New Delhi: Momos are one of the most-loved street foods in Delhi today. But did you know that about twenty years ago it was almost dismissed by Delhi folks, who thought of it as raw in comparison to their beloved fried and cooked) street foods?
A woman named "Dolma Tsering" was determined to change the street food scene in Delhi, and she took up the huge task of bringing these steamed dumplings of Tibet to the streets of Delhi in 1994. The dumplings were then sold in only well-to-do Chinese or South Asian restaurants.
Dolma Aunty Momos is touted as the first ever momo 'thela' that was established in the busy streets of Central Market in Lajpat Nagar by Dolma Tsering, who more fondly came to be known as Dolma Aunty.
Hailing from Tibet, when Dolma Tsering moved to Delhi in the 1990s, she decided to set on a brave venture to introduce a new street-side dish to Delhi's thriving food culture. However, it was not an easy journey. People were sceptical about the steamed momos and often deemed them inedible.
She also suffered from a language barrier and found it hard to sell the dish to an already tough audience. Moreover, she was ridiculed and mistrusted for being a woman running a street thela, a sight that was rare in Delhi in the 90s.
However, the biggest challenge for Dolma Tsering in those times was people's lack of knowledge about the dumplings. Dolma aunty had a tough time starting out, but slowly the customers started pouring in.
She makes these momos using her hands and kneads her own dough, fill in her own stuffing and shapes them by her hands only. There are also ways to make momos through machines but she don't use it.
On reaching the stall, you will encounter her son Ramu, who now takes care of the stall and everything. Dolma Aunty was determined to make it work and after months of low sales, the momo stall finally took off and the rest is history.
Let's cheer for all the women out there on the occasion of International Women's Day.
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