If You Try These Momos Then You’ll Fall In Love With Them

When you think of street food, momo is probably the first thing that comes to mind. These hot steamy dumplings with cream and chutney on the side are enough to make anyone's evening grate after a long day. They usually come with chicken, vegetable or paneer stuffings and are usually steam-cooked or fried but you can find all sorts of momos in Gurgaon if you know where to look. Other than the classic ones, you can find a variety of traditional recipes from the Himalayan region of Nepal, Tibet and Sikkim. So whether you are trying it for the first time or are a regular, this list is for you.

Types Of Momos You Must Try

Steam

No list of Nepali dumplings can start without mentioning the traditional steam momos. It’s the one most of us are familiar with, the one we turn to during chilly winter evenings or for every low budget party. These soft and steamy dumplings come with stuffings made of vegetables, soybeans, paneer, etc. but everyone agrees that chicken momo is the best.

Deep-Fried

For those of us who love everything fried, about every vendor that sells steam momos in Gurgaon also sells deep fried ones. A fried momo has everything that its steam counterpart has but tastes arguably better thanks to the crusty layer that adds some crunch to it and the oil that adds a little juiciness to it.

Pan Fried/Kothey

So, maybe you’re the health-conscious type and don’t like deep-fried stuff but not that health-conscious to order steam. In that case, try some kothey momos, which are basically steam dumplings fried on a pan. A traditional Nepali pan-fried momo usually comes with pork stuffing but you can also find other stuffings. The pan-fry gives its dough a lightly charred and fried texture, which is quite the delight. It usually comes with soup on the side.

Jhol

No, it’s not macher jhol but the idea is the same. Like the Bengali fish stew, these dumplings also come dipped in a stew called jhol acher. Jhol acher is a hot and spicy sauce with a clear broth-like consistency. The dumplings dipped inside absorb all the flavours from the jhol acher quite well and can warm you up during cold winter nights.

Open

Have ever wished that you could pour the chutney inside the momo rather than dip the momo in it? If you have, then you should try some open momos instead. As the name suggests, these dumplings are open, so you can see the stuffing inside from above. It was invented at the Ghangri Sui Mai restaurant. It comes with four openings, so you can add four different sauces to it if you want to.

Tandoori

It’s official, everything tastes better with some tandoori masala on it. Just like regular tandoori chicken, tandoori momo is marinated with tandoori masala before it’s cooked. The smoky spicy flavour really works well with the dumplings and the frying adds a little crunch to the dough. Even the vegetarian version tastes quite good when it’s tandoori.

Sandheko

If you like your food as spicy as it can be, then you should order sandheko momo for your evening snacks. The Nepalese use the term to describe a mixture of spices and natural ingredients like chillies, garlic, ginger, red onions, cumin and coriander. The locals use it to spice up leftovers but you can have it to spice your taste buds before the main dish.

Choila

Choila momos are your classic Himalayan dumplings that come in hot and spicy choila sauce. Choila is a traditional Nepali dish that consists of grilled meat dressed with a hot and spicy sauce 

These are just some of the many varieties of momos you can find if you know where to look. If you’ve never tried these Himalayan dumplings before, then start with steam and/or deep-fried momos to see what all the hype is about. If you already love these, then it’s about time you tried other varieties on the list.