If you thought momos were merely a quick snack to pop on the go, the momo festival at Abcos might make you think again. The multi-storied food plaza at IB Block is hosting a month-long momo festival all February, promising to turn the humble dumpling into a full-fledged culinary experience.
“We are known for our multi-cuisine offerings — North Indian, tandoor, Bengali, Chinese and continental. But we have a chef with extensive experience in making momos and wanted customers to try them out,” says manager Samiran Mitra. “So this is our first-ever momo festival, and when done right, this dish will be popular enough for diners of any cuisine to try them as a starter.”
There are ample options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Besides the ever-popular steamed variety, most momos are available fried or pan-fried too. “The pan-fried momos are additionally tossed in a hot garlic sauce, but we make it more tangy than spicy so that everyone can enjoy it,” says chef Amit Das.
The vegetarian filling includes ingredients like cabbage, carrot, sweet corn and broccoli, and there are also Paneer Momo and Corn Cheese Momo (Rs 389). “Corn and cheese is a killer combination, and this has already become one of our most popular dishes,” says Das.
Non-vegetarians can try Chicken or Prawn Momos, also available in crunchy or cheesy versions. “For the crunchy ones, we first steam the momos, coat them in panko crumbs and deep-fry them,” explains the chef, who chose the recipes after much experimentation. “For the cheesy option, we pour a prepared sauce over them, made of cheese, milk and seasoning.” A plate of Cheese Prawn Momo costs Rs 504, but all other prawn options are Rs 420.
Each portion consists of six momos, served with thick chicken or vegetarian soup and a momo sauce that is flavourful without being overwhelmingly spicy. “The original Tibetan momo sauce is made of red chilli, garlic and salt, but that would be too fiery for people of the plains, so we balance it with ginger and tomato,” Das explains.
The dumplings are rather large too, filled end-to-end with stuffing and need three to four bites each. “In our city, people have come to think of momos as a snack, but in Tibet, they were eaten for breakfast, so they are quite wholesome,” the chef said. “And unlike fast-food counters, we prepare everything fresh when an order is placed, which makes a huge difference to the taste.”
Brinda Sarkar