Whenever we hear the place name Swayambhu, we tend to visualize the popular white stupa at the top of the hill. And we also remember, multicolored prayer flags, people circumambulating, people prostrating, people walking around and enjoying the view and enjoying each other’s company. Altogether, it is a busy place, nevertheless you can feel the serenity and calmness as well. Moreover, Swayambhu represents Kathmandu in terms of religion, culture, chaos and good food, making itself a melting point of everything.

It is not only an amazing spiritual place but it is also a place to treat yourself with delicious snacks like lhaping. And Swayambhu is famous among youngsters for delicious lhaping served at eateries here. If you are searching for a good place to enjoy the wonderful taste of lhaping, you will be surely satisfied and delighted with its taste in Swayambhu.

It is a specialty dish that is served in every other eatery nowadays. Originally it is from China and it is called Liang fen (Liang means cold and fen means jelly like substance made up of potato or flour starch). Lhaping looks like soft noodle dish served cold, usually with soup but it also has a dry version, however it is not noodle.

Talking about its taste, lhaping itself is a very plain dish but the spices such as garlic, vinegar, Szechuan powder and salt give it a tangy and hot flavor. And if you are not the one who can handle the hotness of the spices then you can either exclude them or have dry lhaping. Those who are trying it for the first time might not like its taste instantly. But once you have it around two or three times, then you might get addictive to the taste of lhaping. The huge number of people visiting the lhaping shops at Swayambhu says all about the tasty lhaping.

Tamang is studying in grade XII at Prime International Secondary School, Khusibu.