The Hungry Buddha in Belconnen – Nepalese Food Made Easy

On a chilly Tuesday evening the room is busy at the Hungry Buddha Nepalese Restaurant in Belconnen.

It’s easy to see why the Hungry Buddha draws the mid week crowd. Parking is on site and easy, just off Coulter Drive. Open from 5pm every day, the Hungry Buddha matches easy going Nepalese hospitality with good food and prices, a casual but stylish atmosphere, plenty of room and BYO at $6 a bottle. It’s a great spot to add to your mid range Canberra favourites, perfect for when you just feel like heading out for a meal with no hassle.

Behind the Scenes at the Hungry Buddha

I arrived early because Lachhu had invited me to join Ammar in the kitchen and watch some of the dishes being prepared.

Interestingly, the ingredients were similar to those I’d seen in India, but the preparation was simpler. The range of spices is still sophisticated, but they were used more subtly.

When I arrived Ammar was starting a traditional Nepalese chutney to serve as a side. Rich in tomatoes, slowly cooked with spices and flavourings the result was magnificent. It was so good that I just had to order the chutney again as a starter for our meal.

First Ammar diced around 8 garlic, 1 small knob fresh ginger, 1 red onion, l large green chilli and plenty of vine ripened tomatoes.

He then heated canola oil in the pan and sauted the garlic, ginger, onion and chilli.

Next he added the tomatoes and allowed these to start to soften and become fragrant. Then Ammar added the red chilli powder, cumin seeds, cumin powder, tumeric powder, coriander powder and garam marsala.

Once the tomatoes had become soft and mashable, Ammar added some green peas to finish that added some lovely colour. Traditionally this recipe would also be seasoned with a pinch of sugar.

Served with a papppadom, this ripe tomato chutney was delicious. It was way beyond the simplicity of it’s preparation.

Dining at the Hungry Buddha

After starting with the delicious tomato chutney, our meal continued.

We’d ordered the Nepali style spicy peanut salad with lime, tomato and onion salsa $9 and it was a fantastic choice that I will order again next time.

And of course you must try the momos at a Nepalese restaurant! (4 for $9)

Our traditional Nepali mains were all very good – boneless pieces of chicken cooked with himalayan spices $19.95, tiger prawns with Nepali spices,lime leaves, lemongrass and coconut milk $22 and a sample of the lentils cooked with cumin, corriander and Himalyan spices tossed with the special jimmu herb $17.50.

The naans were fabulous ($4 each) and would make a good entree with the tomato chutney for $7.50.

I love the way you can also order half serves of curries for $12. How good is that. Perfect for smaller appetites or if you want to try a larger variety of dishes. And I really like the idea of the diced tomato, cucumber, corriander and onion salad dressed with lemon for $6.50.

And of course the Hungry Buddha offers 25% off up to $30 for Canberra Entertainment Book holders making it even better value!

Great Value for a Dinner for Six on a Budget

The Hungry Buddha is a perfect spot for a group. There’s plenty of room and it’s easy to chat. Parking is also easy and close so very good for Canberra winters.

Any night works because the Hungry Buddha is open seven days!

And it’s affordable for everyone, because you can share a range of dishes.

If you are on a strict budget I would suggest starting with the naan and tomato chutney and a Nepalese peanut salad.

Then for six people I’d order 3 or 4 dishes with 3-4 serves of rice and a tomato, cucumber and onion salad.

That’s only around $16 – $20 per person with another $1 for corkage.

Of course, if you’re not restrained by a tight budget or you need to cater to larger appetites, order more dishes and the momos for entree and even think about dessert!

The Hungry Buddha is not just deliciously hungry, it’s also very happy!

Amin is your host at Belconnen and he makes sure you leave happy!

Food and Travel Secrets was a guest of The Hungry Buddha but all opinions remain their own.