Learn to make classic momo like a pro in Kathmandu with Backstreet Academy’s home cooks
- Momo are small steamed dumplings, popular in Nepal, Tibet and North India
- They are found all over Kathmandu and tourists can learn to make them at home cooking schools in the city
Dil Kumari Maharjan looked at my misshapen dumpling and said with a deceptive smile, “You made an American momo.”
That was not a compliment.
During a week in Kathmandu, I ate momo like a Nepalese, causing platefuls of the popular snack food to vanish with the wave of a fork – not that I would ever use a utensil. According to proper momo etiquette, you must remove the middleman and dig right in with your hands.
The dumplings are eaten throughout South Asia and particularly in Nepal, which adopted the dish from Tibet. Several chain restaurants in Kathmandu, such as Everest Momo and Magic Momo, specialise in the anytime food. Momo appear on the menus at the five-star Hotel Yak and Yeti and at Jazz Upstairs, a live music venue. They show up on wedding buffet lines and inspire eponymous festivals. Friends throw momo parties.
I tasted my first steamed momo at a place called Chinese Kitchen and Burger House and Fast Food, near Patan Durbar Square. I paid less than US$1 for 10 veggie dumplings. After that inaugural sampling, many more momo followed, including several dozen made by a pair of inexpert – yes, American – hands.