For the love of momos — aka dumplings!

Have I ever told you that my other half, the better one is 12.5% 6.25% Chinese? Did I do the math correctly? Well, his maternal grandmother was Chinese, and his maternal grandfather wasn’t, making his mother 25% Chinese. Now, since his father isn’t Chinese, how much Chinese would that make him?

Where am I going with all this talk about genetic makeup? To the dumplings, those famous momos. We like to call them momos, every now and then — well, actually, just me. It sounds cute ;)

I genuinely believe that genes play a significant role in shaping our traits. I’ve seen it firsthand. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I prefer to believe otherwise. My husband and kids are huge fans of Chinese cuisine—noodles and now momos/dumplings.

My daughters picked up using chopsticks almost instinctively, and my eldest, who usually shows no interest in cooking or the kitchen, somehow knows how to make noodles (the instant kind, at least).

One night, out of the blue, she decided to make dumplings. She was craving them so much. Since we don’t have any Chinese takeout or restaurants where we live, she just took it upon herself to make them.

And she actually did it.

Of course, I helped a little, but she gave it her all—100%. And that level of effort from her? Quite unusual, to say the least.

Last night was her second attempt—within just three days. That says something, doesn’t it?

She took a little help from the internet, of course, for the recipe.

_{we enjoyed this delicacy outdoors, near the bonfire}

This isn’t a recipe post, but I can't resist sharing a few steps in the process of making these delicious dumplings.

1. Preparing the Filling:

The first step is to prepare the filling. Ground meat, finely chopped vegetables, and spices are mixed together to form a flavorful base that will be wrapped in the dumpling dough. The smell of the mixture already gets everyone excited for what's to come.

2. Kneading the Dough

Now, onto the dough. She kneaded it with such perfection, especially for someone who had never kneaded dough before. She did everything by instinct. She was worried that she had made too much dough and that Mama might get upset. How innocent of her! On the contrary, I was bursting with joy...

3. Folding the Dumplings

Next, she rolled out the dough and folded those dumplings. Getting the perfect little bundle isn’t always easy, but the imperfect ones have more character.

She was so in the zone. Her petite hands shaped the dumplings into two or three different styles—adorable!

4. Steaming the Dumplings

Here comes the fun part: steaming. As they cooked, the kitchen started to smell amazing. Actually, it had been smelling heavenly right from when we made the filling mixture.

Can you smell the aroma, the sweet steam rising? I hope you can, because it filled the air in the most delightful way.

5. Plating?

Who had the time or patience for plating? We just dug right into them. And I’m not lying when I say they tasted like heaven. I almost forgot about the dip we made. There were a few nose-burning accidents along the way, though. I tried to fry red chilies in oil at first, which went terribly wrong—sneezes and all. So, I ended up improvising. I mixed soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, red chilies, and some water, then brought it to a boil for a minute. And just like that, the dip was ready, and we were all set to dunk in!

I hope you enjoyed our dumplings post!