Staples & Mains
Jhol Momo
झोल मम:
The youngest member of the Kathmandu momo family, invented in the small dumpling shops of Patan and Bhaktapur in the late 1990s. Steamed momo are floated in jhol achar, a thin, tangy sesame-and-tomato broth sharpened with chilli and timur, so the dumplings soak up sauce as you eat. It is messy, sour, numbing and addictive, and best eaten with a spoon in one hand.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
At the stove
Method
Toast the sesame seeds and peanuts in a dry pan over low heat until they smell nutty and colour lightly, then set them aside to cool.
In the same pan, blister the tomatoes, dried chillies, garlic and ginger until the tomato skins split and blacken in places.
Tip the toasted seeds and the charred vegetables into a blender with the timur, cumin, turmeric and salt, and blitz to a smooth paste.
Heat the mustard oil until it shimmers, then fry the paste for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly so it does not catch, until it darkens and the oil separates at the edges.
Pour in the stock and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes; the jhol should stay thin enough to drink but thick enough to coat a spoon.
Finish the sauce off the heat with lemon juice and most of the coriander, then taste and adjust for salt and sourness.
Steam the momo fresh so they are piping hot, then ladle the jhol into wide bowls and slide the dumplings in.
Scatter over the remaining coriander and serve at once, before the wrappers soften too far.
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