The Big Puja: Momo Making

Because so many laypeople come to see the lama dance, and attend the long life empowerment, Nalanda Cafe required more than its usual supplies. So what's quick to eat, pleases everyone, and can be made ahead of time, assembly-line style? Momos. Hundreds and hundreds of momos. 

(For those of you who don't know, momos are a Himalayan dumpling. They come with a variety of fillings, and almost always a chili pepper dipping sauce.)

As the cafe is otherwise occupied during the day, the momo making had to happen at night. A whole team of monks, lay-cooks from the town, and I assembled to bring it all together.

(setting up, one of the monks carrying a giant bowl of meat for the meat momos)

Unlike my previous dumpling making experiences, the momos here are not made with premade wrappers. Every single wrapper had to be individually pulled off of the giant mound of dough, rolled into a ball, and rolled out into a round wrapper.

(the whole team. wrapper-rollers threw the rolled-out wrappers to the momo-makers, so at times the air was thick with flying dough)

One of the monks was a master momo maker, so I got him to be my momo teacher. I was not the most promising of students, but I did my best. And at the very least I don't think my momos got any worse as the night went on. I definitely need more practice...

(my momo making face)

The momo-making party went quite late into the night, especially for the monks who had gotten up at 5 (none of these monks were involved in the puja, but they are still early risers). 

(exhausted monks, post momo-making)

(a monk loading momos into a steaming tray, like a boss)

Momos managed, we all headed off to bed. Come back next time for lama dance!