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Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato Chutney

March 13, 2014

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It’s finally here! The recipe I’ve wanted to share with you for ages. (Not that I’ve mentioned that to you, since I had no idea just how many rounds of recipe testing it would take.*)

I’ve never been to Nepal, but I have an immense love and nostalgia for these dumplings from one of the Nepali restaurants in Madison, WI, where I grew up. The momo dumplings at Himal Chuli on State St. are one of my must-eats in Madison, and momos are one of my favorite types of dumplings.

Momo fillings are seasoned with fresh ginger, cilantro, and the same types of hearty, savory, curry spice flavors you’d find in a samosa, but the delicate dumplings are steamed rather than fried, and can be served with spicy or mild tomato chutney.

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato ChutneyPin it!

I am a sucker for steamed dumplings, but especially when they are packed with peanuts and cilantro, and surrounded by a moat of tomato cilantro sauce.

Folding Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings)

I adapted these recipes (changing the dumpling recipe much more than the chutney one) from The Nepal Cookbook, which Paula bought me last Christmas. It’s a little paperback cookbook put out by the Association of Nepalis in the Americas, and while it doesn’t have any photos, it’s still bursting with tempting recipes and cooking inspiration.

Ingredients for Tomato Cilantro Chutney to serve with Nepali Momos

These momos use ground turkey but you could also use ground chicken or pork, or a mixture of ground meat, or try a vegetarian version by increasing the amount of peanuts and/or cashews, maybe in combination with some paneer or potatoes. Just make sure your substitutions 1) come out to about the same 1.5-cup volume as the original ground turkey, 2) get cooked enough, and 3) don’t become too watery.

Cooking the onions, spices, and ground turkey for Nepali Momo (Steamed Dumpling) filling

I like to pre-cook the filling because if there’s one (and only one thing) I don’t like about making dumplings, it’s running to the sink to wash my hands with soap a million times after touching raw shrimp or meat while filling the dumplings. (And this way you can taste-test the filling for seasoning, too!)

Tomato Cilantro Chutney to serve with Nepali MomosPin it!

You can make the chutney up to several days in advance, so that makes things easier. If you’re making your own dumpling wrappers instead of using the store-bought kind, I recommend making these with at least two people, so one of you can roll out the wrappers while the other person fills and folds the dumplings. (It’s do-able with one person, too; just be extra careful about not letting your dumpling dough dry out.)

Roasted tomatoes and garlic for Tomato Cilantro Chutney to serve with Nepali Momos

The chutney, dough, and filling recipes below all make enough for 60 small steamed dumplings. If that sounds like a lot of work for one day (or one weekend), then the dough recipe can easily be halved; we like to make the entire filling recipe at once, even if we intend to freeze half of the filling and make more dough for the second half another time.

About to fold Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings)

Nowhere I’ve lived since Madison has had a Nepali restaurant, let alone a selection to choose from, but I’ve still been lucky enough to find momos in random places: at a Himalayan restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal, at the one and only Indian restaurant of the town where I lived in Japan (but long after I’d moved away), and as luck would have it, LAST WEEK at an Indian restaurant in Santa Barbara that’s about to transform into a Himalayan restaurant.

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato ChutneyPin it!

My friend Brendan alerted me to the fact that All India Cafe had put up a sign in their window saying they were now serving momos, as a preview of good things to come…

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato ChutneyPin it!

Paula and I finally got a chance to try them last Friday. We ordered the chicken momos, which were perfectly steamed and tender, folded gyoza-style, and served with a creamy tomato-y curry sauce—such a treat.

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato Chutney

So now, nearly 15 years after moving away from Madison, I have finally taught myself how to make my own momos (although, surprise surprise, Paula makes the dumpling wrappers), and I finally live somewhere that has a restaurant serving momos again. But that’s okay, because I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as too many momos.

Folded Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings)

* It turns out the answer to that question is: Five. But that’s only because we had to perfect our dough-making and dumpling-folding techniques! The filling and chutney may have evolved a little, but they were delicious every time.

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato ChutneyPin it.

