A bold statement to be sure, but one made nonetheless by Roads & Kingdoms Executive Editor Anup Kaphle in his latest newsletter to readers.
If you’re not familiar with R&K, it is a James Beard award winning publication started by some serious journalists, foreign correspondents from Time magazine no less, who wanted to focus on food and politics. They can count Anthony Bourdain on their editorial board, where he oversees a longform series called Dispatched. It is the most exciting globe-trotting food writing being published anywhere right now.
Longform journalism is great and all, but I lured you in here with talk of dumplings, so let’s get back to that…
According to Kaphle, the best dumpling in the world is none other than the momo. Thankfully here in Toronto we have a thriving Tibetan restaurant scene. If you haven’t been yet, you need to head to Little Tibet in Parkdale, where you can pick up an order of momos anytime.
They’re also fun to make at home. Because homemade dumplings!!!
Here is Kaphle’s recipe, with a little history lesson:
To me, the best type of dumpling is the MOMO—round palm-sized dough wrappers filled with seasoned meat (vegetables, too, but mostly meat), neatly folded into half-moon-like purses or knotted, round pockets and then steamed. But that’s just half of what makes momo the best dumpling. Once steamed, they are served with a side of chutney or a thick, soupy sauce made with tomatoes, chili peppers, and cilantro. Heaven.
Nepalis like to say momos are from Nepal. The delicious, popular version is. But momo originated in Tibet and made its way into Nepal with the merchants of Kathmandu, the capital, who regularly traveled to Lhasa for business during the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the uprising of 1959, tens of thousands of Tibetans migrated into Nepal as refugees—and with them, they brought their special treat. Newars, the traders from Kathmandu, replaced the yak meat from the original Tibetan recipe with the more readily available water buffalo meat, a local delicacy. Nepalis who didn’t eat buffalo started making them with chicken and goat. Those who didn’t eat any meat at all stuffed their momos with cabbage and potatoes.
But everybody dipped them in chutney—or more commonly these days, in a bowl filled nearly to the brim with jhol, a spicy, lukewarm sauce made by puréeing tomatoes, garlic, cilantro leaves, sesame seeds, roasted soybeans, and half a dozen other spices.
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