Sekuwa and choila: Nepal’s barbecue traditions

Nepal has a serious barbecue culture. On roadside stalls and at family feasts, meat is marinated in spices, cooked over a fire and served with chutneys and something crunchy on the side. Two dishes stand out: sekuwa and choila.

Sekuwa: Nepal’s skewered grill

Sekuwa simply means meat roasted over a fire. Pieces of meat are marinated in spices, garlic, ginger and herbs, threaded onto skewers and cooked over wood or charcoal until charred at the edges and juicy inside. The town of Dharan in eastern Nepal is famous for it, and sekuwa stalls there are a destination in their own right. It is often eaten with puffed or beaten rice, a tangy pickle and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.

Sekuwa is social food. In Nepal it is cooked to order and eaten standing at the stall or sitting around a shared plate, with everyone reaching in. Chicken, goat, pork and buffalo are all common, and each stall guards its own marinade.

Choila: a Newar classic

Choila belongs to the Newar people of the Kathmandu valley. Traditionally, meat was grilled over a flame and then dressed with a fiery mixture of chilli, garlic, ginger and spices tempered in hot mustard oil. The result is smoky, sharp and pungent. Choila is a fixture of Newar feasts and festivals, usually served with beaten rice.

At a Newar feast, choila sits on a platter beside other small dishes: black soybeans, boiled egg, spicy potatoes and pickles, all arranged around a mound of beaten rice called chiura. Each bite mixes a little of everything, so the sharp, smoky choila is balanced by the plainer dishes around it.

What’s the difference?

Sekuwa is marinated first and eaten hot from the grill. Choila is grilled first and then dressed with its spice mix, so the flavours are bolder and sharper, and it is often eaten warm rather than piping hot. If you like smoky and juicy, start with sekuwa. If you like tangy and punchy, go for choila.

Sekuwa and choila at Namaste Gurkha

• Lamb Sekuwa (£5.95): country-style Nepalese barbecued lamb, marinated with homemade natural herbs and spices, then cooked in the tandoori oven.
• Lamb Choila (£5.95): grilled lamb marinated with red onion, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, mustard oil and spices.

Both are on the starters section of our menu. Order one of each to share, add a plate of momo, and you have a small Nepalese feast. For more from the clay oven, read our guide to tandoori cooking.