Yellow Dal Recipe – A Taste of Olgapuri

Our gift to you!

As we enter this season of gratitude, all of us at Nepal Youth Foundation are reflecting on how much your support has meant this past year. Your kindness has helped children across Nepal learn, grow, and feel the comfort of community. In return, we wanted to share a small gift from the heart of Olgapuri Children’s Village.

This simple yellow dal recipe is a favorite for the children at Olgapuri, reflecting a dish woven into Nepali daily life. It has long been one of the country’s most beloved comfort foods, with roots that stretch back centuries. Communities traditionally cultivated lentils alongside rice, creating a simple, hearty meal that sustained families through the rhythms of rural life. At Olgapuri, it is served often, filling the dining hall with warmth, familiar aromas, and the feeling of family.

Beyond its cultural importance, dal is rich in plant-based protein, fiber, and essential minerals. It supports healthy digestion, fuels growing bodies with steady energy, and adapts easily to whatever is available in the kitchen. It can be enjoyed on its own or served with rice, vegetables, greens, chicken, eggs, or any protein you love.

For many families in Nepal, daal represents both comfort and sustenance, making it a meaningful dish to share during this season of togetherness. We hope this recipe brings a little of Olgapuri’s warmth into your home.

Yellow Dal Recipe (Olgapuri style)

Base Ingredients

• 1 cup split yellow lentils (arahar or mung dal)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 2 to 3 cups of water (according to the desired consistency)

Ingredients for Tadka (tempering)

• 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1-2 cloves garlic and small piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, slit (optional)
• A pinch of hing (asafoetida) and a few curry leaves (optional)
• Lemon juice (to taste)
• Cilantro (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

• Rinse the lentils thoroughly, soak for at least 20 minutes.
• Cook the lentils (in a pressure cooker, pan, or wok) with turmeric, salt, and water until soft and creamy. Pressure cooker method: Cook on high heat until the first whistle, then lower the heat and cook for 5 to 7 more minutes.
• In a separate pan, heat oil or ghee. Add mustard and cumin seeds until they sputter.
• Add garlic, ginger, green chilies, and tomato (if using). Sauté briefly.
• Pour this tempering over the cooked lentils. Stir well and simmer for a few minutes.
• Finish with lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon or more for taste) and chopped cilantro.
• Serve warm with steamed rice to make it Dal Bhat, Nepal’s national dish. Feel free to add sauteed vegetables, roasted squash, spinach, tofu, chicken, or any protein of your choice. Can be enjoyed on its own as a soup!

Did you know?

Olgapuri has a thriving farm and greenhouses that provide fresh vegetables throughout the year. These greenhouses help ensure the children enjoy nutritious, homegrown produce in every season—often cooked right into their daily dal and tarkari (curried vegetable dishes.)

Don’t miss out on NYF’s GivingTuesday x2 Match campaign!

For this year’s GivingTuesday campaign—Fueling Futures: Share a Meal with Olgapuri—NYF is raising funds for the food budget at Olgapuri Children’s Village. The 80 kids in our care at Olgapuri receive four homemade, nutritious meals every single day. One meal costs only 50¢. This GivingTuesday, our goal is to raise $38,235 together to fund every meal served at Olgapuri from now until the end of our fiscal year in June 2026.  As you spend time with loved ones in the coming days and weeks, we invite you to pause and appreciate the shared joy of food, connection, and community—the core values of this GivingTuesday effort.

As you enjoy this recipe, we hope you’ll also take part in NYF’s GivingTuesday x2 Match campaign: Fueling Futures — Share a Meal with Olgapuri. Double your impact today! NYF supporter Kevin McAuliffe is matching all gifts made to this campaign.

EDL’s First Program Graduate: Pradip BK

This past summer marked a truly historic milestone for the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF): the graduation of its first-ever student from the Educating Dalit Lawyers (EDL) Program—Pradip BK.

A Steady Climb Toward Excellence

Pradip, a recent graduate of Nepal Law College (NLC), exemplifies how persistence, mentorship and opportunity can transform potential into achievement. He began his legal-studies journey with a solid GPA of 3.24, navigating the early semesters with some ups and downs. But by his final term, Pradip reached a personal best of 3.57, capping off a consistent upward trajectory.

Pradip BK’s rise in GPA exemplifies how consistent effort and mentorship can drive meaningful academic transformation, offering a model for student success through data-backed, compassionate engagement.

His progress wasn’t defined by dramatic leaps so much as determined, incremental growth. The EDL mentors observed not only improved grades but also a growing confidence, more active engagement in collaborative learning and quiet leadership emerging over time. From quiet perseverance to quiet leadership, Pradip’s arc underscores that academic excellence is often built over time—with the right encouragement, clear goals, and belief in one’s own potential.

“His story will remind his juniors that progress may be gradual, but the climb is real—and worth it.”

Beyond the Classroom

In addition to his academic success, Pradip’s accomplishments extend well beyond the classroom. After completing his 10th semester, he completed an internship at Bhusal Law Associates and is now preparing for Nepal’s Lawyer’s License Examination. At the same time, he’s looking ahead to engaging in community service and field study opportunities — stepping into the world of law not just as a graduate, but as a changemaker for equity.

What This Means for the Future

Moreover, Pradip’s achievement is more than a personal success. It marks a milestone for the EDL program and for Dalit representation within Nepal’s legal system. By breaking barriers, he sets an example: that sustained support, resilience and belief can combine to transform individual lives—and ultimately entire communities.

About the Educating Dalit Lawyers (EDL) Program

Launched in summer 2022 as Phase 1 of NYF’s broader Caste Equality Project, the Educating Dalit Lawyers Program is an enriched law-school scholarship designed specifically for students from Nepal’s Dalit communities. Dalit students have long faced systemic discrimination and exclusion; therefore, EDL aims to counter that by supporting promising young people from these historically marginalized backgrounds to pursue legal education—and become advocates for justice.

Key components of the program include:

• Full-ride scholarships for the 5-year Bachelor of Legislative Law (LLB) degree at top law colleges in Nepal.
• Accommodation and food stipends.
• Extracurricular opportunities: leadership training, fieldwork, exposure to human-rights programs.
• Mentorship from human-rights lawyers, experience observing Nepal’s legal system and networking with legislators.
• Internship placement support and continued assistance as students prepare for the Nepali Bar Exam.

As a result, the EDL program not only builds individual careers but also nurtures future advocates who will champion justice, equality, and reform. As the first graduate of EDL, Pradip BK stands as living proof of how this program can turn structural obstacles into pathways for empowerment.

Looking Ahead

Today, with Pradip as the trailblazer, the next cohort of EDL scholars now have a tangible example of success to follow. As the program expands and additional students move through its pipeline, we expect not only rising academic performance but growing leadership, advocacy and systemic impact. The EDL Program is not just about producing lawyers—it’s about cultivating agents of justice who will uplift others.

Congratulations to Pradip, and to everyone who supported his journey: mentors, NYF staff, donors, and community partners. Together, your belief in the power of opportunity continues to create lasting change.