Momo (dumpling)

Momo

momo_nepal.jpg A typical serving of a plate of momo with sesame yellow and red garlic chilli sauce.
Origin
Place of origin	Tibet
Region or state	Tibet, Nepal, India
Details
Course served	Appetizers or entrees
Main ingredient(s)	White-flour-and-water dough; meat, vegetable or cheese filling
Variations	Steam-momo, Kothey momo, C-momo, Fry-momo, Open-momo

Momo (Hindi: मोमो; Nepali: मम; Nepal Bhasa: ममचा, मम:; Tibetan: མོག་མོག་, Wylie: mog mog; simplified Chinese: 馍馍; traditional Chinese: 饃饃; pinyin: mómo) is a type of dumpling native to Tibet. It is similar to Chinese baozi and jiaozi, Mongolian buuz, Japanese gyoza, Indian kozhukkatta and Korean mandu. Over the years, it has become very popular as appetizers in Nepal and India.

History

The dish is believed to be of Tibetan origin. Since this dish was initially popular among the Nepalese community of the Kathmandu Valley, one prevalent belief is that traveling Newar merchants brought the recipe and the name momo from Lhasa, Tibet where it was a traditional delicacy for centuries. They modified the seasonings of the dish with available ingredients, such as water buffalo, and kept the same name.

Description

Momo is a type of steamed bun with or without filling. Momo has become a traditional delicacy in Nepal, Tibet and among Nepalese/Tibetan communities in Bhutan, Sikkim and Darjeeling district. It is one of the most popular fast foods in many regions of Nepal populated with people of Tibetan or Himalayan origin. Momos have spread to India, including West Bengal, Assam, Delhi, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Bangalore, Arunachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, where it has become a popular street food.

Production

Plate of momos.

A woman making momos.

A simple white-flour-and-water dough is generally preferred to make the outer momo covering. Sometimes, a little yeast or baking soda is added to give a more doughy texture to the finished product. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is also used sometimes to enhance the taste of momo.

File:Momomucktoo.jpg

Momo in mucktoo

Traditionally, momo is prepared with ground/minced meat filling, but over the past several years, this has changed and the fillings have become more elaborate. These days, momo is prepared with virtually any combination of ground meat, vegetables, tofu, paneer cheese, soft chhurpi (local cheese) and vegetable and meat combinations.

• Meat: Different types of meat fillings are popular in different regions. In Nepal, Tibet, Darjeeling district, Assam, Sikkim and Bhutan, pork, chicken, goat meat and buffalo meat are commonly used. In the Himalayan region of Nepal and Ladakh, India, lamb and yak meat are more common. Minced meat is combined with any or all of the following: onions/shallots, garlic, ginger and cilantro/coriander. Some people also add finely puréed tomatoes and soy sauce.
• Vegetables: Finely chopped cabbage, potato or chayote (iskush) are used as fillings in India and Nepal.
• Paneer: Paneer is another recent and popular filling in India.
• Cheese: Usually fresh cheese or the traditional soft chhurpi is used. This variety is common in India and Eastern Nepal.
• Khuwā: Momo filled with milk solids (khuwā खुवा) mixed with sugar are popular as dessert in the Kathmandu valley.
• Mashed potato: Mashed potato (ālu) is another popular filling in the Kathmandu valley.

The dough is rolled into small circular flat pieces. The filling is then enclosed in the circular dough cover either in a round pocket or in a half-moon or crescent shape. People prefer meat that has a lot of fat because it produces intensively flavored juicy momos. A little oil is sometimes added to the lean ground/minced meat to keep the filling moist and juicy. The dumplings are then cooked by steaming over a soup (either a stock based on bones or vegetables) in a momo-making utensil called mucktoo. The dumplings may also be pan-fried or deep-fried after being steamed.

Varieties

Basically, there are two types of momo, steamed and fried. Momo is usually served with a dipping sauce (locally called chutney/achhar), normally made with tomato as the base ingredient. Soup momo is a dish with steamed momo immersed in a meat broth. Pan-fried momo is also known as kothey momo. Steamed momo served in hot sauce is called C-momo. There are also a variety of Tibetan momos, including tingmo and thaipo.

Gallery

• 

  Kothey, a pan-fried momo variety

• 

  C-momo

• 

  A Tibetan meal with (clockwise from top) tingmo (steamed bread), thenthuk (noodle soup), momos in soup, vegetable gravy, and condiments in center from the Himalaya Restaurant

See also

• List of dumplings

External links

• A simple momo recipe by Ladies Lounge
• Newari momos
• Tibetans’ (Forbidden) Special Treat (New York Times, February 21, 2012)
• Make momo with pasta wrap