Once again, Aldi is a hidden gem when it comes to trying foods inspired by other countries and cultures. Whether you’re craving German food, Indian cuisine, or Mexican-inspired snacks, Aldi rotates some interesting choices into its Aldi Find freezer aisle.
Recently, Aldi advertised momos, which are a type of steamed, filled dumpling with origins in Nepal and Tibet. They’re similar to potstickers, which are a traditional Chinese food. Aldi occasionally sells potstickers, and my family enjoys them, so I figured they would probably like momos as well. I picked up a couple of packages to try at home.
Journey to Nepal Chicken Momos and Journey to Nepal Vegetable Momos are Aldi Finds, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store receives one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back at some later point. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products not currently in stock at your local store. When these are in stock, you’ll find them in the limited-buy freezer aisle.
These cost $6.49 for a 15-ounce package at the time of publication. Each package contains 10 momos, with five momos making one serving. That comes out to about $3.25 per serving or 65 cents per momo.
These are halal, and the package states they feature the “rich flavors of Himalayan inspired spices.” They include a sesame dipping sauce packet.
The packages have directions for pan frying, steaming, or air frying these. There are no directions about thawing these, so I assume that no matter how you heat them, they’re intended to be heated from frozen.
To pan fry, cover the bottom of a nonstick pan with cooking oil. Add momos. Cook over medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes, turning often. Reduce heat to medium-low. Carefully add 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
To steam, bring water to a boil in a steamer. Scatter the momos over a perforated pan, leaving space among them. Place the pan in the steamer and cover it. Steam for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
To air fry, spray oil on the cooking surface in the air fryer to prevent sticking. Place desired amount momos in the airy fryer and run the air fryer at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. The momos should be browned slightly and crispy. Brush with oil if desiring a more fried texture. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees.
To prepare the included sauce packet, place the packet in hot water for at least 5 minutes. Sauce is best served at room temperature.
Chicken momos on the left, vegetable momos on the right, with the included sauce at back.
I opted to air fry these for 10 minutes, which is a fast and convenient way to prepare them. It’s not a traditional way to heat them. That would be steaming them. But since I don’t own a special steamer, I went with the air frying method, which gave them nice crispy golden tops and soft, chewy bottoms. Do be sure to keep an eye on them as they’re cooking. The vegetable filling started to come out of some of mine toward the end of the cook time, so I probably could have pulled the veggies ones a minute earlier.
I have never tried authentic momos, so I can’t speak to how these Aldi ones compare. However, these are good on their own merits. They’re flavorful and aromatic and smelled great while heating in my air fryer. They’re not spicy, and while the included sauce packet has a slight kick to it, it’s not really spicy either. I like the chicken momos the best, but the veggie ones are good, too.
Keep reading for more information about each flavor.
Journey to Nepal Chicken Momos:
Journey to Nepal Chicken Momos nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
The ingredients list for the chicken momos looks pretty good in terms of whole, easily recognizable foods. The filling includes chicken, onion, ginger, cilantro, scallion, vegetable oil, coriander, cumin, red chili, curry powder, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, anise seed, fenugreek leaves, curry leaves, nutmeg, mace, turmeric, black pepper, musk melon, mustard, dried garlic, dried onion, ginger, cassia, fennel, asafetida, black salt, white pepper, paprika, and salt.
The wrap contains wheat flour, malt barley flour, water, corn starch, and salt.
The sesame sauce includes tomato, sesame, onion, garlic, ginger, chili, vegetable oil, seasoning (no indication as to what seasonings), and salt.
If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain wheat, mustard, and sesame.
These do have some calories, a bit of fat, some sodium, and carbs. A 5-momo serving plus sauce has 260 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 1 gram of saturated fat (6% DV), 70 mg of cholesterol (24% DV), 350 mg of sodium (15% DV), 29 grams of total carbohydrates (10% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 20 grams of protein.
Journey to Nepal Vegetable Momos:
Journey to Nepal Vegetable Momos nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
Again, the ingredients list looks pretty good here. The filling contains cabbage, soy, potato, onion, beans, carrots, peas, cilantro, scallion, tofu, vegetable oil, seasoning (they don’t specify what seasoning), and salt.
The wrap contains wheat flour, malt barley flour, water, corn starch, and salt.
The sesame sauce contains tomato, sesame, onion, garlic, ginger, chili, vegetable oil, seasoning, and salt.
If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains wheat and sesame.
These have fewer calories and less fat than their chicken counterparts, but they have significantly more sodium and carbs. A five-momo serving has 190 calories, 1.5 grams of total fat (2% DV), no saturated fat or cholesterol, 610 mg of sodium (27% DV), 28 grams of total carbohydrates (14% DV), 4 grams of dietary fiber (15% DV), 4 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 6 grams of protein.
The Verdict:
Journey to Nepal Chicken Momos and Journey to Nepal Vegetable Momos feature small tender dumplings filled with seasoned meat or veggies (the veggie ones also contain tofu). They also come with a sesame sauce packet for dipping. These are both good, although we liked the chicken ones the best.
Would these be suitable to add to soup or would they lose their integrity and fall apart?
I don’t think the inside would get cooked and yes, the outside would fall apart.
I steamed them and I pan-fried them and I thought the pan-fried was much better – for both chicken and vegetable.
As someone who has traveled to northern India just miles from Nepal, these are pretty spot on! I didn’t use the sauce included and opted for soy sauce and some chili garlic crunch oil.
Thanks for the info!
Steamed the chicken momos, used sauce included. Going tomorrow to buy any that are left. Highly recommend.