Whenever I am making dishes, I always look for ones that blow my mind or make me rethink what I know about an ingredient. Suntala sadheko does just that. This Nepalese dish comes to us from Abha, who lives in Missouri, but is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal.

Abha’s dish is a wonderful salad-like dish called suntala sadheko. The dish is essentially slices of orange tossed with yogurt to make a curd and served covered in toasted and ground spices. Suntala sadheko is most commonly found in the hilly regions of Nepal. Abha says that you can make this dish with any type of citrus fruit. But, in Nepal, the most common fruits used in this dish are mandarin oranges, pomelo, and sweet oranges.

For Abha, this dish is best made with a mixture of pomelo and mandarin oranges because that’s how her mother used to make it when she was young. Abha has amazing memories of lying outside in the cold winter sun with her family and digging into big bowls of suntala sadheko. While Abha is in the United States of America, suntala sadheko is always a dish that she misses. Whenever she eats suntala sadheko, Abha is transported right back to her childhood. 

To Abha, suntala sadheko is a dish everyone must try because it will be like nothing you’ve ever had before. Suntala sadheko is a blend of all sorts of wonderful spices that may seem like crazy combinations but somehow work wonderfully together. The creamy yogurt base gives this dish a heartier nature. At the same time, the spices make suntala sadheko spicy, sweet, and bursting with interesting flavors. 

There is so much happening in this dish, so I was very enthusiastic about making it. Upon the first bite, my mind is blown! The flavors of this dish come at you from so many different angles. You taste sweet and spicy, tangy, cumin-y flavors, and even a sort of sesame or tahini flavor. I’ve certainly never had anything like this dish in my life. I think what makes suntala sadheko so interesting is that when you take your first bite, you immediately taste a sweet burst of orange flavor and then sweetness and creaminess from the curd. Then, your mouth gets hit by all of the spices that take over your palate. Making this dish is pretty simple, but be careful not to overheat the mustard seed oil as that will result in burnt spices. If you like dishes that have a sweet and savory combination, then you must try suntala sadheko.