Sukuti is a dried meat, often marinated with spices (sukuti sandheko) over fire and charcoal or in the sun, sometimes over a fireplace. Sandheko is the term to describe a mixture of spices, most often with ginger, garlic, red onions, cumin, coriander, and chiles. It is usually served as an appetizer or snack, like beef jerky, or added into noodle dishes like chow mein. Sometimes, raw shelled green peas or peanuts are mixed in for a nice crunch.

Since sukuti can be prepared long ahead of time, it is popular to eat year-round and most often served with a spice marinade and pickle, often as a starter in restaurants and hotels. Near the Trishuli River, you’ll find maachaa ko sukuti (dried fish). Look out for buff sukuti at Mustang Thakali Kitchen, and sukuti sandheko at almost every Himalayan restaurant.