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Momo notebook recipe

Golbheda Achar

This is my fridge-staple version of golbheda achar, inspired by the tomato achar we keep around in Nepal for dal-bhat and whatever else the table is doing that day. It is roasted tomato, onion, garlic, green chilli, fresh coriander, hemp, timur, lime, and the very serious personality of mustard oil. It works with sandwiches, wraps, rice bowls, eggs, grilled meat, roasted vegetables, chips, crackers, and yes, momo when momo wanders into its path.

Yield

About 300 g.

How I use it

This is not the special achar I would build for the day of a proper momo party. That day deserves its own ceremony. This is the achar for the fridge, for dal-bhat, for snacks, and for leftover momo, which may honestly be even more magical the next day once it gets the kothey treatment.

Ingredients

  • 180 g cherry tomatoes, about 8 to 10 tomatoes
  • 100 to 120 g onion, about 1 small to medium onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, about 16 to 20 g
  • 1 medium jalapeno, about 20 to 25 g
  • 1 to 2 extra green chillies, optional
  • 15 g fresh coriander, stems and leaves
  • 20 ml mustard oil
  • 15 ml lime juice
  • 8 g hemp seed powder
  • 2 g ground timur or Sichuan pepper
  • 1 g black salt
  • 0.5 g MSG, optional
  • 2 g fine salt to start, then adjust to taste

Method

  1. 1Turn the oven broiler to high.
  2. 2Place the cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, and jalapeno on a tray. If using extra green chillies, add them too.
  3. 3Broil until the vegetables are blistered, softened, and charred in spots, flipping once halfway through. The tomatoes should collapse slightly, the onion should soften with dark edges, the garlic should be lightly browned, and the jalapeno should blister.
  4. 4You do not need to remove the skins when using the oven or broiler. The goal is roasted flavour and some char, not a fully blackened smoky situation.
  5. 5Let the roasted vegetables cool for a few minutes.
  6. 6Add the roasted vegetables to a blender with the mustard oil, lime juice, hemp seed powder, ground timur, black salt, MSG if using, and fine salt. Add the fresh coriander here too if you want a smoother, more unified achar.
  7. 7Blend until mostly smooth but still slightly textured.
  8. 8For a fresher, more textured version, leave the fresh coriander out of the blender. Finely chop it and stir it into the achar after blending instead. This is especially good when you want the achar to feel brighter, greener, and a little less behaved.
  9. 9Let the achar rest for 5 to 10 minutes before tasting. The hemp powder will absorb some liquid and the flavour will settle.
  10. 10Adjust as needed: add more lime juice if it tastes too heavy, more salt if it tastes flat, more mustard oil if you want a sharper achar flavour, a small splash of water if it becomes too thick, or a tiny pinch more timur if you want the achar to lean harder into its citrusy, numbing side.

Notes

Mustard oil is not a background extra here. It is doing a lot of the work: sharpness, aroma, attitude, and that unmistakable Nepali achar edge.

If mustard oil is impossible to find, a 3:1 mix of neutral oil and Dijon mustard gets you closer than it has any right to. It is a compromise, not a replacement. Dijon already brings vinegar and salt, so be gentler with the lime juice and salt if you use it.

The golden rule is still the only rule that matters: start with a little, taste, then adjust.

Jalapeno is my default chilli for this achar. It is not traditional in any strict sense, but I like its green, rounded heat and have gotten used to that flavour profile.

Use any fresh chilli that matches your preferred heat level. For a hotter version, add one or two extra green chillies.

I would avoid dried chilli flakes here. Roasted fresh chilli gives a cleaner flavour.

The oven broiler is the most convenient and consistent method. You can also roast the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chilli in a dry or lightly oiled heavy pan until blistered and softened.

If you can roast the vegetables over an open flame or charcoal, the achar becomes even more magical. In that case, remove any overly charred skins before blending, especially from the tomatoes, chilli, and onion, so the smoke does not turn bitter and bossy.

At home, this kind of golbheda achar belongs comfortably beside dal-bhat. Momo is not its only purpose, which is exactly why it is useful.

Freshly steamed momo gets the special achar. Leftover momo gets pan-fried into kothey territory, and this achar suddenly makes complete sense.