The Making of 'Thon' in Traditional Newari Style

The Making of 'Thon' in Traditional Newari Style

The Making of Thon in Traditional Newari Style:

The ingredients required to make Thon are rice and Mannapu(fermenting bacteria) crushed.

Step 1. 

The rice is soaked for 3 -4 hours.Then following the traditional way, the soaked rice is steamed in a Haanshi,an earthen pot with holes at the bottom. The Haanshi is then put on top of a Phoshi, a copper pot in which water is boiled and covered. The gap between the Haanshi and Phoshi is sealed with strips of wet cotton cloth to stop steam from escaping. The rice is then steamed for 15 minutes and is referred to as Haaja. The half cooked rice is taken out and rinsed with cold water. The rice is steamed for another 15-20 minutes unless it is cooked with each grains separated.

Step 2. 

The steamed rice or Haaja is spread to cool and crushed Mannapu is added and mixed thoroughly.

Step 3.

Haaja is then packed in a container. You can drop a
piece of charcoal on top and cover if you want. It is
believed that by doing so, it will ward off evil eyes. The container is then wrapped with a blanket to maintain its constant room temperature Fermentation will start within 24 hours giving off a sweet smell. In four days, the Haaja becomes soft, juicy. This stage is called Pokka which means sweet in taste.

Step 4.

The blanket is unwrapped and the container uncovered for cooling. The contents are then transferred to a bigger container and litres of water added.At this stage, it must not be stirred. The cover is then put in place and left for at least 6 hours and by that time the clear liquid becomes milky and percolating.