Traditionally, Nepali foods involved a lot of preparation and cooking time. And we used to have our own unique and peculiar cooking utensils for our distinctive cuisine.
An illustrated description of the shape, size, and purpose of each of the kitchen utensils along with their images are listed below:
Cooking Equipments
1. Kasaudi – कसौडी
A thick brass, bronze, or aluminum cooking pot mainly used in the Hilly and Terai region. This cooking pot is used to cook rice and meat in a Hilly area.
2. Karai – कराई
Karai is wide-mouthed utensils which may be both iron or metal with handles on both sides. Karai is usually used to make vegetables, fry foods, and halwa. A fryer or frying pan may be used instead.
3. Pressure Cooker – प्रेसर कूकर
A sealed pot, with a lot of steam inside, builds up high pressure, which helps food cook faster. This is the most simple accessory which has found its way in the Nepalese kitchen.
4. Jhasiger or Jhanjar – झाञ्जर
Jhasiger is also like a spoon with a long handle but with many holes in one end. This is used while frying foods to drain food from oils. This helps to drain the oil easily.
5. Bhagoni – भागोनी
Bhagoni Dekchi
Bhagoni is a cooking pan with a lid too. Any type of cooking pan can be substituted. In the Terai region, it is named Dekchi (It is a kind of utensils without a handle. It has an even base and has a lid).
6. Fosi – फोसी
This utensil is made of copper having a opening and broad base. It is of diverse sizes and is used for cooking meat, chicken, rice, etc. In village people use this utensil to cook in wood as fuel.
7. Kitli/Chiyadani – कित्ली/चियादानी
Kitli is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, with a lid, spout, and handle. Traditionally it was used for making tea.
8. Tilarke – तिलार्के
Tilarke is a round bottomed frying pan suitable for deep frying.
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9. Taawaa – तावा
Iron plate for preparing baking especially flatbread.
10. Jhir – झिर
Jhir is used especially during barbeque to roast the meat. Sometimes, it may have two or more prongs. In Nepal, jhir is used in the making of selroti.
11. Tai – ताई
Tai is a pan with a spherical bottom made of iron and is used for frying, especially used for preparing Selroti (a kind of doughnut) or Jeri (Sweet coils or a savory kind of sweets). Traditionally, it had only one handle.
12. Haadi and Kaptera – हाड़ी र कप्टेरा
Haadi Kaptera
Haadi is a commonly used clay pot to cook or pop the popcorn kernels and the Kaptera is used to stir the popcorn around the pot.
13. Dhungro – ढुङ्ग्रो
A dhungro is a bamboo tube used to flame wooden fire( by blewing air from mouth).
Food preparation equipments
1. Chakla/Belana – चक्ला/बेलना
Chakla/Belana is a wooden rolling board (chakla) with a roller (belna) which is used to roll dough. This is used to make chapatti thin and round.
2. Chulesi – चुलेसी
It is a classic Nepalese kitchen knife mainly use in the Hilly and Terai region. The knife is ideal for cutting things when the user is sitting on the ground. To use this knife, the press is given to the end with a foot and holds the item to be cut with both hands and cut it by pushing it against the blades.
3. Chakku – चक्कु
Chakku is an instrument composed of a blade fixed into a handle, used for cutting or as a weapon.
4. Peeler – Tasne – तासने
Tasne is a knife or device for removing the skin from fruits and vegetables.
5. Khurpa – खुर्पा
Kurpa is a short handled tool with a flat blade used for cutting purpose.
6. Tea Strainer – Chiya Channe – चिया छान्ने
Tea strainer is a type of sieve used for separating the tea leaves from the tea( chiya).
7. Firfire – फिरफिरे
Firfire is an immersion blender used to blend ingredients in their puree form. This is a hand blender and is especially used in blending curd.
8. Koreso (Grater) – कोर्सा
Koreso is device having a surface covered with holes edged by slightly raised cutting edges, used for grating foods.Korsa is used for many varieties to thin and thick gratings.
9. Khal Batta / Okhal- खाल भट्रा/ ओखल
Khal and Bhatta is pair of two stones. Khal Bhatta is used to grind the herbs and spices to power or paste. Khal is the stone where we put the ingrediiance and Bhatta is used to pound it.
10. Churner/Madani/Ghotna – चुर्नर/मदानी/घोट्ना
A madani is a container that is filled with curd and then agitated until the curd becomes ghee or butter.
11. Achano – अचानो
Traditional Achano Modern Achano
Achano is a traditional wooden board that you chop meat and vegetables on. Presently known as a chopping board, it can be either wooden or plastic.
