Momo Nepali Food Dish – Chicken and Vegetable

Have you ever tried to make the Nepali dish momo at home?

No? You are SO missing out. You’ve got to! It’s super easy to make these at home.

And you know what? They are juicy and loved by many many people.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the magic of making them yourself! But hey, if cooking isn’t your thing, just come by our restaurant for the best Nepal momos in Lisbon, Portugal!

What is Momo made of?

When you enjoy dinner in Lisbon at Royal spice and order momo, you have two filling choices — minced chicken or vegetable. All of this is wrapped in a dough made from flour and water.

It even comes with a momo Nepali food sauce! (trust us, you’ll want the extra sauce)

Why is Momo so tasty?

The secret? You have to come to Royal Spice and ask chef Gopal (on the left) personally — the main chef at Royal Spice and the one behind our menu!

What is the difference between Nepali Momos and Chinese dumplings?

While both are delicious, the Nepali dish momo has a unique flavour thanks to its spices.

The main difference lies mainly in the spices — Nepali Momos often use garam masala, pepper and more. Chinese dumplings usually have milder seasonings.

The folding techniques are also different.

Love Nepali food? Check out our chicken and vegetable samosa recipe for a delicious starter!

Nepal Momos recipe

This is such a versatile recipe—not only in the way you cook it but also the filling!

While this recipe is for chicken/vegetable steamed momos, because that’s the way we prefer them at Royal Spice, you can:

• Easily shallow-fry, pan-fry or deep fry them.
• OR stuff it with almost anything—paneer, mushrooms, pork, tofu, seitan, or even seafood.

This street-style momo Nepali food recipe is for 4 servings/people. Now if you want it to become a meal and not a starter just double the quantities!

By the way, don’t get overwhelmed by the number of steps in this recipe; everything is really straightforward.

Pro Tip: Momos take a while to make when made from scratch (10-15 minutes active time but 1 to 2 hours total due to the dough). So we advise you to make momos when you have enough time to spare.

OR even better, you prep ahead and make a lot of dough at once, and store it in the freezer. That’s how we do it at Royal Spice!

You can also probably find pre-made dumpling wrappers at Asian supermarkets in your town.

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Momos

What we use at Royal Spice for 30 momos and that you will need are:

For the dough:

• 190g or 1.6 cups of all-purpose flour

(you can use whole wheat flour as well, but the wrapper will be really dense and chewy).

All-purpose flour adds more gluten and makes the wrapper easier to roll and pleat.

• 115ml or 1/2 cup of water (adjust as needed)
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of oil (optional)

For the filling:

• 331.5g minced chicken (or 800g blended veggies)

Feel free to customise the stuffing based on both your preferences and available ingredients. Just try to avoid using watery vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes, as they can cause the momos to break during steaming.

• 3 small onions (finely chopped)
• 2.5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 ginger (grated)
• 1.75 tsp turmeric powder
• 1.25 tsp cumin powder
• 1.75 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 2 tsp of cornflour

For the momo sauce (spicy tomato chutney)

• 1.75 large tomatoes (chopped)
• 4.5 green chilies (adjust spice level)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1.5 tsp or 1-inch ginger
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1.75 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
• 22ml or 1.5 tbsp soy sauce

Steps

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

So, how do you make dough?

Begin by mixing, in a bowl, all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt. Then SLOWLY, not in a crazy way, add lukewarm water and oil (if you would like), mixing until a firm, smooth dough forms.

Now, comes the hard work ahah — you have got to knead the dough for about 5 minutes.

Once you feel like the dough is elastic, cover it with a damp towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the Filling

The way you prepare the filling depends on whether you’re making chicken or vegetable momos.

For the vegetable filling — we need to stir fry and cook before using it.

This is because when steamed, veggies release a lot of water. So if they’re not precooked, you’ll end up with soggy, and not good, momos.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Heat oil in a pan, add minced garlic and grated ginger, and sauté until fragrant.
• Add chopped onions and mixed vegetables (to your taste). Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, and garam masala, stirring well to coat the vegetables.
• Add soy sauce, salt, and pepper, then mix well.
• Sprinkle cornflour over the mixture and stir to combine.
• Remove from heat and let the filling cool before using.

For chicken filling, you don’t have to precook it, as it gets cooked along with the momos when they steam.

All you have to do is mix all the raw filling ingredients together in a bowl. And then stir well to turn it into an uniform mixture and let it marinate for extra flavour.

Step 3: Shape the Nepal Momos

Now, simply cut the dough into small pieces, each about 6-7 grams. Then, all you have to do is place a spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper.

Fold the edges, pleating as you go, and seal the top.

You can shape the Nepal momos in many different ways. But at Royal Spice this is how we do it to give it an elegant look:



Note: If you don’t consider yourself a pro at shaping the momos, don’t feel sad! It often comes with practice. The more you practice, the easier it gets — keep it going 🙂

You can even purchase momo Nepali food wrappers (easily available in the freezer section of any Asian supermarket).

Step 4: Steam the Momos

Next step is to prepare a steamer by adding water and bringing it to a boil.

Then if you don’t want your momo Nepali food sticking, line the steamer with parchment paper.

Now you can place the Nepal momos inside.



IMPORTANT: Ensure they are not touching each other! Do not make that rookie mistake as these tend to expand while steaming and overcrowding will make the Nepal momos stick to each other.

And let them steam for 8-10 minutes. To check for doneness, look at the skin. It should be slightly translucent and non-sticky. If it feels sticky, steam for another minute or two.

Step 5: Make the Dipping Sauce

The dipping sauce for Momo Nepali food is spicy and delicious — It’s called Achaar.

How to make momo sauce?

It’s super simple! Start by heating oil in a pan, then add garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds. Sauté for a minute.

Add chopped tomatoes and dried chilies, cooking until soft.

To finalise it, blend everything into a smooth paste, and mix in soy sauce and salt to taste.

Step 6: Serve & Enjoy

And there you go! Now, you can make Momos as an appetiser or even turn them into an Indian main course



Try to serve them still hot and with the dipping sauce on the side.

OR, if you don’t feel like cooking — come to Royal Spice.

Share your experience in the kitchen with your friends and tag us so we can also see your culinary creations!

Happy cooking! 🙂

What makes a good momo?

A thin, soft wrapper, a juicy and well-seasoned filling, and of course, that killer momo Nepali food sauce!

The secret? You have to come to Royal Spice and ask Gopal personally — the main chef at Royal Spice and the one behind our menu!

How to freeze momos

Frozen momos can easily last for up to 1 month without going bad (when sealed in an airtight bag).

Here’s what you need to do:

• Until you reach step 3, everything remains the same.
• Then you need to arrange them, so that you prevent them from drying.
• You can do that by arranging the momos on a silicone-lined baking sheet in rows, ensuring they don’t touch. Cover with a damp towel to avoid drying.
• Then the next step is to freeze the Nepal momos on a tray for 1-2 hours.
• Once frozen, transfer them in small portions into ziplock bags, so you can take out only what you need.
• When you feel ready to cook, steam the frozen momos directly, adding an extra minute or two—no need to defrost.

Momo Nepali Food FAQ