Veg momos are the unofficial king of Indian street food. Walk through any major Indian city — Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata — and you'll find roadside stalls steaming thousands of veg momos a day, served with the fiery red chutney that defines them. Here's how to make them at home, exactly the way the street vendors do.
What makes Indian veg momos different
While momos originally come from Tibet and Nepal (see our authentic momo recipe), the Indian version evolved differently:
- More garlic, more ginger. Indian momos use significantly more aromatics.
- Different chutney. The Indian red chutney is tomato-based with dried red chilies — fiery, garlicky, the soul of the dish.
- Often served with mayo too. Delhi street style adds a cooling garlic-mayo dip alongside the spicy chutney.
- Tightly pleated tops. The visual presentation matters — well-shaped momos are a vendor's pride.
The dough
- 2 cups (250g) maida (all-purpose flour)
- ¾ cup (180ml) warm water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Mix flour and salt. Add oil. Slowly mix in warm water until a soft dough forms. Knead 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
The veg filling (street-food style)
- 2 cups cabbage, very finely chopped, salted and squeezed dry
- 1 cup carrot, very finely chopped
- 1 cup French beans, very finely chopped
- 1 cup spring onions (both white and green), chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup capsicum (bell pepper), finely chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok. Add garlic, ginger, green chilies. Stir-fry 30 seconds. Add all the chopped vegetables and stir-fry on high heat for 2–3 minutes — they should stay slightly crunchy, not soft. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, pepper, salt. Stir for 1 more minute. Cool completely before stuffing.
The famous red chutney (don't skip this)
This is what makes Indian momos addictive. The chutney is more important than the momos.
- 10 dried Kashmiri red chilies (mild)
- 3–4 dried hot red chilies (adjust to taste)
- 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil
Soak both kinds of dried chilies in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Add to a blender with all other ingredients. Blend smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small pan, pour in the chutney, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes until the raw smell disappears. Cool and store.
The garlic mayo dip (Delhi street-style)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of salt
Mix everything. Done. Serve cold alongside the red chutney — the contrast of cool mayo and fiery red is the whole point.
Shaping momos
The classic Indian momo is a pleated pouch. Roll dough into small balls, then roll each into a thin circle (about 90mm), thicker in the center, thinner at edges. Place filling in the center, pleat the edges up and around, twist the top closed.
For a faster method, use a STAMPLING™ stamp for half-moon shaped momos. Less authentic but much faster for big batches.
Steam the momos
Line a steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaves (lightly oiled). Place momos with space between them. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 12–15 minutes until the wrappers are translucent and slightly shiny.
Schezwan momos (the Indo-Chinese variation)
Steamed momos tossed in a hot, garlicky schezwan sauce — a beloved Indo-Chinese street food.
For the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add 6 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 2 chopped green chilies. Stir-fry 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons schezwan sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar. Toss in 12 steamed momos. Garnish with chopped spring onions.
Storage and freezing
Uncooked momos freeze for up to 2 months — see our freezing guide. The red chutney keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks.
More momo recipes
For the traditional Tibetan/Nepali version, see our authentic momo recipe. For other dumpling traditions, see our guide to filled-dough traditions.
→ Shop the STAMPLING™ Wooden Dumpling Maker
Tip: if you're making a big batch and want a clean, leak-proof seal every time, a dumpling stamp seals the whole edge in one motion — no pinching, no weak spots. We make the STAMPLING maple-wood stamp set for exactly that. See how it works → · Why dumplings burst →