Sepen

Ingredients

• 12⅓ ozTomatoripe, boiled until soft
• 7Dried red chiliesboiled along; deseed for milder heat
• 4 clovesGarlicblended raw or sautéed first
• ⅓ ozGingerpeeled
• 3⅛ cupsWaterfor boiling tomatoes and chillies, drained off
• 1 tbspOilfor frying the paste
• 2 tspVinegarfor seasoning
• ½ tspSugarto balance the acidity
• Saltto taste
• 1 pinchSichuan peppertypical Nepali note, blended in (optional)
• ½ tspBlack peppercornsblended in (optional)
• ½ tspSoy saucefor umami and colour (optional)
• 2 tbspSpring onionfinely chopped, stirred in at the end (optional)
• 2 tspTomato ketchupfor body and sweetness (optional)

Method

1. Wash the tomatoes and the dried red chillies. If you want less heat, halve the chillies and shake out the seeds — deseeded, the sepen turns out noticeably milder.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a pot, add the tomatoes and chillies and cook uncovered for 5 to 9 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and their skins split.
3. Drain off the cooking water and let everything cool briefly. Peel the tomatoes if you like and cut out the stem ends.
4. Blend the tomatoes, chillies, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste, without adding any extra water. If you're using them, drop the Sichuan pepper (timur) and black peppercorns into the blender at the same time.
5. Heat the oil in a pan, add the paste and let it cook down over medium heat until the raw taste is gone and the sauce thickens slightly.
6. Season with salt, sugar and vinegar, and add a little soy sauce if you want a darker, saltier note.
7. Let the sepen cool and serve it with freshly steamed momos.

Tips and variations

For the uncooked version the paste isn't fried at all — just blend it raw with pepper, timur, sugar and salt and serve it straight away, fresher and sharper on the tongue. The street-stall version gets tomato ketchup and finely chopped spring onion stirred into the reduced sauce at the end. If you like a really smooth texture, push the finished sepen through a sieve. It keeps one to two days in the fridge; serve it in small bowls next to the momos, or with pakora and anything else fried.