Overview
This momo making class is a hands-on afternoon learning to make Nepal's favourite dumpling from scratch. At a friendly cooking academy in Kathmandu, an instructor walks you through the dough, the filling and the folding, and you shape, cook and then eat your own momo. It is relaxed, easy for all ages and a good way to take a bit of Nepal home with you. The class runs about two hours and suits complete beginners.
The itinerary
- Arrive at the cooking academy in the early afternoon
- Meet your instructor and go through how momo are made
- Mix and roll out the dough for the wrappers
- Prepare the filling, vegetable or meat, and season it
- Learn to shape and pleat your own momo
- Steam the momo and sit down to eat what you have made
Things to carry
- An appetite, you eat what you cook
- Comfortable clothes you don't mind getting floury
- Any dietary needs told to us in advance
- A camera for your momo
Good to know
Learning to fold a Nepali momo
Momo are the dumpling everyone in Nepal grows up on, sold on every street and made in every home, and folding a good one is a small art. This class is a relaxed, hands-on couple of hours at a Kathmandu cooking academy, where an instructor teaches you to make them from scratch: the dough, the filling and the fold, finishing with a plate of momo you cooked yourself. It is easy, sociable and genuinely useful, and something you can carry on making long after you get home.
What the momo making class covers
The class takes about two hours and walks through the whole process. You mix and roll the dough for the wrappers, prepare and season the filling, then learn to shape and pleat each momo by hand before steaming them. At the end you sit down and eat what you have made. The instructor keeps the pace easy and helps with the folding, which is the part that takes practice. If you would like a fuller day in the kitchen, our Nepali cooking class with pottery covers dal bhat and more, plus a pottery session.
Who it suits
This is one of the easiest activities in the city to enjoy, whoever you are travelling with. It works for solo travellers looking to meet people, couples after something different, and especially families, since the folding is hands-on and hard to get wrong. No cooking experience is needed, and vegetarians are easily catered for. It is a good rainy-day or rest-day choice between bigger sightseeing days.
A taste of Nepali food culture
Momo are more than a snack in Nepal, they are the country's comfort food, and learning to make them is a small window into everyday life here. The class is a chance to spend a couple of hours with a local cook, ask the questions you would never get to ask in a restaurant, and understand what goes into the food you have been eating on your trip. It pairs well with a walk through the old city and its markets, like our Kathmandu walking tour of the old city.
Good to know before you go
The class runs to a set time in the afternoon, so it is easy to fit around other plans, and it lasts about two hours. Come a little hungry, since you eat what you cook at the end. Let us know in advance if you are vegetarian or have any other dietary needs and we will arrange it with the academy. Wear something you do not mind getting a dusting of flour on, and bring your appetite and a bit of patience for the folding.
