MOMOS – The Taste of Himalayas

Certain foods have spread all over the Himalayan region and even beyond. Momo is one of them and certainly ahead of others. Ubiquitous Momos are enjoyed by every stratum of people of all ages. It is there in a fancy restaurant and also on a street stall.

The popularity of momo has also crossed all boundaries.

Not only is the history of momo unclear and conflicting, but the origin of the name ‘momo’ itself is still unclear. The word ‘momo’ is believed to have come from a Chinese word usually spoken in Shanxi, “momo” ( ), translating to ‘steamed bun’. But there is a word called ‘ma neu’ in Nepal language of the Newa people of Kathmandu, that means to “eat steamed”. There is also the Tibetan word ‘mog mog’ with a similar meaning.

One of the most believed perceptions is that momo traces its root to Tibet. Ranveer Brar, a celebrity chef of India, believes that the culture of dumplings (stuffing things inside the dough, steamed) originated in Tibet. Hence, Momos are originally from Tibet; they are a rustic version of the dumplings created by Tibetans from where they spread to Nepal and other countries.

Another prevalent belief is that Newa merchants of the Kathmandu valley played a key role in this. They used to trade a lot with Tibet, particularly Lhasa. In the process, they picked the momo-making techniques from there and introduced them to Nepal by somewhat modifying the seasonings to suit the taste buds of the locals of Kathmandu valley.

Gradually, Momo became very famous in India’s Northeast which is close to both Tibet and Nepal.

Tibetans used to make momo with yak or lamb meat and wheat flour. However, it was not an everyday food as wheat was a difficult commodity to get in those days. Momo was a traditional delicacy made during Lhosar and other special days. While adapting the momo-making techniques, Newa people recreated momos using buffalo meat and popularised ‘buff momo’ in Kathmandu.

Contrary to this belief, some people believe that Momo was originally a Newari food in the Kathmandu valley and was introduced to Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan by a Nepali princess who married a Tibetan King in the late 15th century.

Wherever the momo originated, undoubtedly Nepal and Nepali diaspora living abroad have made the momos world-famous. Today, momos are present everywhere in oriental cuisine, mainly South Asian. People from different places have recreated their version of momos as per their taste/palate and the ingredients available. There are varieties in flour, stuffing and sauce or dip, size, and cooking techniques. Momo is like Chinese baozi, jiaozi, and mantou, Mongolian ‘’buuz’’, Japanese ‘’gyoza’’, Korean ‘’mandu’’, and Turkic ‘’manti’’, but heavily influenced by Nepali cuisine with South Asian spices.

In Nepal, the momo has a vegetarian variation for the large population of vegetarians in the former Hindu kingdom. Perhaps the civil war in Nepal pushed out the Nepali diaspora to seek a livelihood in the Indian sub- continent, which further proliferated to the prevalence of Himalayan-style momo in the Indian subcontinent.

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 doughier texture to the finished product. Traditionally, momo is prepared with ground/ minced meat filling, but nowadays, 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 hard cheese), and other combinations. 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 flavourful 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. Momos have become the king of street food in the past decades. Easily available, portable, and with no paraphernalia needed other than a steamer, they are much easy to prepare and are cheap too.

The ultra-modern variation of momo is even no more steamed. One can find fried, deep fried tandoori and even chocolate momos ! If one is confused about whether snacks or sweets, one can go for Chocolate Momos because it is a combination of both. The bitter-sweet chocolate filling wrapped by some savoury dough brings instant delight to your mouth!

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle