So, I got into this whole thing about dim sum and momos recently. It started pretty simply, really.
I was travelling a bit, trying out different foods, you know how it is. Landed in a place that was big on momos. Never had ’em before, proper ones anyway. Ordered a plate, steamed ones. They came out, these little doughy things filled with meat. Looked kinda familiar, tasted great, especially with the sauce they gave me.
Then it hit me.
A few weeks later, I’m back home, meeting up with some folks for yum cha, which is basically dim sum time. We’re ordering all the usual stuff – siu mai, har gow, char siu bao. And I’m looking at these little baskets coming out, steam rising, filled with these bite-sized pieces.
Hang on a second, I thought. Steamed dough, filling inside, little dipping sauces on the side. This feels… exactly like those momos I had.
My Little Experiment
Just to check I wasn’t going crazy, I started paying more attention. Went to a different place known for Tibetan food, got momos again. Then hit up another dim sum joint the next weekend.
- Steamed? Check. Both do it.
- Fried? Yep, seen fried versions of both.
- Filled with stuff (meat, veg)? Absolutely.
- Served in small portions? Usually.
- Got dipping sauces? Always.
Okay, okay, people get real technical about it. They’ll tell you the dough is different, the folds are specific, the fillings are traditional to Cantonese or Tibetan or Nepali cuisine. And yeah, fair enough. If you’re a chef or a food historian, those details matter. Big time.
But for me, just eating? Enjoying the food? It felt like the same basic idea dressed up in slightly different clothes. You go to one place, they call it dim sum. You go somewhere else, they call it momos. End of the day, I’m eating delicious little filled dumplings.
I even tried making some at home. Looked up recipes for both. Honestly, the basic process wasn’t worlds apart. Mix dough, roll it out, put filling in, fold it up, cook it. Sure, the fancy dim sum folds are harder, and the specific spices change, but the core activity? Pretty similar.
So yeah, maybe it’s a bit rough to say they’re exactly the same. But based on what I saw, what I ate, and what I tried making? The overlap is huge. It’s like calling a car a ‘vehicle’ versus an ‘automobile’. Different words, maybe slight nuances, but you know what you’re getting. For my money, dim sum is basically fancy momos, or momos are simpler dim sum. Take your pick. It’s tasty either way.