Every good plate of momos lives or dies by its dip. The steamed dumpling is the easy part; the achar beside it is where a meal becomes a memory. The good news: the best momo dip we know takes about two minutes and four ingredients.
The base recipe
This makes enough for two hungry people and one plate of momos:
- 3 tsp dalle khursani pickle (with a little of its oil)
- 2 tbsp thick curd (Greek-style yoghurt works too)
- 1 squeeze of fresh lime
- a pinch of salt, to taste
Stir everything together in a small bowl until the curd takes on a pale orange blush. Taste. Want more heat? Add another half-spoon of pickle. Want it looser, for dunking? A teaspoon of water. That’s the entire method.
The pickle has already done the seasoning — fermented, salted, spiced. You’re just giving it something cool to lean against.
Why it works
Restaurant momo chutneys often start from scratch: tomatoes, dry chilli, garlic, oil, a blender and ten minutes. A ready dalle khursani pickle collapses all of that into one jar. The chilli’s fruity heat and the savoury depth from mustard oil are already built in. The curd rounds the burn; the lime sharpens it back up. Balance, instantly.
Three easy variations
- Garlicky: grate in half a clove of raw garlic for a sharper, street-stall edge.
- Herbed: fold in chopped coriander and a few crushed leaves of timur-scented herbs for a green, citrusy lift.
- No-dairy: skip the curd and loosen the pickle with a spoon of warm water and extra lime for a thin, fiery dunking sauce.
It’s not only for momos. The same bowl is excellent with pakoras, grilled chicken, roast potatoes, or smeared into a sandwich. Once it’s in your fridge, you’ll find excuses.
Start with a jar from the collection, then come back for the story of timur pepper.
