Nepalese food

I bought a new cookbook: Taste of Nepal by Jyoti Pathak.  I like it.

Dry-fried black chickpeas (kaalo chana ko tarkaari)

This recipe calls for black chickpeas (kala chana), which are nuttier and firmer than the more commonplace "white chickpeas."  There are many flavoring agents, the most prominent and interesting of which is ajwain seeds (sometimes called bishop's weed).  I love this spice and even eat pinchfuls of it by itself.  The seeds burst with flavor when you chew them.  Ajwain tastes strongly of thyme but has a lot of fruity complexity.  

Rice pilaf with black cumin (jeera bhaat)

The only spices in this pilaf are black cumin (kala jeera) and bay leaf.  Kala jeera has a distinctive herbal/floral aroma that creates interest in this pilaf.

Spicy sauteed potatoes (taareko alu)

The most interesting thing about this recipe is that it calls for a Himalayan herb called jimbu.  It has an aroma reminiscent of grassy fried onions.  I purchased some online.