Momo need no introduction in Nepal. What is less well known is where they sit in a much older family of filled dough, and how they differ from their Chinese relatives.
Jiaozi (饺子) is the northern Chinese dumpling momo descend from: a thin unleavened wrapper, pleated closed, filled with minced meat and vegetables, then boiled, steamed or pan-fried. When pan-fried, they become guotie — potstickers — crisp on one face and soft everywhere else.
Baozi (包子) uses leavened dough. The wrapper is thick, white and bread-like, and the whole thing is steamed until it puffs. Completely different eating experience, despite the similar look.
Dim sum is not a dumpling at all. It is a meal — the Cantonese tradition of small steamed and fried plates served with tea through the morning and early afternoon. Dumplings appear on a dim sum table, but so do buns, rolls, ribs and custards.
Momo took the jiaozi idea across the Himalaya and made it Nepali: a rounder shape, a spiced filling, and the tomato-and-chilli achar that no Chinese dumpling would ever be served with.
What we make
Momo are folded and steamed to order in our kitchen. Steamed Chicken Momo and Fried Chicken Momo are both Rs. 225.
Ours sit slightly closer to jiaozi than the Nepali standard: the wrapper is rolled thinner, and the filling is seasoned with ginger, spring onion and white pepper rather than the heavier masala mix. Steamed keeps them delicate; fried gives you the crisp base of a proper potsticker.
On the hot pot menu there are also dumplings at Rs. 399, cooked in the broth at the end of the meal.
How to eat them
A steamed dumpling has soup inside it — juice released by the filling as it cooks. Biting straight through loses it onto the plate, and burns your mouth on the way. Take a small bite from the side first, let the steam out, drink what is inside, then eat the rest.
Both momo are on the Rice, Dumpling and Noodles section of our menu.