Chunlā ( new, चुंला, "
ground meat
Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, includi ...
") is a traditional meat dish of the
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...
in
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. It is meat finely chopped by a chopping knife or meat grinder. Chunlā is a popular dish in
Newar
Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...
cuisine and is similar to
Qeema
Keema matar (English: "peas and mince"), also rendered Qeema matar, is a dish from the Indian subcontinent associated with the Mughals. The term is derived from Chaghatai Turkic قیمه (minced meat) which is cognate with Turkish kıyma (minced o ...
found in other parts of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
.
Production
Chunlā is made by grinding
water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...
meat and kneading
spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...
s into it. The meat is fried lightly in a pan and then simmered in water. In the last step,
fenugreek
Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...
seeds are bloomed in oil and poured over the meat.
Chunlā is also made into "lāgwa" (लाग्वः)
meatball and "lāpi" (लापी)
patty. The meat is rolled into a ball to make lāgwa or formed into a round shape to make lāpi before being fried and simmered in water. Lāgwa and lāpi are required food items during certain ceremonies.
Chunlā is also used without first cooking it as topping for "
chatānmari" rice flour crepe and "wo" lentil patties, and as filling for
momos.
See also
*
List of Nepalese dishes
References
Meat dishes
Newari cuisine
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