Experience the amazing flavors of homemade Nepali chicken momo with this easy-to-follow recipe. These tasty dumplings, filled with seasoned minced chicken, are a perfect meal for any time of the day!
Nepali Momo
Momo is Nepal’s most popular street food. It is made with dough wrap filled with meat or veggies and served with a dipping sauce called momo achar or a soup sauce called Jhol sauce.
It’s a must-try food whenever you visit Nepal. What I love about Momo is that they can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or main course.
In Nepal, the Buff momo is the most popular type, and it’s my personal favorite. However, momo can be made with any meat (chicken, pork) or even a vegetarian option.
Making momo may take a while, but the end result is definitely worth it, and it’s a fun experience. With the right ingredients and techniques, anyone can make a delicious batch of momos at home.
Here is a simple and easy Nepali chicken momo recipe.
Ingredients For Nepali Momo Recipe
Meat: You can buy ground chicken from a local grocery store or make mince at home using a blender. I usually use chicken thighs, as they are extra juicy, but if you prefer, you can use chicken breast instead.
Vegetables Cabbage, white onion, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.
Spices: Turmeric, red chili powder, and Momo masala powder.
Seasoning: Fenugreek seed, black pepper, salt, and soy sauce.
Oil: Any vegetable cooking oil
Momo Wrapper Making Momo wrappers is the most time-consuming. However, if you want to save time, you can buy a ready-made wrapper from the grocery store, but here for this recipe, I am making it from scratch.
All-purpose flour: You can use any purpose flour suitable for baking. If you want a healthier option, you can also use wheat flour.
Water Lukewarm water
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables, cabbage, and onion. Add them to a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds.
- Transfer the vegetables to a bowl with ground chicken.
- Add soy sauce, momo masala powder, ginger garlic paste, and salt. Combine all ingredients and set it aside.
Tips: If you want to chop vegetables by hand, that’s fine—but I prefer to use a blender. It’s faster and easier, and it gives me more control over the consistency of my mixtures. Make sure not to overdo it while using the blender.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add fenugreek seeds. Cook until the seeds turn brown.
- Then add turmeric powder and red chili powder and cook it for a few seconds.
- Pour oil into the bowl. Next, add cilantro, mix well, and set it aside.
- Add a cup of flour to a bowl and slowly add warm water to the dough.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth. Cover it for 10 minutes.
- Now, make a small round dough and use your hands to roll out the circle.
- Then, use a rolling pin to roll out a circle on a wooden surface similar to the one in our picture.
- Place one tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper.
- Lift the sides and start pleating the wrapper towards the center. Press gently and close when joining the pleats to form a round-shaped dumpling.
- Make a batch of Momo. While there are various shapes you can choose from, I prefer round ones as they are easier to make.
- Grease the steamer pan with oil and arrange the momo in the pan accordingly.
- Add warm water to the steamer pot and simmer on medium heat. Steam it for 25-30 minutes on medium heat.
- Once cooked, let it cool for a few minutes before removing the momo. Finally, serve it with momo achar or jhol achar and lassi.
Serving Suggestion
When it comes to serving Nepali momo, there are a few options to consider.
- One popular choice is to serve momo with a spicy tomato-based achar. This achar is made by blending tomatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, and other spices to create a tangy and flavorful dipping sauce.
- Another way to serve momo is with a jhol or soupy sauce made with peanuts and tomatoes. This sauce is made by mixing ground peanuts with water, tomato puree, and spices such as cumin, coriander, and garam masala.
Variations
Here are some popular variations of Nepali momo:
Sadeko Momo: Sadeko means “marinated” in Nepali, and this variation involves marinating the momo in a spicy mixture of chili, garlic, and spices.
Chili Momo: Chilli momo is another popular variation perfect for spice lovers. It is usually prepared by frying steamed momo and then cooking it in a thick gravy sauce made with tomato, onion, and bell pepper.
Tandoori Momo: Tandoori Momo is a fusion of Indian and Nepali cuisine. It is marinated in a mixture of yogurt and tandoori spices before being grilled or baked.
How To Store Momo?
Here are some tips on how to store momo:
Refrigerate: If you have leftover momo, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate it. Momo can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. When you are ready to eat it, steam it for a few minutes or even microwave it until it is heated through.
Freeze: If you want to store Momo for a longer period, you can freeze them. Place the momo in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze them. Frozen momo can last for up to 2-3 months. When you are ready to eat them, steam them for 25-30 mins and serve them with momo achar.
Other Momo Recipe
Equipment
- Bowl
- Fork
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Soya Chunks
- 1.5 lb ground chicken
Vegetables
- 2 cup chopped cabbage
- 1½ cup chopped onion
- 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Spices
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp momo masala
Oil
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
Seasoning
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp salt (as per taste)
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Momo wrapper
- 2½ cup flour
- 1 cup water (momo wrapper)
Other
- ¼ cup water (blending vegetables)
- 10 cup water(steaming momo)
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables, cabbage, and onion. Add them to a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds.1.5 lb ground chicken, 2 cup chopped cabbage, 1½ cup chopped onion
- Transfer the minced vegetables to a bowl with ground chicken.
- Add soy sauce, ginger garlic paste, salt and momo masala powder. Combine everything well.2 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp salt (as per taste)
Tempering
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.1 ½ tbsp oil
- Once hot add fenugreek seed. Let it cook for a min on high heat.½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- After that, add spices (turmeric and red chili powder). Let it cook for a few seconds. Pour it to the bowl.½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tbsp momo masala
- Add cilantro. Combine everything well and set it aside.3 tbsp chopped cilantro
Momo Preparations
- Make a dough by adding flour in a bowl and water. Knead the dough thoroughly until it's firm but not sticky. Cover it for 10 mins.2½ cup flour, 1 cup water (momo wrapper)
- Make a small round-shaped ball using your hand.
- Then use a rolling pin, roll the dough into a small circle on your wooden surface, keeping the edges thin.
- Put one tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper.
- Begin pleating the wrapper from the sides towards the center using your index and thumb fingers. When joining the pleats, press gently and close to create a round dumpling.
Steaming Process
- Fill a momo steamer with 10 cups of water.10 cup water(steaming momo)
- Bring water to a boil in the steamer.
- Grease the momo tray with oil before arranging the momos. Arrange momo in the steamer basket, leaving some space between them.
- Cover the basket or pot with a lid.
- Steam momo for 25-30 mins on high heat until it has a shiny outer covering.
- Once cooked, remove momo from the steamer. Let it cook down for few mins. Serve hot with momo achar.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you tried this recipe, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. If you liked it, remember to rate the recipe. Your feedback helps other readers decide if they want to make this recipe. Thank you!