🍰 DESSERT
Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling)
Fig-shaped steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with chaku (jaggery molasses), toasted sesame, and coconut, made for Yomari Punhi.
Nepali (Newari) · medium · serves 4
prep 40 min · cook 20 min
~370 cal · 6g protein · 56g carbs · 13g fat · 3g fiber · 0g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Yomari is a Newari sweet of the Kathmandu Valley: a hand-shaped, pointed steamed dumpling of rice flour filled with chaku, cooked down with toasted sesame and coconut. The name comes from the Newari language, where 'ya' means liked or favorite and 'mari' means delicacy.
It is made above all for Yomari Punhi, the December full moon that marks the end of the rice harvest. Newari families gather to shape yomari together, and the dumpling's distinctive fig- or fish-tail point is part of its identity.
The technique is particular: the rice-flour dough is made with boiling water so it gelatinizes into a pliable, slightly translucent shell, and the filling must be cool before shaping or it melts the dough. Steamed and eaten warm with milk tea, yomari is a festival food and a marker of the winter season.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 2 cups fine rice flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- about 1.25 cups boiling water
- 2 tbsp (for the dough and filling)
- 1 cup chaku (Nepali hardened /molasses), grated or choppedHard to find? dark jaggery (gur) or molasses - chaku gives the most authentic rich flavor, but an equal amount of dark jaggery works
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
- 1/4 cup grated coconut
- 1/4 tsp ground
Instructions
- 1Make the filling first: toast the sesame seeds until fragrant, then crush them coarsely. Gently melt the chaku with 1 tablespoon of the ghee over low heat into a thick, glossy syrup, off the heat stir in the sesame, coconut, and cardamom, and spread it out to cool completely.✎ Chef’s noteDo not boil the jaggery hard or it sets into candy; and the filling must be cool before shaping, or it melts the dough from the inside and leaks.
- 2Make the dough: put the rice flour and salt in a heatproof bowl, bring the water and remaining ghee to a rolling boil, and pour it over the flour all at once, stirring to a shaggy dough. Cover and rest 5 minutes.✎ Chef’s noteThe boiling water is the secret; it gelatinizes the rice flour and gives yomari their pliable, slightly translucent shell.
- 3Knead the warm dough with oiled hands 4-5 minutes into a smooth, soft ball like playdough, adding a little hot water if it cracks. Keep it covered with a damp cloth; it dries out fast.
- 4Take a small ball of dough, shape it into a hollow cone with medium-thick walls, and fill with a teaspoon of the cooled chaku.✎ Chef’s noteKeep the walls an even, medium thickness; too thin and the filling leaks out while steaming.
- 5Pinch the opening closed and pull it into the signature long, pointed tail, smoothing any cracks with a wet fingertip.
- 6Arrange on an oiled or lined steamer tray, spaced apart, and steam 12-20 minutes until the dough turns glossy and slightly translucent.
- 7Rest a few minutes off the heat, then serve warm, with milk tea if you like.
Newari Yomari Punhi tradition, Kathmandu Valley.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kathmandu Valley. The Newar festive plate is samay baji, a set rather than a single dish: beaten rice at the centre, ringed by fried black soybeans, lentil-flour bara, spiced buffalo chhoila, a boiled egg, chopped ginger and a pour of the rice spirit aila. It opens pujas, festivals and death anniversaries alike.
🗺️
Nepal. Nepali food revolves around dal bhat, lentils and rice eaten twice daily, alongside momo dumplings and Himalayan Tibetan influences. Simple, wholesome, and mountain-shaped, it leans on lentils, pickles (achar), and fermented greens.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Nepal
Dal Bhat TarkariThe Himalayan daily plate: tempered black lentils, rice, and a turmeric-spiced vegetable curry.
Sel RotiA ring-shaped, lightly sweet fermented rice bread, crisp outside and soft within.
MomoSteamed dumplings of spiced minced filling served with a tangy tomato-sesame achar, Nepal's everyday bite.
Browse all Nepal recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Steamer.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a Nepal meal
Aloo Tama Bodi (Potato, Bamboo Shoot and Black-Eyed Bean Curry)Dinner
TongbaDrink
Similar dishes from around the world
Nian Gao (New Year Rice Cake)China
DucanaAntigua and Barbuda
ConkiesBarbados
Khao TomLaos
Koba AkondroMadagascar
Gangnaengi-tteokNorth Korea
Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling)?
Fig-shaped steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with chaku (jaggery molasses), toasted sesame, and coconut, made for Yomari Punhi.
Where does Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling) come from?
Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling) is a Nepali (Newari) dish from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.
Can Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling) take to make?
About 60 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.