12. Dhiki – ढिकी
Dhiki is a traditional Nepalese rice beater used in villagesIt is a manual wooden thresher made of wood that works like a lever, but is instead used for grinding.
13. Maano and Paathi – मानो र पाथी
Paathi Maano
Maano and Paathi are the traditional way of measuring volume of an object in Nepal.
Basically, 1 Pathi equivalent to 8 Mana.
Serving equipments
1. Daadu – डाडु
It is a metal scoop with a long handle. Daadu is similar to a ladle, used for serving soups and curried dishes. Daadu comes in various sizes.
2. Pannyue/Chatan – पन्न्य
Pannyue is metal with a long handle on one side and another side is a flat round. It is like a spoon used to serve the dish. This is also used as a stirrer Alternatively, a wooden spatula may be used.
3. Chamcha/Kaanta Chamcha – चम्चा/काँटा चम्चा
Chamcha Kaanta chamcha
Chamcha is called a spoon and Kaanta Chamcha is called a fork. They are eating utensils.
4. Kachora – कचौरा
A small bowl used for serving cooked items.
5. Glass – Gilaas – गिलास्
A glass is an open-top container used to hold liquids for pouring or drinking. Cups may be made of glass, clay, ceramic, aluminium or other materials, and are usually fixed with adornments like handle or stem.
6. Kaanch ko Thaaki – कांच को थाली
Thaali is the round plate usually made with steel or bronze. This size of plate is generally 3.75 cm deep and 14 cm diameter. In some big fests or during many types of recipes Thali is used.
Miscellaneous equipments
1. Taraju – तराजु
Taraju is a pair of scales for weighing to know the actual weight of goods.
2. Sanaso/Santasi – सनसो/सन्तासी
Sanaso is pair of tongs used to take the hop utensils which have no handle to hold.
3. Silouto – सिलौटो
Silouto is the stome slab which is used to crush the spices with small stone roller on the top of silouto. Silouto is also used to prepare pickles or some paste for cooking spices.
4. Jaato – जाँतो
Jato is the circular milling stone combined together. It is used mainly in hilly region to grind seeds to powder. Jato is used by putting seed between two stones from top holes and pivots it to make powder.
5. Wodhan – ओदान्
Wodan is used in a fire to cook and it is like a tripod for supporting utensils. It is kept above the fire.
6. Naanglo – नाङ्लो
Nanglo is a flat round woven tray made traditionally out of thin bamboo pieces intermingled into a flat surface-like ancient method of weaving cloth manually by tangling threads. It is used for sifting grains and is used to separate dust particles from paddy, rice, dal, beans, and other cereals.
7. Gundri – गुन्द्री
Gundri is a biodegradable Nepali carpet made out of hay.
8. Khukuri – खुकुरी
Khukuri a curved steel knife with a razor-sharp edge used by the Gurkhas during combat ; has cultural and religious significance in Nepal.
9. Masala Box
Masala Box is a spice storage container ususally with 5-7 small cups inside.
10. Chimta- चिम्टा
Tongs is of big pair pincers which is made of iron is use for holding tight things.
11. Pirkaa – पिर्का
Pirka is a wooden stool which is still in used in the far-wester part of Nepal.
Storage Equipments
1. Amkhora/Lohota- अमखोरा/लोहोटा
It is a mug-like water pot. It has the edge turned outside as it has a little notch, on the upper part for the hand to steadily hold it and has the lower part shaped like a rhizome. It has a ring-like border at the bottoms which help to stand.
2. Tanpa – तन्पा
Tanpa is use to drink water out of it. The water will flow from the spout as it tilted. Usually, Newar community use tanpa to drink water instead of glass.
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3. Aari – आरी
It is a bowl or a rounded basin which is found in a choice of small or big sizes. It is used to for various purposes, e.g., melting, sorting, washing, etc.
4. Gaagro – गाग्रो
Gagro is a metallic container used to transfer water for long distance or store.
5. Karuwa – करुवा
Karua is a water pot with a long spout where the water comes from. The basin has a narrow flat surface and is surrounded by a border which is turned downwards and is inverted a bit.
6. Theki – ठेकी
Theki is usually made up of woods and is used for storing or keeping yogurt
7. Kyan – क्यान
Kyan is an airproof tight container commonly used for storing rice, wheat, or other dry, solid items.
8. Bhakari – भकारी
Bhakari refers to large storage of anything, especially rice, wheat, maize, barley and etc.
10. Khadkalo – खड्कलो
Kadkalo is a big copper or brass pot used for religious as well as bulk cooking purposes or mixing ingredients.
Also read: List of Nepali Spices And Their Health Benefits (With Pictures)
10 Nepali Utensils That You Probably Didn’t Know The Use For!