How Did The Tibetan Dumpling Like Momo Become So Popular In India?

By Author: Gayatri Tampi
Total Articles: 56
Comment this article

In India, we all know about how momos are a very popular snack in the entire country and has becomes one of the most lived street food as well. Momos are actually very easy to make and over the years, have really garnered so much attention from all over the country that this Tibetan dish actually has gotten an Indianized version of itself. Therefore, even if you check out the frozen food section in a super market, you will see that there is a section of frozen momos and in different flavours and in different variations as well. You can see there are tandoori momos, and momos which are ready to fry as well.
But just like every other dish, momos have their story of their own too. In India, Shillong is a place where you will find some of he most famous and tastiest dumplings that we so fondly call momo. Contrary to other states, in Shillong, even if you make veg momos at home or the non-vegeterian ones, they are different than rest of the country. Here, you fill find some wholesome filling, spicy yet tasty chutney to go with it, and even the light shells. In the Chinese culture, momos usually ...
... came in the form of dumplings that are stuffed with minced pork and even mustard leaves or some other kinds of green veggies.
Be it the Bhutias, the Nepalis or the Lepchas, momos, or the stuffed dumplings are actually a comfort food for them which actually is very much a part of their regular diet as well. To make momos making in an authentic manner, one needs to use an aluminium steamer and you will find this vessel always in use when it comes to these regions. Momos that you find in Sikkim is the closest you can get to the momos found in the actual Tibet. It was in the 1960s, that this little dumpling made its way to the rest of the India.
When it comes to what the actual serving is like, people in some parts of India even serve it with a cucumber salad and radish or with mayonnaise and schezwan sauce to ulift the spice quotient of the momos. You can literally have any kind of filling inside these momos. You can have shredded chicken, shredded vegetables, cheese, cottage cheese or any thing else that you like. When the pandemic hit the world, a lot of brands brought the momos ready to eat as well. These actually became quite an interesting product since it gave the consumer the liberty to be at home and get their favourite momos at home.
So, what makes these momos, even if they are frozen momos, so delightful and tempting? The taste of the momo depends a lot on how it actually is prepared and even the ingredients used. A lot also depends on the quality of the dough. It needs to have a specific type of consistency, should be fresh and should be kneaded with the right temperature of warm water.
Even the stuffing that goes into the momos should be well shredded or well-minced and that should even be flavoured with maybe some garlic or ginger as well. When heated and steamed properly, the stuffing comes out all oozy and juicy, giving it the finest flavour irrespective of the stuffing.
When making these momos, even if you want to make it out of the frozen momos that you get, it is important that the momos be heated well and the dough too so that it isn’t left half-cooked in any manner. One of the main tricks of getting the momos right is getting the dough right. Then, as mentioned over and over again before, the cooking needs to be done well too so that everything from the dough and the fillings inside.
So, whether you are buying the momos ready to eat, or you are going to make fresh momos at home or you are buying momos from a roadside stall, or you are buying from a restaurant, eating a well-cooked momo will always be a fulfilling and wholesome experience and it will leave your taste buds tantalized.