Momos - An Introduction
- Fred Van Liew
- Mar 20, 2023
- 2 min read
Today we’re going to learn to make momos. A steamed filled dumpling, sometimes deep fried, momos are everywhere in Nepal.
Some foods you learn to like. Momos you love the first bite. Sugat has told us more than once that he’ll go to a restaurant, scan the menu for something different, and then order momos everytime.
We gathered in the common area of Swagat Homestay and Sugat,
introduces the momo in a very short video:
Marco
offers a visitors perspective:
And Roshani
summarizes the process:
First there is the Keema, the minced filling.
It can be chicken, beef, pork, or buffalo, which is greatly favored in Nepal. Roshani used “buff” today.
The basic ingredients are:
Meat
Spring Onion
Cabbage
Radish (if you like)
Salt
Cumin
Black Pepper
Garlic Ginger paste
Pickle (I’m still confused about pickle. I don’t think they use pickles as we know them)
Water - just enough to moisten the mixture
***Before adding the water, everything should be finely minced.
Then a simple dough is made.
By the way, for every cup of Keema, two cups of flour for the dough should be used.
The dough is kneaded,
like a pie crust.
Small pieces are broken off,
flattened and placed onto a clean surface,
and rolled very thin,
but not too thin.
Marco gave it a good German effort.
I struggled a bit.
Once sufficient pastries have been made - you can never make enough - the individual pastries are filled with keema,
and the pinching begins,
until you have a tight little enclosed dumpling.
Variations on a theme.
They‘re then placed in a steamer,
and after ten minutes you have them.
They are quite delicious.
Sugat says he can eat 30 or 40 at a setting.
They even passed the German test.
By the way the basic momo sauce has the following:
Tomato
Beans
Corriander
Garlic
Cheese
But experimentation is always welcomed.
Travels With Pa extra:
Marco came up with a deep fried desert momo:
Oreo cookies
A Chocolate covered coconut bar
And a KitKat bar
They are very tasty.
Marco said he‘d have used a Snicker bar but couldn’t find one.
I‘d serve them with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate syrup, maybe even hot drizzled Nutella.
Namaste!
Those momos look dangerously delectable. Will you make us some upon your return?