DELHI, India — College student Sonakshi Verma jostles to order momos at a corner shop on a busy market street in Delhi. The noisy establishment, which only opens in the evenings, is thronged with people eager to try one of India’s most popular street dishes for the first time.
“Ek plate veg momos, bhaiya (I’d like a plate of vegetarian momos, please),” Verma says, trying to rise above the noise of the crowd.
Verma accepted the plate, walked over to the table and eyed wistfully the four soft, plump dumplings placed next to the chutney and mayonnaise.
She gently dipped one of the momos into the red chilli chutney, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and took a bite. The soft outer layer broke away to reveal the savoury filling inside: a perfect mix of tangy onion and garlic with a dash of spicy umami. After eating two, she paused and told me, “I’m fighting the desire to eat, but at the same time, I’m comforted by its presence.”
I looked around and saw a crowd of mostly students and young people. At another table, a little girl sitting with an older woman spotted a man and a boy coming towards their table and yelled, “Daddy momo mil gaye!” (Grandma, we got momos!) Soon the family was munching down two plates of the popular snack.
Momos are a type of steamed or fried dumpling made of dough stuffed with spicy vegetables or meat and served with a variety of sauces, gravies and condiments. Since being introduced to India, this simple and satisfying snack has gained popularity across the country as a home-cooked or celebratory dish.
A busy street vendor in Delhi prepares and serves momos to waiting customers. [Nupur Roopa/Al Jazeera]
Momo is a dumpling, but not all dumplings are momos
Not much is known about the origins of the humble momo. “Momo has been a part of the Himalayan region since ancient times,” explains archaeologist and culinary anthropologist Kurush F. Dalal. “Nearly all communities living in the mid- and high-altitude Himalayas and on the Tibetan plateau have made the dumplings we call momos today.” The dumpling tradition, he adds, stretches from Europe to China.
But he offers an important caveat: “All momos are dumplings, but not all dumplings are momos.” Momos are a subclass of dumplings.
The difference between dumplings lies in the wrapper and the filling. Dumplings (especially dim sum) use a combination of flours like rice, potato starch, and cornstarch in the dough. When it comes to fillings, dumplings are an art form with endless options, explains culinary expert and corporate food consultant Lucina Mansho Gildiyal. Momos, on the other hand, are more rustic. Their dough is made with all-purpose wheat flour, giving them a more opaque appearance, and their fillings usually include ginger, garlic, and onion.
Dalal believes momos may have originated in Tibet. “Momo” is a Tibetan word. But the food, which crossed the Himalayas, is also eaten in Nepal, Bhutan and the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. “Food travels the same road as trade. When traders travel, their food travels with them,” Dalal says. Nepal’s Newar people have been trading with Tibetans for centuries. Their momos are often stuffed with mutton or lamb.
A plate of traditional Nepalese dumplings (momo) served with tomato chutney and fresh salad [Getty]
Momo takes India by storm
Dalal said Momo arrived in Kolkata with Tibetan refugees fleeing China in 1960. The previous year, the Dalai Lama fled to India, which is now home to the world’s largest Tibetan diaspora, with an estimated 80,000 people.
One of the best-known momo sellers, Tibetan Delight, is still open today, but it was set up in a house in Kolkata’s Chowrangi area, where a Tibetan refugee family lived. The front door of the house served as a shop where customers could buy steamed momos (mostly pork) to eat on nearby benches. Stale momos were fried and sold as is.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, momos became extremely popular in Delhi and Kolkata. Inspired by an older woman who sold momos from her home, Doma Wang, who moved to Kolkata’s Salt Lake City over 30 years ago, started doing the same in 1992 and opened her own Blue Poppy restaurant in 2005. Wang became so popular that her momo-loving regulars dubbed her the “Momo Queen of Kolkata.”
In 1994, New Delhi’s outdoor market known as Delhi Haat began attracting traders from the Northeast. They sold momos (first pork, then chicken) and fruit beer, Dalal explains. At the time, many Nepalese and Tibetans from the Northeast were coming to New Delhi as students, refugees, and economic migrants. Not only were they enthusiastic patrons of the momo shops that sprung up around the city, but their knowledge of the art of momo-making made them an immediate asset.
But Indians initially found momos bland, explains Vipul Yadav, a brand manager who runs food heritage walks in Mumbai, who recounts an hearsay story: When Tibetan-born Dolma Tsering (popularly known as “Auntie Dolma”) opened one of the first momo stalls in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar in 1994, there were few takers.
Yadav said people assumed the dumplings were raw and uncooked, so Dolma Aunty started serving them with chutney. “Tangy chutneys, pickles and dips are an integral part of Indian cuisine,” and street food is a part of that, he said, adding, “People often remember the condiments served with a dish, which determines the popularity of a street food stall or restaurant. Momos are no exception.”
Wang explains that no momo is complete without red chutney, which is made by mashing dried red chillies in oil with a little salt.
In Delhi and Kolkata, momos are often served with red chilli chutney and mayonnaise. [Getty]
Make the perfect peach
Momos are sold from steamer carts, corner shops and small restaurants. Most of these shops open in the evening and stay open for a few hours. The snack is usually eaten standing up, but a few shops have tables and chairs so you can sit down. Different varieties of momos can be found in most cities and some villages in India. They are most often served with chutney and mayonnaise.
Traditionally, momos are made from all-purpose wheat flour kneaded with cold water and stuffed with meat, but during Buddha Jayanti, Tibetans eat vegetarian momos stuffed with cabbage, onion, ginger, salt and sometimes chhurpi (yak cheese), Wang explains.
The secret to making the perfect momo is the skin. “The skin shouldn’t be too thick or too thin,” explains Wang. Thinner dough will tear easily, and thicker dough won’t taste as good. The meat-to-onion ratio is key to creating the best-tasting momo filling.
To make preparation easier, places tend to specialise in one or two types of momos – there are a variety of flavours to choose from – vegetarian, non-vegetarian, cheese, paneer, jhol (soup), gravy, kotey, tandoori, Hakka, Afghan and Schezwan.
However, the most popular fillings are vegetables, chicken and meat. Some more unusual options include potatoes and cheese, mushrooms and onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies, Maggi (instant) noodles etc. There are also sweet momos, some with bits of chocolate lava cake.
“Spin, spin, spin [crispy] “The momos are amazingly tasty,” says Girdiyal, who rolls them in cornstarch, coats them in cornflakes, deep-fried and sprinkles them with chat masala, a spice powder.
In India, momos are sold from steamer carts, corner shops and small restaurants that are only open for a few hours in the evening. [Nupur Roopa/Al Jazeera]
Momo effect
As well as being delicious, momos are also popular for being cheap: a plate of six momos costs around 60-90 rupees ($0.72-1.07), making it a satisfying and budget-friendly option.
Of course, “the tactile satisfaction of a spicy momo at the end of the day is probably the main reason for its popularity as street food,” says Gildiyal. People take their first bite: the outer crust blends with the savory filling, the hot chutney pops in the mouth, and the flavors of garlic and chilli coat the tongue.
“It’s hot, salty, spicy and made to be liked,” Gildiyal added.
And momos are here to stay, says Prerna Kumar, founder of tea brand Chai Veda, who has spent a lot of time studying Indian culinary traditions and trends. “Like samosas, momos have become a part of Indian cuisine. New flavours will emerge as people experiment with local flavours.”
Anushka Puranik, a student at Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute Engineering School (VJTI), Mumbai, sums it up: “There is a peach for every season and every state of mind… [The] The intense feeling of comfort is unmatched.”
Plate of fried momos and chutney [Getty]
