Potato and bean Aloo Chop from Nepal
Think Nepalese potato cake and you have the basics for Aloo Chop. Chop itself comes from India with I imagine routes going back well into the history of the potato. The Nepalese version of Chop is however very different to your average potato cake. As for puri? Well that’s a simple unleavened bread. But more on that later.
What’s Aloo Chop made from?
Potato is the main ingredient. Mixed with egg it’s covered with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Ingredients are typically added to the potato mix and in this instance beans have been added to the aloo chop. Beans and I have to say a lot of chili. The aloo chop photograph above was very spicy to the point of being too hot to really enjoy.
So if you really like your hot spicy food give aloo chop in Nepal a try!
Puri the Nepalese flat bread
My mouth burning form Nepalese chop I went for the nearest form of plain bread I could find. In this case it was Puri. A plain unleavened bread from Nepal with roots in India. Made with coarse wheat flour it’s good for dealing with hot and spicy foods like chop. Or any other curry for that matter.
I wouldn’t just eat puri alone though. It can be a little greasy and it’s a simple blend of course flour and salt so there’s not much flavor there.
Aloo chop and Puri for traveling in Nepal
You’ll find both of these snacks in most roadside cafes in Nepal. They are especially popular in the late afternoon and often bought for overnight bus trips. As a traveler I’d stay away from Aloo Chop unless you have a stomach that can handle spice and greasy food.
To get the best of both aloo chop and puri I recommend trying them fresh from a local cafe after you watch them being made!
This is an additional article featuring Nepalese food
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I’ve never heard of potato and beans like this before. I’d give it a try but that chilli sounds a bit too much!
It’s pretty hot alright!
I’m curious how’s the inside of Aloo chop looks like. I also notice Nepalese still use newspaper a lot to wrap the food, guess you consume the ink too, ha ha!!
It kinda looks like sweet potato inside. Yep, they still use newspaper for take away food in Nepal. Cheap and all that ink must have something good in it :) I guess!!
Now why can’t I get aloo over here? Ah yes. Newspaper is banned from contact with food.
Ha, yes most places have banned newspaper for wrapping up food. Still a while away here.
I’d try Aloo Chop but might give Puri a pass. The greasy fried bread is a bit much for me.
Yea, I’m not much of a Puri fan myself!
Aloo chop and puri is really tasty, but the only drawback is the the large amount of oil it contains. I tried this dish for the first time when I visited India last year. Aloo chop tasted so good as they were served with hot tea and sauce.