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Have you ever wondered about the journey of momo? Come to think of it, the momo has probably travelled the farthest of all foods. That, it is now quite at home on the streets of Kathmandu, as it is comfortable at posh five-star eateries, only confirms how these stuffed dumplings (either  with meat of one’s choice or assorted greens including paneer) have evolved over the years. And how Nepal, which is not even its place of origin, has adopted it like its very own is also an interesting twist.

Today, there is Momo Nepal who prepare momos in bulk and supply them to vendors whose only job is to steam and sell them piping hot with hot sauce to hungry customers who never seem to get enough of them. There was a time, not too long ago, when people associated momos with food from the Northeast. Far from it, it’s not really a part of their traditional cuisine.

Momo, the word itself can make any Nepali salivate, such is the savour of this food which basically is Nepal’s version of dumpling. Forget the plain, bland and boring Dal, Bhat, Tarkari and Achar because momo, our favorite go to snacks is slowly becoming a staple food in Nepali food culture, and why not?

Momo in Nepal is found in every other cafe’s and restaurants and not only that, it is cheap and yum! This traditional delicacy were initially made in a round shape with meat and vegetable stuffing but now, you can find various kind and types of momo in different shape, size and stuffing. Momo is usually served with a dipping sauce, locally called achar and are made with tomato as a base ingredient.

Here is the list of various types and kinds of momo.

1. Steamed Momo

Usually, the momos are steamed and are found in every other restaurants and cafe’s in Nepal. These scrumptious juicy momos are filled with minced veggies or meat and are put in dumpling steamer. Everest momo, Sandar momo and Magic momo are few of the most popular momo places in Kathmandu.

2. Kothey Momo

Kothey momo are half fried and half steamed momo which are made in an elongated shape. The filling can be either veg or various kinds of meat; chicken, buff and pork are mostly available.

3. Chilly Momo

Commonly known as C. momo is your regular momo dipped in a hot and spicy sauce. If you are willing to try something hot and spicy then, C. momo is your best answer. Try this once; we bet you won’t regret it. Okay, you may, but that will solely depend upon your ability to consume spicy things.

4. Fried and Steam-fried Momo

These crunchy version of momos are made by deep frying the momo or frying after steaming the momo. Although, a bit oily, the taste will totally make you forget about your health-conscious thoughts.

5. Jhol Momo

Jhol basically means liquid or having a liquid-like consistency, and Jhol momos are the momos that are drowned in a bowl full of sauce called jhol achar. The sauce or jhol achar is thin in texture and have a bit of a hot, spicy and tangy twist. We believe, Le Trio and GG Machhan are two of the best places to have Jhol Momo in Kathmandu valley.

6. Open Momo

Ghangri Sui Mai, the pioneer of open momo is one of the most preferred places for momo fanatics. The momo wraps have four openings which make it easier to pour their famous assortment of distinctive momo sauce.

7. Tandoori Momo

This lip-smacking combo of momo and tandoori is one to watch out for. It has a rich texture, and your taste bud will definitely drool over it. You can eat these at Best Food Cafe at Gwarko, near B&B hospital.

8. Green Momo

Remember hating spinach as a kid? Well, hate no more! The dough for this spinach or green momos is made of spinach blended with flour and kneaded with the water from the spinach. Hence, the name and the color of the spinach. These momos are now available at many places but Alice restaurant at Gairidhara have one of the best green momos in K-town.

9. Buckwheat (Phaphar) Momo

Available at Alice restaurant in Gairidhara, this momo can be a safe pick for the health conscious folks as the buckwheat momo packs in more protein and nutrients than its regular counterpart momos. The texture of this momo is incredibly light and is very tasty. Remember to eat them piping hot, as they tend to be a bit dry when they get cold.

10. Paneer/Khuwa/Cheese Momo

The dough of the momo is stuffed with either Paneer, Khuwa or Cheese and is served with achar. Although, it sounds a bit unusual, consuming dairy product in the form of momo is always an option.

11. Fish Momo

Served at The Bakery Cafe, fish momo have an unusual flavor and are unusually light than of the regular momo; perhaps that explains the white meat. Nevertheless, it’s a must try for everyone.

12) Dhapu Momo

These giant momos are a bigger version of a regular momo. Some refer to them as Tibetan MoMo, and they are a close version of Chinese Da Pao. As big as child’s fist, they as good as other types. The thickness of dough is not something many people are used to, but hey, it is filling and tastes great. Such momos are more commonly available in places with many of ethnic Tibetans, hence the name, probably.

The food in Nepal was really great. I only wish I had tried more new things, but I blame that on the momos.

Momos, or dumplings, were something I had really been looking forward to. Sean and I are dumpling-obsessed, after falling in love with Adelaide’s Chinatown offerings of fried pork dumplings.

In China, we scoffed countless steamed dumplings into our mouths, and when we arrived in Kathmandu, we were ready for more. I was excited to try the buffalo momos, as I had very fond memories of an amazing buffalo burger I once had in Laos.

The momos in Kathmandu greatly surpassed our expectations.

On our first day in Kathmandu, we found ourselves a nice rooftop restaurant, called Elite. We pulled up a chair next on the balcony, ordered a local beer and a plate of fried buffalo momos.