Print both recipes. (PDF)
Print Chutney recipe only. (PDF)
Print Momo recipe only. (PDF)

RECIPES:

Tomato Chutney
(Adapted from The Nepal Cookbook.)

(Makes a little over 2 cups)

Active time: 20 minutes; Total time: 50 minutes.

Ingredients:
~ 1½ lb. tomatoes, rinsed and dried
~ 3 cloves garlic, peeled
~ 1-inch ginger, peeled and chopped
~ juice of ½ lemon
~ ½ bunch fresh cilantro (1 cup), chopped
~ 1 tsp. chili powder
~ ½ tsp. black pepper
~ salt, to taste
~ 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
~ ¼ tsp. fenugreek seeds
~ pinch of asafoetida (optional)

Ingredients for Tomato Cilantro Chutney to serve with Nepali Momos          Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato Chutney

How to make it:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes upside-down in a ceramic (or any non-reactive) baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes. At the halfway (15 min.) point, toss the peeled cloves of garlic in with the tomatoes.

2. Remove the tomatoes and garlic from the oven and let cool (if you have time). Transfer the tomatoes and garlic to a blender, along with the ginger, lemon juice, cilantro, chili powder, pepper, and salt. Pulse until the ginger and garlic have been broken up well, then blend until smooth. (Be very careful when blending hot ingredients to continually lift the lid between pulses to release hot steam from the blender!)

3. Transfer the blended tomato mixture to a bowl. To temper the chutney: In a very small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium until hot and shimmering, then add the fenugreek seeds and asafoetida powder, and let the fenugreek seeds sizzle until they darken slightly and become fragrant. Then immediately use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the oil and fried fenugreek into the chutney, and stir well. Cover and refrigerate if making ahead of time. Serve warm or at room temperature as an accompaniment to momos.

Print both recipes. (PDF)
Print Chutney recipe only. (PDF)
Print Momo recipe only. (PDF)

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings)
(Roughly adapted from The Nepal Cookbook.)

(Makes about 60 dumplings; Serves 6 as dinner, serves 12-15 as an appetizer)

Active time: 1.5 hours; Total time: 2.5 hours.

For the dumpling dough: (Or use store-bought wonton wrappers)
~ 4 cups all-purpose flour
~ 1½ cups boiling water

For the filling: (Makes 3-4 cups)
~ 1 cup finely pulsed cabbage
~ ½ onion, roughly chopped
~ 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
~ 3 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled
~ 2-3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
~ ¼ cup roasted cashews
~ ¼ cup roasted peanuts
~ 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
~ ¾ lb. ground turkey (about 1 1/2 cups)
~ 2 tsp. cumin
~ 1 tsp. coriander
~ 1 tsp. turmeric
~ ¾ tsp. chili powder (or more, to taste)
~ ½ tsp. cinnamon
~ ½ tsp. each salt and black pepper (or more, to taste)

Special equipment needed:
~ food processor (or impressive knife skills and patience)
~ pasta/tamale steamer pot or bamboo steamer basket

How to make it:

1. To make the dough: In a large bowl, add the boiling water to the flour. Stir with a utensil until cool enough to touch. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 7-10 minutes until smooth and pliable. Shape into a ball and wrap loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for (at least) an hour.

The dough, after resting, for Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings)Ingredients for the Nepali Momo (Steamed Dumpling) filling

2. Meanwhile, make the filling: use the food processor to gradually pulse the cabbage until it’s very finely and evenly minced. Scrape the cabbage into a bowl and set aside. Next, add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the food processor and pulse until they are evenly chopped. Finally, add the cilantro, cashews, and peanuts to the onion mixture and continue to pulse until all ingredients are finely minced.

Ingredients for the Nepali Momo (Steamed Dumpling) fillingOnions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, cashews and peanuts for Nepali Momo (Steamed Dumpling) filling

3. In a large pot or pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat, then add the onion mixture from the food processor, the ground turkey, and all of the spices (all filling ingredients except the cabbage). Cook, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes, or just enough to fully cook the turkey without letting the filling dry out. Once you stop seeing any pink parts from the turkey, add the cabbage, stirring for another 1-2 minutes to cook off any liquid from the cabbage, then remove from the heat and let cool.

