Momos — the Himalayan steamed dumplings of Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Sikkim — are the meeting point of Chinese jiaozi (gyoza, TJ-55), Indian spice vocabulary, and the specific ingredients of the Himalayan region. They are Nepal's most widely eaten street food and a preparation that varies dramatically by filling (buffalo, pork, chicken, vegetables) and by dipping sauce (tomato-sesame or the Nepali chilli-garlic achar).
- **The wrapper:** Thin wheat flour dough — flour + water + a small amount of oil. Similar to Chinese jiaozi wrapper but slightly thinner; the high altitude of Himalayan cooking means the dough is more extensible. - **The filling:** Buffalo meat (the traditional Nepali protein, as beef is prohibited in the Hindu Nepali tradition) + onion + ginger + garlic + cumin + coriander + sesame oil + salt. Minced very fine — coarse filling tears the thin wrapper. - **The fold:** The Nepali fold — the wrapper pleated around the filling with one continuous pinching motion, ending in a sealed, decorative gathered top. The number of pleats is not as rigidly specified as in Japanese gyoza or Chinese xiaolongbao. - **The steam:** A bamboo steamer over vigorously boiling water — 10–12 minutes. The momos are done when the wrapper is translucent throughout and the filling has firmed. - **The sauce:** Tomato-sesame achar — tomatoes, sesame seeds, and dried chilli dry-roasted and blended to a smooth sauce. The roasting develops Maillard compounds in the tomato and sesame simultaneously.
Mangoes & Curry Leaves