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Tibetan Momo is one of the most popular food in Tibet. Or I can call it trans-Himalayan food as people in Nepal has also adapted it into their culture. 

Most travellers enjoy eating Tibetan momo while in Tibet. Your journey to Tibet would be complete without trying it. 

Table of contents

Tibetan Momo culture in Family

When it comes to food in Tibet, every Tibetan loves a juicy momo. Traditionally momos are occasionally made in homes, where all the family members will work together. 

As a child, my mother would always give me a dough to play. I would bring it to my monk grand uncle, and he would teach me how to make sculpture our it like bird and monkeys. As I get older, I start practising with it on how to make momo. 

Each family has different momos recipe. 

Different types of Tibetan momos. (The fillings)

Don’t worry if you are a vegetarian or vegan. Not all the momos are made with meat. Momo can be made with different filling like Vegetable, Tofu, and Cheese. Yet the most popular is the Yak beef momo. 

Different forms of momo

You can cook in three different forms; steamed, fried and boil. It is mater of personal preference which one it the best. Steamed momo is the most commonly used and popular one. 

Steamed momos

It is the most popular form of momo. Here we will steam the momos using the steamer. 

Fried momos

There are two ways to fry momo. 

  1. First, fry the bottom of the momo in the pan with oil. Once when the base becomes yellowish. Put the water and cook it in the water. 
  2. First, cook the momo in the steamer, and fry the cooked momos with oil in the pan. We would usually do it for the leftover momos when we eat it for the second meal. 

Boil momo or soup Momo

Soup momo is similar to making noddles. You will first have to make broth; vegetable broth or bone broth. Once the broth is prepared, we will boil the momos in it. 

The shape of soup momo is a little different. We call it a Tsetse momo. Meaning mouse momo as the shape looks like a mouse. 

How to make Tibetan momo?

Here we will discuss on how to make steamed yak meat momo. As it the most sort after momo recipe online. 

Ingredient of making momo

  • Ground Meat: It can be any beef, mutton or chicken ( 600gram)
  • Flour: Any wheat flour can be used. (600gram)
  • Green Onion (3 pieces)
  • Soy Source ( 2 tablespoons)
  • Salt 
  • Bouillon Cube
  • Vegetable oil
  • Sichuan pepper

Recipe of Tibetan Momo

Dough Making

  1. Make the dough with a desired amount of wheat. Put a little salt in the wheat before dough. For more comfortable, you can use the dough machine. Yet, you will have to knead it manually after the machine.
  2. Put a lit on the dough, set it aside while preparing for fillers. It is best to put it in an airtight container or wrap it in plastic.

Making filling

  • Cut the green onion into small pieces
  • Mince the Bouillon Cube. ( don’t put it too much other it will become salty).
  • On the ground meat add;
  1. Ground onion 
  2. Soy source ( 2 tablespoons for 600gram meat)
  3. Minced Bouillon
  4. Salt (1/2 tablespoon for 600-gram meat)
  5. Vegetable Oil (2 tablespoons for 600-gram meat)
  6. A little bit of ground Sichuan pepper
  7. Water (125ml for 600gram meat)
  • Mix it well and most importantly keep adding water while mixing it. Keep adding as the water get soaked in meat.

Preparing Wrapping of momo

  • On a cutting board, spread a little bit of wheat. Knead the dough for few more times once the surface of the dough is smooth. It is ready.
  • Roll the dough until it becomes long and even. Break the dough into a manageable size. 
  • Keep rolling evenly to turn it into a roll
  • Once the roll is about 1 inch thick, cut it into 1-inch square cube. 
  • Roll the square in the middle of the palm of both hand together. Once it is round, press to make is flat. 
  • Roll the dough further using the wooden roller. The objective is the make the wrapper thicker in the centre and thinner on edge. That is to prevent soup leakage from the filling after cooking. (See the video on how).

Folding of momo

1) Folding of circular steam and fried momos.

Put the flaten dough on left palm, put a 1/2 spoon of filling. Pinch with a right hand, as you continue pinching rotate the in circular until it becomes a momo ball.

2) Folding of moon shape steam and fried momos.

Put the flaten dough on left palm, put a 1/2 spoon of filling. From one side pinch about 1.5 cm, fold about the same size and pinch back. Repeat until the end. 

3) Folding of Tsetse momo for Soup momo

Put the flaten dough on left palm, put a 1/2 spoon of filling. Pinch and fold, pinch and fold from another side, repeat and changing the side until it is finished.

4) Folding of easy momo for steam and fried momo

Put the flaten dough on left palm, put a 1/2 spoon of filling. Pinch all the way to end. 

Momo cooking method

1) Steaming

  • To prevent momo from sticking on the steamer. Apply vegetable oil on a steamer. 
  • Place momos with minimal distance from one another. 
  • And put the steamer on the boiling water to cook. Usually, we make the bone broth and steam momo above it. 
  • It takes 15 minutes to cook the momo in a steamer. To check, touch the momo in a steamer if momo is not sticking on your finger. It means the momo is ready to cook. 

2) Frying momo

  • First, apply oil evenly on the pan.
  • Before liting the flame, Place the momo in the pan.
  • Please turn on the flame and fry it for a while.
  • After 2-3 minutes, Pick up a momo to check its bottom when you see the base colour turn yellowish from burned. 
  • Pour a cup of water slowly over in the pan until the water reaches about half of the momo.
  • Put the lid on, lower the flame to medium and leave it for few minutes.
  • We will know that momo is ready when we see all the water evaporates. Or listen to sizzle sound it makes after water gets evaporates.

3) Soup momo

  • Boil water and add bone in it to create the nice broth.
  • Lower the heat to medium, put lid on and let it boil for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, take the bone out. Scoop out the fats and the impurities. 
  • Then add salt
  • Now add Tsetse momo. Stir as you add momos to make sure, it doest sticks to the bottom.
  • Lower the heat, put the lid on and leave it for another 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, you will know the momo is ready as it will float on the top.
  • Put the momo and soup in a bowl and add a little bit of parsley to greenish it. ( You can also choose to put a green vegetable while adding momo to the soup).
Restaurant Style Momo: The Ultimate Guide to Making Tibetan Dumplings

Complimentary food with momo

  1. Bone broth
  2. Chille paste
  3. Raddish pickle
  4. Soy Source

Characteristic of good Tibetan momo

  • Good momo needs to retain yummy juices.
  • The shell of a perfect momo is delicate yet firm enough to hold in the juices inside.
  • As you bite, a volcano of good juice should ooze out to your mouth. (Be careful).
  • Momo is best to eat hot and steamy. 
  1. Rabsel Momo
  2. Chagtha Momo
  3. Ani Momo
  4. Tibetan Family kitchen

 Conclusion

Above is a brief introduction of Tibetan Yak momo for you. I hope you will like this post. 

You can read more Tibet travel guide from this link or visit our travel agency website: https://itibettravel.com.

If you have any further questions about travelling to Tibet, please do write to us for a free travel consultant to Tibet. You can reach us at [email protected].

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