Foto Friday # 16

The aftermath of a particularly fine but very cheap meal in a small restaurant in Bumthang, Bhutan.

Momo’s

Momos are little crescent shaped pieces of heaven. Those little delights that I have been eating since I first hit northern India and Nepal back in the late 90’s. Yes I am that old.

They are made of very simple flour and water dough, not too dissimilar to making raviolis really. The dough is rolled as thin as possible, but not to thin that it will split in the cooking process. The filling is spooned into the centre then they are either made into the more traditional half moon shape or a more round dumpling type shape. They are then steamed over a soup or a stock base, which is served along side the momos in small bowls. A very hearty and delicious snack. It’s never a meal for me, just a starter or a snack.

They are really popular in Nepal and anywhere that Nepalese or even Tibetans hang out. But they can be found all over the Himalayas from Ladakh in the west to Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh in the west.

Pork filling is really popular, but anything can be put inside. I’ve even tasted momos with a vegetable samosa filling. Controversial I know.

They are normally made as a crescent shape but in Bhutan they make them more as a dumpling, in the Chinese style of dumplings. The ones in Bhutan were not the best in the world as the dough was slightly too thick, and sometimes not cooked properly. Potbelly stickers.

The best ones I had on this trip was at a house in Kathmandu. The lady of the house made the most delicious ones I have tasted in an age. The filling was pork, but subtly spiced and with a touch of coriander to give them that freshness. Lovely.

To make momos, you need to fashion the dough into small circular flat pieces. The filling is then enclosed either in a round pocket or in a half moon shape or crescent. The dumplings are then steamed over a soup or stock, this is in turn served with the dumplings, as well as a chilli sauce or even soy sauce if you like.

They can also be steamed and part fried, or even deep fried, not my favorite way of eating momos but some like the crispy coating.

They are very similar in a way to the Chinese Jiaozi. But it is really in Nepal that they are shown to their highest grade.

I’ve never found a decent momo in London, although I always meet someone who knows someone whose friend ate some as good as in Nepal. An urban myth if you ask me.

A Small Taste of the Delights of Bhutan

I never really dreamed I would ever goto Bhutan. It had something to do with the pre paid tour fee of $200 a day plus visa fees and only doing a set itinerary and not travelling freely as I always do. I’m hard to please I know.

But with my new job I was told that I am going to Bhutan for 10 days. It’s not the schedule I would have planned, as double backing on ones self is not the best plan, but it’s free and that counts a lot. So who cares.

So as I had a leisurely trip through Oman, and a mental one through Rajasthan and northern India and Nepal done in a ridiculous amount of time. I had not looked at anything about Bhutan. Never really had time to.

So when we arrived in Bhutan we literally at gunpoint had to force our guide and driver to take us to where the locals eat, and eat typical Bhutanese food. It turns out they were not that willing, as if we eat in a hotel, they eat for free. If you have been reading my previous blog posts about India, I was up to here with hotel food. So their plan went out the window on day one. It is like or lump it boys. We broke them in early and it was for the best.

The Bhutanese are very fond of chillis, and not just any old chilli, a fiery bloody one as well. Their idea of a snack is to eat a raw green chilli with salt. Although saying this, I heard a lot about this habit, but never actually saw anyone eating it.

I reckon the national dish of Bhutan is ema datshi. Which basically is chilli and cheese sauce. Yes, I know. Chilli and cheese sauce. It sounds rank, but somehow it works. Plus you need rice with this, to diffuse the smack in the face of the chillies. They can be a bitch sometimes. They are pre boiled for a time to take out some of the heat, but after eating about 20 of them, no boiling can diffuse the pain you start to feel.

They also serve mushrooms with cheese sauce and also potatoes. Now depending on where you are, you may or may not get the sauce with a slight tangy chilli flavour. It’s good.

Their curries and dhal are pretty watery and not that good. They need to employ someone from India to teach how to make dhal fry or dhal makni, as we never had a decent one. Always like a bad watery lentil soup. Yuck, plus no matter how much we said no, we would always get it.

The other odd thing in the Bhutanese diet is paa. This I think means dried. Well I assume this as I tried pork and beef paa and both were dried. Beef paa is basically strips of beef left out to dry in the sun. It is similar to jerky or biltong, but not left as long, then served with a tiny bit of gravy and some local radish. It’s yum.

The pork paa is a whole different kettle of fish. This mainly consists of dried pork fat and served with a spicy red chilli sauce. It tastes divine as I am a big big big fan of pork fat. But boy did I always pay for it the next day, and pay for it I mean in a big way.

The other treat I had on a daily basis was red rice. This is with out doubt the best tasting rice I have ever eaten. It beats basmati rice with its hands tied behind its back. So much ricey flavour, it is unreal. I have never seen it in London, but I have been told it is available in Southall and Alperton, so we will see. If it is there, I am buying it by the kilo, or several kilos at least.

In and around Bumthang, they grow buckwheat flour, to which they make into noodles, and serve as a cold buckwheat noodle salad called puta. Quite funny if you understand Spanish. I thought so anyhows.

All in all Bhutanese food is pretty good, but eating it on a daily basis would drive you nuts, especially as they cannot cook dhal properly. Maybe I should move there and open up a small café serving decent dhal fry. It’s not that hard.

It’s unlikely that I will ever return to Bhutan, so I will have to cherish the memories of my time there. Bit I will be making a version of ema datshi one day soon and posting it here. Not sure if drying pork fat outside my flat for a few days will be a good idea. But we’ll see.

Foto Friday # 12

The best beer in Bhutan, made in the funky town of Bumthang. It's unfiltered and lasts a month from bottling.

Goodbye to Bhutan

This should have read Hello Bhutan, but it has been a really busy 10 days, what with hotel visits, trekking, eating and drinking. I have not had time to do anything. 
So sadly as you read this we are on our way to Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. No idea what to expect, but I am leaving behind a great unspoilt country that I am going to miss.