These are long days - but pleasurable, memorable days.

Before and after the day job… I am being shown as much of the Kathmandu Valley as possible by my host.

It starts just after sunrise in Jawalakhel with a knock on the door, and a chance to explore the city before it becomes log jammed with traffic. Dreamy little corners of the city, waking to whispy mists curling above the river, straying over green fields, through hill top temples, full of sleepy monkeys, blinking as you pass. Immaculately dressed school children, you could be in Hampstead, meandering to school through dusty, tumbledown streets, crossing occasionally to avoid feral dogs.

Its a pretty and sad place at the same time. Clearly there were glory days with fine buildings and wide thoroughfares, reduced in many places to rubble, decay, lined with simmering rubbish.

And there - full of wonderfully friendly people, making the best of things, cheerful through the worst of times, and hoping for a return to better times that probably most people cannot remember.

One evening trip, we ended up sitting on the roof of a bar, overlooking the valley, the Himalayas rising above the pollution, drinking beer and discussing the ways of the world.

And eating … it has to be one of my favourites - Nepali Mo Mo, which are stuffed steamed dumplings.

In Nepal, the most common type of momos seem to be Buff or Buffalo, followed by chicken. A few restaurants also offer special momos such as pumpkin momos or spinach & cheese.

There are three steps to making momo: you will first need to prepare fillings, then the wrappers, and finally you can cook them.

It’s a bit fiddly making them, but certainly worth the time and effort.

You will need:

250 g of mince
Half a grated onion
Chopped coriander
1 tablespoon of ginger
1 tablespoon of garlic paste
Half tablespoon of coriander powder
Half a tablespoon of turmeric
Half a tablespoon of cumin powder
1 tablespoon of grated chilli
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoons of salt
500 g of flour

Add all the ingredients but the flour together and mix thoroughly.

To make the wrappers - put the flour ina bwl. Add little bits of water to make a dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes to make it easier to work with. Roll the dough flat - but not too thin otherwise they will tear. Then use a pint glass to cut out circles.

Put a tablespoon of filling into the centre of the wrapping and bring the opposite sides together, pinching them together so that it looks abit like a tiny pasty.

Use a bamboo steamer if possible - or I use a colander over a pan of boiling water with a lid on it.

Sledge the momos through some oil to make sure they don’t stick while cooking. Arrange them in a circle, making sure the edges don’t touch. They will expand slightly.

Steam for about 30 minutes max.