On any given day the streets of New Jersey are bustling — workplace goers dashing in an try and skip the visitors jam, the constant hum drum of buses, the chatter of college youngsters, common joggers attempting to cram in these few additional minutes earlier than the day begins.
Interspersed in these moments of hustle is the scent of espresso wafting from the cafes that line the sidewalk, the aroma performing like a beacon that pulls to it all of the above.
Keenly watching this complete scene unfold is a lady. Her desi apparel is suggestive of her origins. Her gaze is unwavering as she watches the cacophony of the northeastern US state. One may say her place on the facet of the colourful pink meals truck is strategic, contemplating the view of 400 Central Ave, Jersey Metropolis she has from there.
Behind the pink doorways beside her illustration, magic is steamed (and fried) each day by a duo of Indian origin. The number of momos whipped up within the meals truck borrow their style from the genuine fusion flavours that Ankita Nagpal —- one half of the duo that helms the ‘Fomo Momo’ enterprise — feasted on when she was a toddler rising up in Delhi.
Her enterprise accomplice and pal, Impreet Sodhi, and she or he watch smilingly because the residents of New Jersey sort out plates after plates of their momos each day from 3 pm to 9 pm. What’s astounding is that the duo function this very profitable enterprise while juggling full-time jobs as tech professionals.
A penchant for momos
“The tastiest momos you’ve had in India have gotten to be those from Delhi, proper?” Ankita asks me, daring me to counter this. “Sure,” I replied in truth, seemingly pleasing her with the reply.
Rising up, Ankita spent her weekends sampling road meals throughout the bazaars of the nationwide capital. However the momos remained her favorite. So, years later, when she met Impreet within the US at a dinner organised by their husbands, who’re school buddies, and the latter proclaimed her love for momos, Ankita knew she had discovered her meals soulmate.
“It was that dialog that gave us the thought of bringing genuine road meals from Delhi to the US,” Ankita shares. All through the journey of organising this meals truck, the duo has been eager on exhibiting the world how wonderful the flavours of Indian momos are, and the way diversified they are often within the palates they cater to.
They are saying the meals truck was merely a eureka second that tied their ardour and concepts collectively.
However altering gears from the enterprise being a mere thought to a full-blown meals truck was a problem, Impreet admits. The most important hurdle was visibility. “I feel our first problem was to seize the market. In the event you take a look at it, even in India itself, momos are in style in North India whereas folks of South India aren’t as effectively acquainted with the dish. Equally, right here in New Jersey, we observed that there are some Individuals who’re accustomed to the dish whereas a number of immigrants aren’t,” Ankita provides.
To navigate via this, the duo started giving out free samples within the preliminary days of organising. And to everybody who requested what the distinction between the pattern (momo) and a dumpling was, they’d patiently clarify.
What units a dumpling, momo and dim sum aside?
With a novel story of origin and an equally distinctive style, the three culinary delights are so totally different, but so related.
Dim sums discuss with the broad class of bite-sized dishes in Chinese language delicacies, with a skinny casing enveloping the stuffing of meat, seafood or greens. Dumplings fall below the class of dim sums and discuss with dough pockets that may be fried, baked or steamed. Momos, however, have essentially the most colored historical past of the three.
Having originated in Tibet as early because the 14th century, these native delicacies got here to India within the Sixties when numerous Tibetans settled in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Delhi, Ladakh and Dharamshala. One other idea means that the Newar retailers of Kathmandu introduced the momos to India from Tibet and Nepal throughout their travels.
At the moment, quite a few variations exist. These vary from tandoori momos paired with pink chilli chutney and mayonnaise, Afghani momos that are a sweeter and creamier model of tandoori momos, steamed jhol momos which might be served in soup in Nepal, chilli momos which might be tossed in chilli sauce and ketchup, Kothey momos which might be pan-fried and belong to the Himalayas and have a powerful ginger flavour. The checklist goes on and on.
And it’s this magic that Ankita and Impreet are bringing to New Jersey.
It’s amusing to observe Individuals whose palates love extra refined flavours, gorging on the spicy tandoori momos on the Fomo Momo meals truck. Ankita and Impreet love watching the scene as they strike a pleasant banter with their clientele. They will usually inform what an individual goes to order, primarily based on their previous favourites and sometimes have the order able to go! Helming a meals truck comes with these moments, they add.
As soon as thought-about a ramshackle, meals vehicles are beginning to be more and more in style round New Jersey and the USA. They supply shops for relationship constructing with prospects, one thing that isn’t as doable in a standard brick-and-mortar setting. That being mentioned, working a meals truck, the place the wind and climate usually play spoilsport, is harder than a standard storefront, says the duo.
“There are numerous logistics. Somebody is required within the kitchen to arrange the meals, a driver is required to navigate the truck from one location to the opposite, over a dozen persons are working contained in the truck always; it’s a problem,” Ankita admits.
However, that being mentioned, it additionally offers the duo an opportunity to bond with their prospects. Maybe it’s these bonding moments which might be the rationale for Fomo Momo’s enterprise thriving from the outset. Recalling the primary prospects they served, Ankita says it was on the Smorgasburg Meals Competition in Jersey Metropolis in 2021. “This appeared an ideal choice as meals festivals appeal to individuals who wish to style gadgets from all the world over,” she notes.
So, on the meals pageant, amidst the stalls that had Filipino meals, Mexican meals, Japanese meals and extra, there was a stall for Indian momos. And Ankita and Impreet watched with bated breath as folks got here to see what the hype was all about.
“It gave us an opportunity to check the market. What we noticed was that although folks didn’t know a lot concerning the momos, they needed to strive it out. As soon as they sampled it, they’d return for some extra. We developed a small fan base,” they share.
Sensing that the thought would do effectively, the duo purchased a meals truck and began a enterprise in 2023.
Nevertheless, they add that they proceed to serve momos on the World Commerce Centre’s meals pageant in New York that runs from April via October. To cater to each diaspora, the menu is split into refined choices. As an illustration, the butter garlic momos are a success with the Individuals whereas the spicier choices go well with the Indian palate.
They emphasise, nevertheless, that perfecting the momo recipe has been a problem. Eight months of experimenting lastly led them to give you a momo that had the perfect wrapper measurement, one which wasn’t too chewy however on the similar time thick sufficient to carry the herbs and spices and veggies, and naturally a momo that ticked all of the packing containers for style.
Nonetheless, the journey has been telling. Because the clock strikes 5 pm, Ankita and Impreet brace themselves for the workplace crowd that may quickly be stopping on the meals truck for his or her snack. The sizzles and chopping sounds journey via the decision as they put together the fillings for the momos for the hungry prospects who will quickly be there.
Edited by Padmashree Pande