(The finished filling should not be watery, but should still be moist enough that it can be squeezed together into clumps—you can test this by smearing some of it with the back of your spoon: it should smush together smoothly. If it’s not quite moist enough, mix in another ½-1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil.)

Adding the cabbage to the cooked Nepali Momo (Steamed Dumpling) fillingThe pre-cooked Nepali Momo (Steamed Dumpling) filling

4. Assemble the momos: Once the dough has finished resting, lightly flour a work surface, and roll out the dough into several long 1″-thick ropes. Keep these ropes of dough covered with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out as you work. Slice off a small piece of dough from the end of a rope, and on a floured surface, flatten it with the palm of your hand, then roll it out into a small circle with a rolling pin. Place 1 tsp. of cooked, cooled filling onto the center of the dumpling wrapper and pack the filling together tightly using a spoon and your fingers (I keep a paper towel nearby to wipe my fingers clean after setting down the filling for several momos). Then fold up the momo dough by lifting the edges and scrunching them together over the top of the filling, pinching the dough to seal it. (Or, fold them gyoza/potsticker-style.) Set folded momos on a non-stick silpat or floured surface and keep covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out, until you are ready to steam them.

(Important: do NOT try to fill & fold the momo while holding the homemade wrapper in your hand; the dough will all get pulled to the top, leaving the bottom of the dumpling thin, fragile, and easily torn, while the top will be too thick and doughy. Instead, fold up the momos while they are set on a floured surface.)

Folded Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings)Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) in a steamer basket

5. Steam the momos: add about two inches of water to the bottom of a pasta/tamale steamer pot or a saucepan/pot that fits a bamboo steamer over it. Spray the bottom of the steamer baskets with canola or vegetable oil (or line with cabbage leaves or steamer paper). Bring the water to a strong simmer, then add momos to the steamer basket(s), place over simmering water, cover, and lower heat to medium. Steam for 20-23 minutes. If steaming multiple batches, remember to add more water to prevent it from boiling dry.

Serve momos warm with tomato chutney. (You can serve the momos sitting in some tomato chutney and/or with a small dish of chutney to spoon over the dumplings.)

Print both recipes! (PDF)

Nepali Momos (Steamed Dumplings) with Tomato ChutneyPin it!

Related recipe posts:

South Indian Spicy Coconut Chutney Masala Dosa (Lentil Crepe) with Potato Curry Parsi Tomato-Poached Eggs Squash Blossom Quesadillas with Saffron Charred Tomato Salsa
South Indian Spicy Coconut Chutney Masala Dosa (Lentil Crepe) with Potato Curry Parsi Tomato-Poached Eggs Squash Blossom Quesadillas and Charred Tomato Salsa
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85 Comments leave one →
  1. March 13, 2014 9:36 am

    I’m so glad it finally made it on here because these look great! What a special dish for company.

    • March 13, 2014 9:45 am

      Thanks! Yep, we haven’t actually made them for company… yet, since we’ve been working on perfecting the recipe. But I could definitely see having people over for momos now that we’ve figured it out! :)

  2. March 13, 2014 9:45 am

    Yummy! I will have to try this as I have always wanted to make dumplings!

    • March 13, 2014 9:47 am

      Thanks, Arthur! I hope you do get a chance to try it. Once you get the hang of folding dumplings, they are really delicious and worth it! (And actually I think this style of dumpling-folding is probably easier than gyoza/potsticker style.)

      • March 13, 2014 9:52 am

        Yes, those gyozas are cute but they are going to be in my tummy! No need for neatness or presentation! :-)

  3. March 13, 2014 9:46 am

    Wonderful post! It’s lunchtime, and you are making me very hungry!! I can see the love that is put into these momos… little pockets of goodness. Your photos and recipe are perfect…making them so easy to follow. I just might have to give these a try someday soon!

