Nuns, monks and devotees with mani and mala in their hands circumambulating the Boudha stupa, known by Newas of Kathmandu as Khasti Chaitya; visitors strolling around and the elderly on benches facing the stupa watching as time passes by; women selling khapse and local produce brought down from the mountains—Boudha is a fascinating place, even more so during mornings and evenings.

While many are aware of how Boudha has a different energy and vibe compared to the rest of the city, what many are unaware of is how good the local food scene is. It is a place where different mountainous food exists. But to get a taste of the authentic flavours of cuisines from the mountainous region, you have to go beyond the gentrified restaurants in the stupa’s inner circle, many of which cater to foreign tastes.

Take the narrow doorway right after you cross a popular local coffee shop chain. The dimly lit passageway will lead you to a few Sherpa eateries. These places serve more than just your typical momo and thukpa. As you near the small joints, you will likely be greeted with sounds of heavy pounding sounds. That sound is how you know that rildok is being prepared. Rildok is a simple, delicious soup filled with dumplings made by pounding boiled potatoes. In some Sherpa communities, however, rildok simply refers to mashed potatoes and eaten with curry.

One of the eateries in the lane is family-run Himalayan Sherpa Food House, operated byDolma, Namkha and Ang Tshering Sherpa. It was in the eatery that I had my first bowl of rildok,