Nepalese fennel

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 fennel bulb(s)
• 1 onion(s)
• ½ chili pepper(s)
• 1 piece(s) ginger root, approx. fingertip size
• 5 mushrooms
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt
• 1 tsp, levelled sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Wash the fennel. Separate the “fingers” and the bottom end, halve them, and cut into thin strips. Peel the onion, halve them, and slice them into thin rings. Wash the desired amount of chili, halve them, and slice them into rings (in Nepal, they don’t deseed them, which makes it considerably hotter, so be careful!). Peel the ginger and chop it into small pieces or thinly slice it, as desired. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Wash and slice the tomatoes. Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the chili and ginger. Add the fennel and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and continue frying until golden yellow. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Season with salt and continue frying or simmering until the desired consistency is reached. Serve with rice. Notes: We prefer it when everything just resembles chutney, but that’s a matter of taste. If you want the fennel a bit crispier, you’ll have to stop earlier. If you prefer it softer, you can add a little water and let it simmer for a bit. We have a Nepalese au pair visiting here, and I’ll try to post the recipes gradually; it’s really worth it. It may not look that great, but it tastes fantastic! We’ve tried a lot of things, but Nepalese is definitely up there with us!