    • March 13, 2014 9:48 am

      Aw, thanks so much for your comment! :) You phrased it well—I definitely put lots of love into these momos. I would love to hear how you like the recipe if you get a chance to try it!

  4. March 13, 2014 11:13 am

    Awesome post Alison! I lurrrrvvveeee Nepali momos and chutney. One of my napalm neighbor made the best kinds at home..while we were at penn state.

  5. March 13, 2014 11:53 am

    Wow these look awesome! It’s funny because my friend sent me a north African dumpling recipe today. So I’ve had dumplings in mind all day.

    P.S. my favorite part of this was ” food processor (or impressive knife skills and patience)” haha

    • March 15, 2014 7:03 pm

      Haha, I asked Paula if I should keep that part in or not. I always feel bad when some of my recipes REQUIRE a food processor (or whatever) since not everyone has every kind of kitchen appliance, but I was just being honest that it’d be pretty tough to make these without one…

      I have dumplings in mind a majority of days. :) I’ll be interested in seeing your north African dumplings if you post the recipe for them!

  6. March 13, 2014 12:25 pm

    I adore momos and the chutney is swoon-worthy! Lovely work x

    • March 15, 2014 7:04 pm

      Thanks, Deena! Yes, I think momos are swoon-worthy in general, but the chutney definitely adds a lot, too (and I made it extra tomato-y compared to the original recipe it’s based on).

  7. March 13, 2014 3:17 pm

    beautiful! these pictures are absolutely mouthwatering.

  8. March 13, 2014 4:54 pm

    never heard of momos unil now. I must have! your tutorial is deliciously looking!

  9. March 13, 2014 5:26 pm

    yuummmm….

  10. March 13, 2014 7:51 pm

    Beautiful. One of our favorite Asian dishes. Beautiful and informative walk through and delicious looking plating shot. I absolutely love it!!!! Thanks so much for sharing. :)

    • March 15, 2014 7:07 pm

      Thanks for commenting! :) I just plated them in the two different ways I’ve seen it done at restaurants. They’re one of my favorite Asian (& all-time) dishes, too.

  11. March 14, 2014 12:56 am

    These are adorable! Ginger and cilantro, I bet these taste amazing!!

    • March 15, 2014 7:08 pm

      Thanks! Yes, I loooove how gingery they are (I increased the ginger amount a bit from the original recipe I was working from), and I always love the flavor of cilantro (although it’s not really that detectable in the dumplings themselves, but more so in the chutney).

  12. March 14, 2014 2:31 am

    The look amazing…

  13. Debbie Spivey permalink
    March 14, 2014 4:43 am

    Your postings are always so inspiring and always make me hungry!

  14. March 14, 2014 7:30 am

    Fantastic. Will need to add this to my to-do list! Beautiful pictures too, btw! :D

  15. March 14, 2014 9:02 am

    That looks amazing! I have had some nasty experiences with steamed buns, so I’m a little frightened. But this sounds so awesome that I’ll have to overcome my fear and give it a try, for sure! Thanks so much for sharing!

    • March 15, 2014 7:17 pm

      Thanks! Have you had bad experiences with steamed dumplings (with thin dumpling wrappers) or with steamed buns (with thicker dough including baking powder)?

      This kind of steamed dumpling is really not that difficult to make, although it is time-consuming… First you have to knead the dough to make sure it’s smooth and elastic enough (and mixing it together with boiling water rather than cool water will help with that!). And then when folding the dumplings, you need to make sure the dough is thick enough on the bottom to make them sturdy/not fragile—we solved this problem once we realized it is better to fill & fold them when they are set down on a lightly floured surface, rather than when holding the wrappers in your hand. You can also use store-bought wonton/shumai wrappers to make things even easier!

  16. March 14, 2014 12:34 pm

    These look absolutely amazing. Wow. The spices and the nuts together plus the sauce. Wow. You really do not mess around. I love all of your Asian inspired recipes and must try these soon. I just had some Korean mandoo this afternoon and want to recreate them in my kitchen too! Thanks for sharing!!

