries: India, China, Nepal and Tibet. Here is what we ordered:
Happy to report that their vegetarian Momos were great. This is a Nepalese-style dumpling made from flour, filled with veggies and then steamed. In our order, we got six handmade dumplings.
We also ordered their Chow Mien. This dish is influenced by Chinese-style stir-fry noodles and has a bunch of mountain spices. It was quite tasty, and although I don't like squash in general, it tasted quite delicious in this dish.
In addition, we ordered the Chana Sadeko, a chickpeas, cucumber and tomato cold salad, slightly sweet and definitely citric. That was one of my favorite items.
Finally, their Thukpa Sherpa's Stew was lovely and perfect 'soup' for a cold winter day. It had the perfect mix of vegetables and noodles simmered in spices in a medium-spiced broth. Thukpa is eaten frequently in the Himalayan 'Sherpa' culture.
I recommend this restaurant. I know we will be back!
Who are the Sherpas? The Sherpas are an ethnic group. They live high in the Eastern Himalayan mountains, and many have fantastic climbing skills. Most Sherpas belong to an ancient sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Their diet is starch-heavy (lots of potatoes), vegetables, noodles and meat.
Himalayan Mountain cooking uses a lot of turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin and szechwan pepper. Their spicy stews are great to keep the cold away. Their yak-butter and yak-meat are popular. This article will tell you more about the Sherpa Diet for Legendary Mountain Strength.
