Sisnu, the Nepali hill nettle dish. Boiled until the sting goes, then beaten thick with maize flour and finished with ground timur and garlic.

Dhido, the hill staple of Nepal. Finger millet and maize flour beaten into boiling water until it forms a single stiff, glossy mass. Eaten with gundruk or sisnu.

Gundruk ko jhol, the sour Nepali soup of sun-dried fermented greens, cooked with soaked soybeans, potato and timur. Eaten with dhido or rice.

Thenthuk, the Tibetan pulled noodle soup from Amdo. Soft dough rested until it stretches, then torn by hand straight into a thin, fast broth.

Jasha maru, the Bhutanese chicken stew. Bone-in chicken simmered with tomato, leek and a heavy hand of ginger, finished with coriander and Sichuan pepper.

Phaksha paa, the Bhutanese pork dish. Fatty belly strips simmered with daikon radish and whole dried red chillies until the radish turns translucent.

Kewa datshi, the Bhutanese potato and cheese stew. Thin-sliced potatoes cooked down with green chillies until the sauce thickens around them.

Ema datshi, the chilli and cheese dish eaten at every Bhutanese meal. Split green chillies softened with onion and garlic, then bound in melted cheese.