Eating on the Cheap in Nepal

There is one thing about the Nepalese, they love to eat, and will only eat food at it’s freshest. There isn’t one McDonalds in the entire country, as a testament to the Nepali love of fresh food. However, there are plenty of fast food opportunities that offer fast and fresh food on the cheap.

The momo shop is almost a national treasure, as they are everywhere, and everyone loves visiting one almost daily. Almost like an unwritten federal law, momo shops always offer the same fair: plates of steamed momos, a dozen to a large copper plate, with a dish of tomato achar placed in the middle of the dish.

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Like the noodle shops of Japan, where noodle making is an art form, so is momo-making. A momo is better known throughout the world as a “dumpling,” but that does little to describe the Nepali momo. The Nepali momo is a delicate flour-based pastry filled with spiced meats or vegetables. The momo wrapper is an intricately designed and wafer thin.

Momos come in several varieties: steamed or fried, or with a special version featuring an open top instead of the traditional closed and sealed design.

Momos are eaten with your right hand, and dipped in the spicy achar first. That’s twelve mouthfuls of pure heaven – all for just 50 rupees (66 US pennies or ½ of a Euro) per plate!

If you tire of momos (which of course no Nepali ever does) then there is also the staple meal of the nation: Dhal Bhat. Dhal Bhat is a bit more complex meal, but costs just pennies more then the plate of momos. Here you get a mound of fresh rice, a curry of your choosing (usually chicken or mutton), steamed spinach, spicy pickle, and the spicy achar of momo fame.