    • March 15, 2014 7:20 pm

      Thanks, Amanda! Haha yep, I don’t mess around. (I guess that could be my blog’s secondary motto…)

      I love Korean mandoo, too! So many of them had pork (which I don’t eat) when I was living in Korea, so I didn’t get to eat them very often, but I’ve still had some amazingly delicious ones… maybe that should be one of my next dumpling projects! And I’ll definitely look forward to seeing your recipe if you share one!

  17. March 14, 2014 1:32 pm

    Wow, these steamed dumplings look delicious! I really need to stop reading your blog on an empty stomach.

  18. March 14, 2014 1:47 pm

    I beyond LOVE momos OMG they are the best dish ever!
    Bookmarked this recipe, how delicious :D
    They look just like momos in India!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    • March 15, 2014 7:25 pm

      Yay!! I’m so glad to hear you say all of that! And glad we share a love of momos, too! “Beyond love” pretty much describes how I feel about them as well—that’s why I was extra excited to finally be able to share this recipe here. Let me know what you think if you try making them! :)

  19. afracooking permalink
    March 14, 2014 4:04 pm

    These look so perfect! I have not had them often, but I love momo’s . I can totally understand you put all that time and effort into learning how to make them. And wow what a result!

    • March 15, 2014 7:29 pm

      Thank you! Yes, they were definitely worth the time and effort. It especially feels like that now that we’ve finally figured out our favorite version of the recipe—and we’ve made them so many times recently, they’ve really started to feel even more do-able, which means we get to eat them more often!

      (I’m excited that a half-recipe of the filling is in my freezer right now, so we can whip them up again soon—we’ve even made them on a weeknight before, also with half the filling pre-made and the chutney made the day before!)

  20. March 15, 2014 4:09 am

    These look amazing. I’m printing the recipes as I write. My family loves dumplings, never had any like this though. I even have all the Indian seasonings because I set up my own American/Indian kitchen this year! Can’t wait to try these. Thanks for sharing your hard earned recipes!

  21. March 16, 2014 6:25 am

    Those look wonderful! Though I must admit, there’s nary a dumpling from anywhere that I don’t like. An Indian restaurant here has some Nepalese items, including dumplings, on the menu that I’ve been meaning to try.

  22. The Editors of Garden Variety permalink
    March 16, 2014 8:51 am

    Wow….beautifully presented and so delicious I am sure.

  23. MyKabulKitchen permalink
    March 16, 2014 4:20 pm

    I love dumplings and finding various variations on this same dish that can be found all over Asia, these are so cute and small easy to eat more at once. Thanks for sharing :-)

    • March 18, 2014 9:49 pm

      Thanks for commenting! :) I really love dumplings, too (and I agree, the nice thing about small dumplings is it’s easy to eat more at once!).

  24. March 17, 2014 8:08 am

    Holy moly I’m salivating!!! These look and sound so good! :)

  25. March 17, 2014 8:26 am

    These look heavenly..! I’m so tempted to eat some!

    • March 18, 2014 9:53 pm

      Thanks so much, Anitha! I’d love to hear what you think of the recipe if you get a chance to try it.

      • March 19, 2014 4:58 am

        Sure thing. Will try it out soon.. I did try making some long back.. In fact 2 times.. But sigh the Momo covering always ended up a wee too thick to my liking.. :(

      • March 23, 2014 9:28 am

        OMG OMG.. The wrappers turned out so perfect..just what I have been hunting for…

        I made a veggie filling & a soy based dip.. My Sunday night dinner was perfect… Thanks for the recipe..!

      • March 26, 2014 9:36 pm

        Yay!! Thanks so much for trying the recipe! Paula and I both just read your post with your vegetarian version of momos, and we’re both really happy that you liked the dumpling wrappers so much.

  26. March 17, 2014 10:03 am

    whoa! these sound SO delicious. and i have zero idea how to (successfully) make steamed dumplings, but this would be a great reason to give them another go. :)

    • March 18, 2014 9:59 pm

      Thanks, Shannon! These are the first (successful) homemade steamed dumplings for which I’ve(Paula’s) made homemade dough! It was actually way less tricky than I thought it would be (but still a lot of time/work of course)—we only had the dumpling wrappers get sticky/thin/tear open on our very first batch (and that was only a few of them) but since then we’ve perfected our folding techniques, and they’ve all turned out just perfectly!

