“Momo’s” no “Dim Sum’s”.So, when was the last time you engaged in friendly banter with someone on whether to call those delectable and succulent steamed morselsas “Momo’s” or “Dim Sum”!! Well, now that we have got your attention, let’s try and sort it out for you.
Chef Ravindranath Chatterjee, Deputy General Manager R & D Innovative Foods Limited, Makers of Brand Sumeru shares an interesting insight into the history and top momo trends of 2019 to savour this season. Momos can be called as the Alter ego or rather our indigenous take on the eponymous “Dim Sum’s”.
While dimsum’s saw its emergence in China, in their revered Tea houses, especially being served as an accompaniment along with Tea and Dim Sum connotes to multiple forms, shapes, Flavours, colour and other exquisite varieties. While Momo’s are ideally simplified version and less intricate, basically flavoured stuffed meat or vegetable dumplings with a flour coating and may have variations of it, and are ubiquitously found across all the local food joints across India.
The journey of momos from Tibet traces its path back to the times when the Newar merchants brought the recipe from Lhasa into Nepal and subsequently it became popular and common street food across different parts of India. Today, momos are a welcome addition to the Indian culinary scene and there are many reasons behind ‘momo madness’.
Momos are bite-sized appetisers which can be found in every nook and corner of many cities in India including Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and others. Traditional momos would have non-vegetarian fillings such as Yak, beef, pork, chicken, or just cabbage. But today, momos have evolved from their humble beginnings to crazy experiments and gone uber chic.
They come in different varieties, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, such as cabbage, carrot, beans, coriander and ginger, schezwan chicken, noodles, minced fish, prawn and potato. The current interesting twist these days is Tandoori momos with fiery hot red chutney and sprinkled chaat masala, which adds to the burgeoning but welcome list of momos. Some very wacky but interesting momo varieties that are trending nowadays are butter chicken momos, coconut momos, oreomomos, korma momos, and vodka and soup.
Momos have now become the staple food go-to snack of Gen X, Y and Z. They find themselves in the menus of posh fine dining restaurants and on street corners in most metros. Being light on the stomach and delicious on the palate is probably why it ranks high on the food popularity charts.
In an era where everyone is trying to be as innovative as possible and fusion food is the 'in thing', the simply steamed dumpling seems to have come of age.
Here are some of the lip-smacking and innovative momo ideas that you can perhaps try the next time the mood for momos hits you:
Oreo Momos:
This momo is stuffed with an oreo biscuit and some chocolate sauce, usually, Nutella steamed and then fried. It's served with chocolate sauce and can be paired with vanilla ice cream.
Coconut Momos:
The coconut version is steamed and stuffed with dry coconut, which is powdered and mixed with vegetables and paneer. As it steams, it becomes creamy on the inside as the coconut oil oozes out and helps the vegetables and paneer to cook and mix. This version is served with a spicy coconut dip.
Pizza Momos:
The pizza momo is being stuffed with cheese and vegetarian pizza topping options and tastes like pizzas served at small bakeries. It's served with a cheesy dip.
Cocktail Momos:
If you like alcohol, then this truly divine new twist of tandoori momos and vodka is a must-try. Great on an evening out with friends adding some fun.
Today, momos have become an all-season, any time, any age, and any reason snack. With convenient, healthy and frozen momos in a slew of varieties available off the shelf, momos have now become a staple for many. Today, momo is a kind of food that revs up one’s appetite as well as the soul!
