Street Icon · Steamed Dumplings

Momo

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Bhutan's cheese momo, stuffed with datshi mixed with cabbage, onion and chili, has no meat at all, a local twist on a dumpling that is usually meat-filled in Tibet.

Momo are hand-pleated dumplings filled with minced beef, pork, or cheese and datshi, folded into small parcels and steamed in stacked bamboo baskets over boiling water. Street stalls in Thimphu sell them by the plate with a fiery ezay chili sauce spooned on top.

Why it's made this way: Momo arrived in Bhutan along trade and migration routes from Tibet, and Bhutanese cooks made the dish their own by folding local cheese and chili directly into the filling, turning a Tibetan staple into a distinctly Bhutanese snack.

Full guide: what Momo is and how to make it, on the Momo page from Nepal.