Alternative names | མོག་མོག, मःमः |
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Place of origin | Tibet, Nepal |
Associated cuisine | Tibetan cuisine, Nepali cuisine |
Main ingredients | White-flour-and-water dough; meat, vegetable |
Variations | Steam-momo, Kothey momo, Jhol momo, C-momo, Fry-momo, Open-momo, fried momo, chicken-momo, veg-momo, buff-momo, cheese-momo, khuwa-momo, chocolate-momo |
350 to 1000 (35 to 100 per piece) kcal | |
Similar dishes | jiaozi, guotie, xiaolongbao, baozi, mantou, buuz, gyoza, mandu, manti |
Momos [lower-alpha 1] are a type of steamed filled dumpling in Tibetan [1] and Nepali cuisine [2] that is also popular in neighbouring Bhutan and India. [3] Momos are usually served with a sauce known as achar influenced by the spices and herbs used within many South Asian cuisines. It can also be cooked as soup versions known as jhol momo where the broth is made from achar using a mixture of tomatoes, sesame seeds, chillies, cumin and coriander or mokthuk from boiling pork/buffalo bones mixed with various herbs and vegetables. [4]
"Momo", as written, is a phonetic transcription of the Tibetan word མོག་མོག (Wylie : mog mog, Tibetan pronunciation: [moʔ˩˨.ˈmoʔ] ). It is possible that this Tibetan word is borrowed from the Chinese term momo (馍馍), a name traditionally used in northwestern Chinese dialects for wheat steamed buns and bread. The word mo (馍) itself means wheat flour food products or mantou (馒头), steamed buns. [5] Historically, Chinese names for steamed buns did not distinguish between those with or without fillings until the term baozi (包子) emerged during the Song Dynasty between the tenth and thirteenth century. [6] However, in eastern regions of China such as Jiangsu and Shanghai, mantou continues to carry both meanings in modern day. [7] In the Nepal Bhasa language, the word mome (मम) means cooking by steaming. The history of momos in Nepal dates back to as early as the fourteenth century. [8]
As for the Himalayan momo, it is not quite known whether it spread from the Kathmandu valley of Nepal to Tibet or the other way around. Because this dish was initially popular among the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, one prevalent belief is that traveling Nepali Newar merchants took the recipe from Tibet, where they traded, and brought it home to Nepal. [9] Some argue that momos were introduced in Tibet by a Nepalese Newari princess who was married to a Tibetan king in the late fifteenth century, since in Newari, one of Nepal's oldest languages, mome means cooking by steaming. [8] In Tibet, the filling of the dish was typically meat, such as yak and occasionally potatoes and cheese. Traditional Tibetan momos are quite different from the Nepalese one as the former was made with a thicker dough and with little to no spices except salt. However, after arriving in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the meat became chicken, and mixed vegetable momos were introduced to feed the large population of vegetarian Hindus. [10] A large number of Tibetans emigrated to India following the 1959 Tibetan uprising, bringing their recipes for momos with them. [3] Unproven, but substantiated by the dates and references to momos in colloquial references, the civil war in Nepal pushed out the Nepali diaspora to seek a livelihood in India, which further increased the prevalence of Himalayan style momos in the southern half of India especially in the cities of Chennai and Bangalore.
A simple white-flour-and-water dough is generally preferred to make the outer covering of momos. Sometimes, a little yeast or baking soda is added to give a more doughy texture to the finished product.
Traditionally, momos are prepared with ground/minced meat, potatoes, and leek filling. Nowadays, the fillings have become more elaborate and momos are prepared with virtually any combination of ground meat, vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, paneer cheese, soft chhurpi (local hard cheese) and vegetable and meat combinations.
The dough is rolled into small circular flat pieces. The filling is enclosed in the circular dough cover either in a round pocket or a half-moon or crescent shape. People prefer meat with 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. Momos may also be pan-fried or deep-fried after being steamed.
Momos are traditionally steamed but can also be deep-fried or pan-fried and cooked in soup. It is usually served with chilli garlic sauce and pickled daikon in Tibet. In Nepal, popular dipping sauces include tomato-based chutneys or sesame or peanut or soybean-based sauces called achar. Sauces can be thick or thin in consistency depending on the eatery. [12] Momos may be used in soups, such as jhol momo from Kathmandu, [4] or mokthuk from Tibet. [13]
Other variations of momos include:
A samosa is a fried South Asian pastry with a savoury filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, meat, or fish. It is made into different shapes, including triangular, cone, or crescent, depending on the region. Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier. Sweet versions are also made. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, East Africa and their South Asian diasporas.
