World Dumpling Day: A Navratri twist to dumplings with sabudana momos
Sabudana momos are trending this Navratri, with chefs creating innovative versions, including gluten-free wrappers and healthy fillings.
It’s World Dumplings Day today. While they may have started their journey in China, today, they’ve truly gone global. In India, of course, the desi version, the ever-beloved momo, rules every street corner, steaming away in bamboo baskets and dunked into that fiery teekhi chutney that makes our tongues dance.
But this Navratri, the humble momo has got itself a vrat-friendly makeover: sabudana momos! Perfect for the fasting season, they’ve also taken over Instagram, with #sabudanamomos clocking nearly 6 million posts and reels. Truly, Navratri bhakti just met dumpling pyaar.
Chef Nishant Choubey at his Delhi restaurant, 1978, went all out with a Blue Pea Sabudana Momo, his tribute to the season. “The idea was to reimagine sabudana as a light, gluten-free wrapper, enhanced with the divine blue hue of butterfly pea. Fillings range from potato-peanut and assorted veggies to lemongrass-scented sweet potato mash and chile prunes, perfectly sattvik, yet indulgent,” he shares.
Guests, he laughs, often ask him if sabudana can really become such a soulful momo, to which his answer is a resounding ‘yes!’
In Mumbai, chef and Instagram creator Neha Deepak Shah has gone viral with her own take on the dish. “During the festive season, I didn’t want deep-fried food. Sabudana has plenty of carbs already, so I balanced it with paneer, ginger, green chilli, coriander and peanuts for a nutty punch,” she explains. Her videos have already racked in over 3 million views.
Even food brands are on the bandwagon. Delhi’s cloud kitchen Hungrain has also rolled out sabudana momos. “We always focus on a health-conscious clientele, and these festive-season momos are a hit. Every evening, customers flock in, since that’s the time Delhiites crave their momo fix,” says owner Prabhakar Kumar.
So this Navratri, while you hum your favourite aarti, don’t be surprised if you’re also humming, “Ek plate sabudana momos please!”