      You can always use storebought dumpling wrappers to start getting into dumpling making, but honestly, I find those harder to get to stick closed, whereas these homemade dough ones pinched closed so easily, without even needing anything like cornstarch or water.

  27. March 17, 2014 11:27 am

    these look, and sound amazing! All that recipe testing totally paid off!! Great job Allison

  28. March 18, 2014 3:05 am

    I did it! I made your Nepali Momo’s on Sunday to precede our traditional St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef & Cabbage. I figured the Momo’s had cabbage in them, so there was a connection! I really just wanted to make them and was having 12 guests in all, so a great time to try them out. Your recipe worked out great and made 60 dumplings! Needless to say, not one made it to the next day! They were a huge hit, even for those who thought they were too spicy or that are not familiar with Indian spices. Fortunately, since I set myself up to cook Indian foods about six months ago (I have my Masala Dabba’s at the ready), I had all the spices needed. The Momo’s really were great. I did not make my own dough, but they still turned out delicious! They didn’t look as beautiful as yours, but they tasted awesome just the same! I will make these again and again and again. Thanks!

    • March 18, 2014 10:32 pm

      YAY, thanks, Kerry! Your comment made my day!! I love that you connected momos with St. Patrick’s Day because of the cabbage—awesome. It sounds like they were the perfect appetizer for your 12-guest St. Patrick’s Day dinner! And I’m glad all of your spices could come in handy.

      (Oh and don’t worry; mine didn’t look as beautiful as… mine the first two times I made them, but they just got nicer and nicer looking with practice—they were always tasty though—and oddly enough, I think they are actually way easier to form into nicer shapes when you use homemade dough than storebought dough, even though you’d think it’d be more challenging, since then you have to make your own dough in the first place.)

  29. March 18, 2014 1:07 pm

    I love dumplings, but had never heard of the Nepali Momo. I lived throughout Asia for many years and always loved the various different dishes like this. This will definitely be put on the list of new recipes to try. Thanks for sharing this, and feel free to check out what we are about: http://naturalninjas.com/

    • March 18, 2014 10:34 pm

      Awesome; I’m glad to hear this is going on your list! (I have a very long list of recipes-to-try so it’s always kind of a miracle when one of them actually gets cooked, but I’d love to hear how you like these dumplings if you get a chance to make them :)

  30. March 19, 2014 1:24 am

    They look soooo good!

  31. March 19, 2014 12:07 pm

    I love dumplings! Yours look so delicious! We make similar in Russia, tasty too ;)

    • March 20, 2014 9:30 am

      Thanks! Wow, I’d love to learn about the recipe for the similar Russian dumplings! I’ve loved every dumpling I’ve ever met. :)

      • March 21, 2014 12:01 pm

        I haven’t post the recipe yet..but I will :) It’s easy to fall in love with dumplings :D

  32. walgenbe permalink
    March 20, 2014 9:56 am

    Thank you Allison!! I also have to eat these dumplings at Himal Chuli every time I go home to Madison. We tried to make them last time I was home, but the wrappers were a little tough and I also totally failed to wrap them in a cute way. I am so excited to try this version. Do you think it would work to substitute mushrooms for turkey to make them vegetarian? Do you remember what the mix is at himal chuli?

    I have a Chinese dumpling recipe to share as well from Alana’s mom! Once I move to brooklyn, I am totally going to make these. Dumpling party perhaps!?!

    • March 20, 2014 10:59 am

      Yay, I’m so glad to hear you want to try these! (Also, it’s funny you tried to make your own momos *while in* Madison… but yeah, ordering momos at Himal Chuli is also a must for me, every time.)

      I’ve actually only had the vegetarian ones at Himal Chuli and never the meat ones (which I think have a mixture of ground chicken and turkey), but so far we’ve only made non-vegetarian versions at home, since they’re more appealing to Paula.

