As 2021 goes down in history as the wretched year that gave us Fanta Maggi, let us not shift our gaze from all the good food trends that emerged this year. Social media was abuzz with all things unique, like the ‘feta pasta’ which required you to place a whole block of feta on pasta along with cherry tomatoes, olives and herbs, or the ‘nature’s cereal’, which was simply cool coconut water filled with juicy berries and other fruits. Closer home, Kulhads came back in vogue, with Kulhad pizza, kulhad coffee, kulhad momos becoming a rage. Besides that, this year was also a lot about momos (yet again). Not that we were any stranger to the versatility of the Tibetan dumpling, but the off-beat ‘momo experiments’ that went viral this year were truly something spectacular. I mean, Pizza Hut launched a whole new ‘Momo pizza’ to pay their tribute to this classic, need we say more.
On the streets, momos were reimagined as a paratha, as a baked snack that could be served in a Kulhad and what not. Here are five, quirky momos that ruled the internet in the year 2021.
Kulhad Momo
For the unversed, Kulhad is a small cylindrical pot made of clay. For centuries, it was used to serve tea, and with the advent of steel and glass, kulhads faded away in oblivion until a bunch of street food vendors and café owners decide to repurpose it to add a novel touch to their dish. The video of Kulhad momo posted by food blogger @paidaishi_foodie on Instagram has garnered more than 3.8 million views so far. In the video, momos are tossed in a sauce made with capsicum, mayonnaise, onions and corn. They are then placed in Kulhad, slathered over with grated cheese, and baked to perfection.
Momo Paratha
Of all the quirkiest parathas that made waves in the year gone by, one of the parathas that left an indelible mark was the Momo Paratha. In a YouTube video uploaded by Amar Sirohi (@foodie incarnate), we saw a fried, and crispy paratha with a stuffing of typical veg momos (shredded carrots and cabbage). On the top of the paratha, the word ‘MOMO’ was written with Mayonnaise, the paratha was served with red hot momo chutney and mayonnaise. Yay or Nay?
Fire Momo
In a video uploaded by Instagram food blogger @paidaishi_foodie, we saw a street food vendor frying some steamed momos, post which he splashes a kind of luminous liquid in the pan which sets the momos on fire, quite literally. Once the momos cooled down, they were seasoned with tomato and chilli sauce along with vinegar, making them red hot a full of oomph.
Jumbo Momo
This Massive momo claimed to be the biggest momo of Delhi. Equivalent to 10 momos, this giant momo came with fillings of paneer, veg, and chicken and was served with four kinds of dip. The Real Indie Momo of West Patel Nagar Delhi, called it their star attraction.
24-Karat Gold Plated Momo
Not just Delhi, seems like Mumbai too is under a spell of momos. In a reel uploaded by Instagram user @whatafoodiegirl, we saw what she called ‘’India's first gold momo". The huge gold-plated momo, that came in a giant steel box was topped with chopped carrots in the middle and had edible gold sprinkled all around it. Made by Messy Adda Cafe in Mumbai, this momo is filled with delicious veggies along with Mozerella cheese and edible 24 karat gold, intrigued much?