On a chilly day, nothing hits the spot quite like a bowl of warm soup, believes chef Uddav Tamang.He quickly combines onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, water and chicken bone into a simple base, then leaves it on the stove to simmer.“It cooks for a long time and continues boiling, so after two or three hours it becomes a good soup with a nice flavour,” he said.The soup will be paired with a traditional Tibetan dish called ‘momo’ or dumplings, served regularly in Mr Tamang’s home in Kathmandu, Nepal.The Angelo’s Bistro chef cooked up a variety of his national dishes for The Royal Gazette and shared some of his favourite childhood culinary memories.We asked him to meet with us prior to the Kathmandu Kids Club’s Christmas market, taking place tonight on the fourth floor of the Washington Mall.For those who have never been to the South Asian country, the market will give you a small taste of what it’s like and is a good place to buy handicrafts, scarves and teas for the holidays. Money raised will go to health and education programmes in Nepal and Uganda.Mr Tamang started off the interview by demonstrating how to make the momo filling, combining minced chicken, with chopped onion, garlic and ginger paste, chopped scallions, coriander and carrots.You blend them all together, then season with cumin, dried coriander and salt. It is then put into a dumpling wrapper and sautéed for approximately five minutes.He said: “When I was a child I used to eat momo and chow mein noodles and I used to be very excited to eat those going with my mum into the city. Whenever she went into the city [on her own] she used to bring us some momo take away.“It’s a Tibetan food, but it came to Nepal like 300 or 400 years ago.“Usually I like it sautéed. In Nepal they usually make it with buffalo, but these days people are modern so they use cheese, potatoes, tofu, vegetables, chicken, mutton, many varieties.”The chef grew up in a small town called Dhulikhel, approximately five kilometres from the bustling centre of Kathmandu.The staple dish, known as ‘dal bhat tarkari’, can be made with chicken or lamb curry, but meat is typically only eaten on Saturdays.Back in the kitchen, he showed us how to make a Nepalese potato salad called ‘aaloo sadeko’, by boiling bite-sized pieces of potatoes. He added chopped tomatoes and onions, cumin, coriander, salt and an aromatic spice called methi or fenugreek seeds, into a marinade for the potatoes.“This is commonly [eaten] in Nepal as an appetiser, like a snack in the afternoon,” he said.He traditionally ate food with his hands while growing up, rolling it into a ball and shovelling it in his mouth. Even today he finds it more comfortable than using utensils.“With the knife and fork no matter how much I eat, I don’t feel the stomach is full, maybe that’s because of culture,” he said.“We would also eat on the floor on a small mat made from the skin of a corn.”Mr Tamang said a dessert for the Nepalese, might be doughnuts on special occasions or seasonal fruits with curd or yoghurt. His mother would make the yoghurt herself, fermenting the milk for many hours.He said there were around 35 different castes of people in Nepal, all which had their own language and food. For instance, the Newari caste are known to make a savoury dish by soaking black lentils overnight.You rub them so the skin comes off and then mash using a device similar to a mortar and pestle and add flavourings like ginger paste and cumin.“Then you fry like a doughnut,” he said.Tickets to the Kat Kids market, $10, can be bought in advance on www.premiertickets.bm or at the door from 5.30pm.Momo can be cooked several ways, frying gives them a crunchy outer shell similar to a samosa, while they resemble dumplings when they are steam cooked or lightly sautéed.Ingredients:Wrappers:2 c plain flour¾ c of water⅔ tsp mustard oilFilling:500g minced chicken or beef4-6 spring onions1 tbs fresh crushed ginger1 ½ tbs crushed garlic1 ½ tsp saltHandful of coriander2 green chillies (remove seeds for less spice)2 tsp garam masala2 tbs oilDirections:Finely chop all the filling ingredients and mix together. Mix the wrapper ingredients to make a dough. Roll the dough and make circles 6cm to 10cm across.Place a dollop of mixture in the middle of each circle and wet the edges to glue easier. Stick the sides together strongly to stop leakage.Boil a pan of water with a steaming pot on top. Oil the steaming pot to stop sticking. Place a few momo into the steamer and steam for five to seven minutes.Then serve with a tomato and coriander sauce.