Yomari Recipe: An Easy, Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

What Is Yomari? (Let's Start Simple)

Yomari is a sweet dish from the Newari community, made by shaping cooked rice-flour dough into a small fish shape and filling it with chaku (a type of jaggery) and roasted sesame. It might sound tricky at first, but it's really something anyone can make at home — the two things that matter most are getting the dough to the right thickness and sealing the filling in properly. Follow the steps below and your first batch will turn out well.

What You'll Need

For the dough:

• Rice flour — 2 cups
• Hot water — about 1 cup (adjust slightly as needed)
• Salt — a pinch

For the filling:

• Chaku (jaggery) — half a cup, finely chopped or crushed
• Sesame seeds — 2 tablespoons, lightly roasted
• Ghee — 1 tablespoon

Step-by-Step Method

Step 1: Make the Filling First

Heat ghee in a pan, add the chopped chaku and roasted sesame, and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the jaggery melts and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool quickly — the filling is much easier to shape into small balls once it's cooled down.

Step 2: Knead the Dough

Mix salt into the rice flour, then slowly add hot water while kneading by hand. The dough shouldn't be too stiff (it will crack) or too wet (it will stick to your hands) — aim for something like soft roti dough. Once kneaded, cover it and let it rest for 5 minutes; this makes it even easier to shape.

Step 3: Shape the Yomari

Break off small pieces of dough and roll each into a ball about the size of a small teacup. Press a hollow into the center and add a teaspoon of the chaku-sesame filling. Bring the edges up and pinch them closed gently, then shape one end into a point to form the classic fish shape. It might feel a bit awkward on your first one or two — your hands adjust quickly after that.

Step 4: Steam Them

Bring water to a boil in a covered pot with a steamer basket on top. Place the yomari with some space between each one — this keeps them from sticking together. Cover and steam for 15-20 minutes, until the dough looks glossy and slightly translucent.

Step 5: Serve

Remove from the steamer and let them cool for about 5 minutes before eating — the filling stays very hot inside. Serve warm.

Common First-Time Mistakes

• If the dough feels too wet: work in a little more rice flour, a small amount at a time
• If filling leaks out while steaming: the edges probably weren't pinched tightly enough — seal more firmly next time
• If the dough cracks while shaping: add a bit more water and knead again

The Yomari Punhi Festival

Yomari is especially associated with Yomari Punhi, the full moon day of Mangsir/Poush (usually falling around December on the Gregorian calendar). It marks the joy of bringing in the new rice harvest, and it's traditionally a dish the whole family makes together.

Fresh rice flour and chaku are available from sellers on FoodSansar — order your ingredients ahead of Yomari Punhi.