An insight on Momos: Difference between Momos and Dim Sums

Momos do not need any introduction as one of the favorite snacks of Indians. They are not Indian but still could be found sold in every street of India which made it one of the most sold street snacks. Momos traditionally were nonvegetarian, but Indians transformed them into a vegetarian and most popular vegetarian versions are Paneer and corn momos (Paneer – Instant non melting cheese made by curdling milk with acid derived from fruits).

Preparation:

It is pretty easy to prepare momos, first dough is prepared from wheat flour and then it is left to rest for 30 to 45 mins. The small round flat sheets like chapatis are prepared with the help of the rolling pin, then nicely minced meat or veg stuffing with spices is placed in the center of those sheets and a small bun is prepared by wrapping the filling. Then these buns are steamed, fried, baked (Tandoori) and boiled, and then served with a sauce prepared from chilies, onions and tomatoes.   

Sauce: It is prepared from the very hot 'Dalle khorsani' chilies. First, dried dalle khorsani chilies are soaked in water, then ground with sliced onions and tomatoes. Finally, garlic and ginger paste with salt and pepper are added, and the sauce is ready. Ensure while preparing the sauce keep the kitchen’s door and windows open as its smell could get mixed with air could lead to irritation in eyes and could lead to unstoppable sneezing.

Difference between momos and dim sum:

For more than 95% of Indians both are the same and the only difference they could think of is word dim sum is associated with fine dining and word momos used when served as a street snack, which is partially correct. Let me try to explain the difference between them in a very crisp way.

Momos: These are the dumplings which are prepared from the refined wheat flour (Maida - a finely milled white wheat flour) used as an outer layer with filling (here filling could be of anything) often served with spicy sauce, it is mostly considered as a proper meal and originated in Tibet. It got its name from the word ‘mog mog’ means a 'filled bun' in the Tibetan language. Its outer layer is always opaque. Mostly momos are steamed or fried.

Dim sums: There are the dumplings that can be prepared from any type of flour, mostly smaller in size than momos, always served with tea. Dim sums can also be sweet in taste. It got its name from Cantonese language word meaning ‘touch the heart’. Outler layer can be opaque, translucent, or transparent. Dim sums can be boiled, steamed, deep fried, shallow fried, or baked.

In short, all momos are dim sums but all dim sums aren’t momos.

History: There hasn’t been any specific evidence to prove from where and when momos were first prepared, but there have been many stories stating that it first originated in Tibet in the 14^th century and Yak minced meat was used as a filling because vegetables were scarce in the cold and rocky Himalayan Tibet region. In the second half of the 14^th century, it is believed that it got very popular in Nepal also when Newar merchants from Kathmandu valley brought its recipe to Nepal and from there it got popular in Sikkim, Bhutan and other Indian adjoining areas. In actual it gained popularity after 1959 when Tibetans refugees arrived in India and from there Indians started experimenting with the fillings and that gave birth to chicken momos, paneer momos, corn momos and other varieties of veg momos.

Now: Like samosa, momos could be found everywhere in India. It could be one of the cheapest hunger encountering food item in India as of now. Soupy, steamed, baked (tandoori) or fried all types of momos rule the taste buds of Indians.