      I think the vegetarian Himal Chuli ones really have peanuts (!) as their main ingredient—to be honest, I couldn’t quite figure out what else was giving them most of their bulk—but as I mentioned above, I think some vegetarian fillers that might work well include a peanut/cashew combination, along with cooked potatoes, and/or paneer. I didn’t think of using mushrooms, but yeah, I’d say go for it! (Maybe while upping the amounts of peanuts/cashews, too?) And let me know how they turn out!!

      (I’d love to learn Alana’s mom’s dumpling recipe, too… or perhaps you’d want to write a guest post about it?!)

      Meanwhile, I so wish I could just hop on a plane to NYC to have a dumpling party with you… Dumpling parties are the best, since all the folding gets done super quickly, and then it’s all about the eating. :)

  33. March 24, 2014 2:33 am

    Nice

  34. April 3, 2014 3:59 pm

    These are so impressive! My husband grew up eating Momo at his boarding school in India. The town he was in had a big Nepali population. He would be so thrilled if I made these! Maybe I’ll see if they’ll work with my gluten-free dumpling dough? The filing and the chutney sound very tasty!

    • April 10, 2014 10:35 am

      Thanks so much! I’d love to hear how they work with your gluten-free dumpling dough… and I’d also love to hear what your husband thinks of the recipe! :)

  35. toko tommee tippee permalink
    April 4, 2014 9:48 am

    Beautiful picture .. Perfect
    and of course delicious
    I am interested to try it
    thank you for sharing the recipe
    <3

  36. ashish permalink
    March 17, 2015 3:53 am

    Oh well. I like momos too. I am nepali and i love it very much. Just if you add some turmeric powder and roasted sesame in chutney it would taste great. i am saying so because we do love it that way here in Nepal.

  37. lapenajoop@gmail.com permalink
    July 30, 2015 4:57 pm

    Making the chutney is so much simpler, if tried authentic nepali way. To all the ingredients as mentioned here , just add 1 tbsp white sesame seed and 1/2 tsp turmeric. In a small fry pan heat some oil. When the oil is hot, put in the sesame seed and let it all crackle. Once thats done, add in tomatoes (cut into quarters) along with all the other ingredients. You can skip coriander (as it has a stronger taste and subdues other flavours). Cook it for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Now transfer all the cooked ingredients into a blender and blend it until smooth. You can add in some water (2-3 tbsp) to make the chutney more thinner, ideal for dipping momos into them…Yummy!! I might have to make momos today!!! I

  38. Vani Barry permalink
    February 21, 2016 6:32 pm

    I’ve been looking for a copycat recipe of himal chuli’s momos they are my favorite(it’s the only thing I order). I grew up in Madison and went there almost weekly!! I’m so excited to try this!

  39. Maria permalink
    July 29, 2016 2:27 pm

    Looks beautiful and explained nicely. I’ll try to make these tonight!

  40. Jenni permalink
    July 3, 2017 3:08 pm

    Thank you, thank you, thank you! I also grew up in Madison and moved away, and ever since I’ve been missing Himal Chuli’s Momo and Momocha. This recipe is as close to theirs as I have ever tasted. Sent my mom a link to your page too; as 20 year Oregonian transplants still dreaming of our favorite Madisonian restaurant , we are thrilled!

  41. November 3, 2017 11:48 am

    Thank you! I’m a Madisonian addicted to the momocha (veg Momo) at Himal Chuli. I’m home with a nasty cold, and just reading your recipe is clearing out my sinuses and bringing great joy. Can’t wait to be well enough to cook!

  42. Heather permalink
    November 16, 2018 9:58 am

    I made these last week and THEY ARE FANTASTIC!! I have been a fan of the momochas at Himal Chuli for decades and have tried to find a recipe that came close to their deliciousness for years. I made these vegetarian by adding more cabbage and using a block of silken tofu. It was perfection. Thank you so much for your recipe!! Also, as per lapenajoop’s suggestion, I did add turmeric to the chutney, but forgot the sesame. I am making another batch tonight and will be sure to add them both.

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