Making and eating momos

Momos are the unofficial national dish of Tibet. Even if you have never knowingly eaten Tibetan food before, you may well be familiar with momos. Tibetan people brought them to Nepal, where they take pride of place on many a Nepalese menu, and they have also popularised them in India, where local people have rolled out huge chains of momo shops across the country. The momo has become big business.

Essentially, momos are dumplings. In Tibet these are usually steamed or steam-fried. Made with a wheat-flour dough, they are chewier than Chinese dumplings or Japanese gyoza, and they can hold more filling. They are the ultimate comfort food. Served straight out of the steamer, momos burst with all their cooking juices. Steam-fried in a little oil, they crunch in the mouth like pot-stickers. It’s always worth making a big batch, so you can enjoy them both ways – steamed for round one, then pan-fried when reheated for round two.