COOKING SUKUTI

There were times, before the well-off urban life with restaurants and shops began when people didn’t indulge in meat as much and as often as they do now. And whenever they had the opportunity, they did not waste anything rather preserved for the days to come. The winters were harsh with the food supply going down and it was the time when people went for the dried meat, which was then, a necessity and today, a rich delicacy.

Dried meat is one of the many forms of meat eaten in Nepal and could be cooked and served in many ways. For making dried meat, the meat of any animals or birds is cut into thin strips and then the fat is carefully removed. This often gave an unpleasant smell so, the strips are often coated with spices like salt, cumin, pepper, chili powder and turmeric, sometimes ginger and garlic pastes are also used, before they are spread out on a clean cloth to dry in the sun. This helped the meat to get intense flavor and also kept the insects at bay. The meat is stored once the moisture escapes it and the strips become dry. It can also be rehydrated by cooking it in gravy, however, the best way to prepare the dry meat is to make Sukuti out of it.

Sukuti is one of the popular snacks in most of the kitchen in Nepal. For making sukuti, the dried meat is taken out and deep fried or smoked or even roasted and then crushed along with spices like salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric and chili powder. It is then mixed with chopped onion and tomatoes and topped with chopped green onions or coriander leaves. You could also add a little bit of thinly sliced fried ginger and garlic and mix it all with required amount of oil. Your chewy appetizer is ready to be indulged in.