HYDERABAD: The distinct Tibetan influence on the food of Himalayan belt from Ladakh to Arunachal, as well as Nepal, has given us dishes like the momo which has travelled all over the country to become a ubiquitous street food. The delicious dumplings stuffed with minced meat and a little bit of chopped ginger are usually served steamed or fried.
A vegetarian variety has also emerged catering to a large number of vegetarians in this country. In the towns of North India, it is very common to find roadside stalls with aluminium steamers, selling varieties of momos. The dumplings are often served with a fiery red chutney which has red chilli paste, oil, garlic and sometimes tomatoes as their ingredients.
A lesser-known delicacy from the Tibetan kitchen is Thukpa, a hot watery broth with noodles, vegetables, and meat, with chopped garlic and ginger generally used as seasoning. One can also have a vegetarian version with diced vegetables, peas, and chopped greens. Variations in this dish across the Himalayan belt result in ingredients such as corn, butter, cheese and soya sauce being used, the types of noodles used in the dish are also different from place to place.
The Nepalese version of thukpa uses a lot of masalas and chilli powders. It is a complete meal by itself which can be enjoyed during any time of the day. It provides warmth and nourishment during the harsh winters in the hills. New Ann Chinese Kitchen, a small fourteen-seater outlet near Paradise circle Secunderabad, has been serving both momos and thukpas for the past five years.
They only have chicken as the main meat here, and the dishes are served with a spicy tomato, chilli and garlic sauce. As per Hemanth Mukhia, the owner of the outlet, momo is their fastest selling dish. Apart from the chicken variation, they also offer vegetarian version which uses cabbage, carrot and spring onions. A plate of steamed chicken momos costs `100 for eight pieces, whereas the fried version is ten rupees more. A big bowl of chicken thukpa at the eatery is available for only `100. Hemanth, whose family hails from Darjeeling says that thukpa is not yet popular with his general customers, but slowly gaining a small and loyal fan base.
In Hyderabad, though Thukpa is rare to find, the availability of momos are much more often through small kiosks. Kathmandu Momos, a standalone roadside stall in Somajiguda and Madhapur serves the Nepali version of this dish. Zomoz has small kiosks selling momos in few locations in Cyberabad. In the Shamshabad area close to the airport, Dumpling House is another place known for good momos and thukpa.
(Sabyasachi is a food enthusiast and blogs at www.foodaholix.in)