Pelmeni are dumplings of Russian cuisine that consist of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough.
Mantou, often referred to as Chinese steamed bun, is a white and soft type of steamed bread or bun popular in northern China. Folk etymology connects the name mantou to a tale about Zhuge Liang.
Baozi, or simply bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of mantou from Northern China.
Mandu, or mandoo, are dumplings in Korean cuisine. Mandu can be steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. The styles also vary across regions in the Korean Peninsula. Mandu were long part of Korean royal court cuisine, but are now found in supermarkets, restaurants, and snack places such as pojangmacha and bunsikjip throughout South Korea.
Manti is a type of dumpling mainly found in Armenian cuisine, Turkish cuisine and Central Asian cuisine but also in West Asia, South Caucasus, and the Balkans. Manti is also popular among Chinese Muslims, and it is consumed throughout post-Soviet countries, where the dish spread from the Central Asian republics. The dumplings typically consist of a spiced meat mixture, usually lamb or ground beef, wrapped in a thin dough sheet which is then boiled or steamed. The size and shape of manti vary significantly depending on geographic location.
Thenthuk or hand-pulled noodle soup (thukpa), is a very common noodle soup in Tibetan cuisine, especially in Amdo, Tibet where it is served as dinner and sometimes lunch. The main ingredients are wheat flour dough, mixed vegetables and some pieces of mutton or yak meat. Vegetable thenthuk is a common modern-day option too.
Tibetan cuisine includes the culinary traditions and practices of the Tibetan people in the Tibet region. The cuisine reflects the Tibetan landscape of mountains and plateaus and includes influences from neighbors. It is known for its use of noodles, goat, yak, mutton, dumplings, cheese, butter, yogurt, and soups. Vegetarianism has been debated by religious practitioners since the 11th century but is not prevalent due to the difficulty of growing vegetables, and cultural traditions promoting consumption of meat.
Newa cuisine is a subset of Nepalese cuisine that has developed over centuries among the Newars of Kathmandu in Nepal. Newa cuisine is the most celebrated food variety in the country that consists of over 200 dishes. It is more elaborate than most Nepalese cuisines because the Kathmandu Valley has exceptionally fertile alluvial soil and enough wealthy households to make growing produce more profitable than cultivating rice and other staples.
Nepali cuisine comprises a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, alluvial soil and climate relating to cultural diversity and geography of Nepal and neighboring regions of Sikkim and Gorkhaland. Dal-bhat-tarkari is eaten throughout Nepal. Dal is a soup made of lentils and spices, bhat — usually rice but sometimes another grain — and a vegetable curry, tarkari. Condiments are usually small amounts of spicy pickle which can be fresh or fermented, mainly of dried mustard greens and radish and of which there are many varieties. Other accompaniments may be sliced lemon (nibuwa) or lime (kagati) with fresh green chilli and a fried papad and also Islamic food items like rice pudding, sewai, biryani etc. Dhindo (ढिंडो) is a traditional food of Nepal. A typical example of Nepali cuisine is the Chaurasi Byanjan set where bhat (rice) is served in a giant leaf platter (patravali) along with 84 different Nepali dishes each served on small plates. It is mostly fed during weddings and Pasni(rice feeding ceremony).
Buuz are a type of Mongolian steamed dumpling filled with meat. An example of authentic Mongolian and Buryatian cuisine, the dish is traditionally eaten at home during Tsagaan Sar, the Lunar New Year. These days it is also offered at restaurants and small cafes throughout the capital city of Ulaanbaatar.
Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough, often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled with meat, fish, tofu, cheese, vegetables, or a combination. Dumplings may be prepared using a variety of cooking methods and are found in many world cuisines.
A wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun in transliteration from Cantonese 雲吞 / 云吞 and wenden from Shanghainese 餛飩 / 馄饨. Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China, Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas.
Jiaozi are a type of Chinese dumpling. Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together. Finished jiaozi can be boiled, steamed, pan fried, or deep fried, and are traditionally served with a black vinegar and sesame oil dip. They can also be served in a soup.
Mokthuk or Mothuk is a type of momo soup. It is popular in Tibet, Nepal and Ladakh, a region in northern India. It's originates from Tibet. It is a combination of momo and thukpa where unlike the momos, the shape of the dumplings are usually smaller known as tsi-tsi momos.