Do you know what momos are? If you haven’t heard of them before, no need to get confused for long, because momos are also dumplings, South Asian dumplings to be exact. Momos are popular in the regions surrounding the Himalayas and Tibet, and bear resemblances to the Chinese jiaozi, Japanese gyoza and Korean mandu, but with a twist of Indian flavour seen from the heavy use of spices. Seems delicious doesn’t it? Anyway, what are the health benefits of steamed momos?
An Introduction to Momos
There are two ways to serve momos; steamed and fried. No matter how they are prepared, they are often served with tomato-sauce based chutney or achar. A momo’s covering layer is usually made using a simple dough made of white flour and water, whereas traditionally a momo has meat fillings. However, today there are much greater variety of momo’s fillings, such as the use of mutton, beef, pork or health benefits of lean chicken meat, onions, garlic, benefits of ginger for asthma, cilantro, coriander, shallots, pureed tomato health benefits, soy sauce, cabbages, carrots, potatoes, up to cheese! Nevertheless, the combination of ingredients used greatly depends by region.
Nutrition Facts of Meat Filled Momos
- Serving Size – 1 dumpling
- Calories – 348 kcal
- Total Fat – 22.14 g (34% of DV)
- Saturated Fat – 5.62 g (28% of DV)
- Polyunsaturated Fat – 5.268 g
- Monounsaturated Fat – 9.66 g
- Trans Fat – 0 g
- Cholesterol – 23 g (8% of DV)
- Health Benefits of Sodium – 424 mg (18% of DV)
- Total Carbohydrates – 24.61 g (8% of DV)
- Dietary Fibre – 0.9 g (4% of DV)
- Sugar – 0.13 g
- Protein – 12.16 g
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Calcium – 11 mg (1% of DV)
- Iron – 2.29 mg (13% of DV)
- Benefits of Potassium – 114 mg (3% of DV)
- Vitamin A – 1 IU (0% of DV)
- Vitamin C – 0 g (0% of DV)
All the information above are in relation to a 2,000-calorie diet. The percentage of daily value (% of DV) may differ depending on personal calorie needs.
What are its Health Benefits?
- Momos Contain Decent Protein Amount
First, momos contain decent amounts of protein, at 12.16 grams per the nutrition facts above. Protein inside momos are of course sourced from the meat filling, such as those from lamb, chicken, pork or beef.
- Momos are Rich in Vitamins and Minerals Too
Momos are also rich in vitamins and minerals too, as evident from the wide variety of vegetables used inside. This has made the momo to contain a balanced nutrition all in one go!
- Momos are Low in Carbohydrates
Momos are relatively low in carbohydrates, which comes from the dumpling wrapping at 24.61 g or 8% of the recommended daily value.
- Steamed Momos are Better Digested
Like almost all steamed foods, steamed momos are better digested because it eliminates the fat content during steaming so that the food can be easily discarded.
- Steamed Momos Help Regulate Weight
Steamed momos help regulate weight because fat is eliminated during the steaming process and also it does not need cooking oil for preparation at all!
- Steamed Momos Have a Maintained Nutrient Composition
By steam cooking, the vegetables inside the momos are maintained to its near-to-raw state as much as possible, and so the nutrients inside are not affected either in any way!
- Steamed Momos are Always Moist
Steamed momos are always moist because when it is steamed, the nutrients are so well kept and that is because the cooking temperature is moderate enough to not force out the nutrients of the food.
- Steamed Momos Lower Down Calories and Cholesterol Levels
And finally, steamed momos lower down both calorie and cholesterol levels because the fats are gotten rid of entirely.
Those are the health benefits of steamed momos. Although it is blessed with many nutritional advantages, it is still wise to select momos based on the filling that suits one’s health requirements best!