Steamed Veggie Dumplings

Moshi Moshi is one of my favorite restaurants in Western Massachusett’s Pioneer Valley and is the best sushi restaurant on the Northampton-Amherst axis.   Sam, the owner and head sushi chef, knows all his regulars by name and often gives out samples of new sushi rolls he is trying out.  Sam and his wife are originally from Korea so they will also whip up Korean dishes for regulars.  Stand out dishes to try include; the spicy-crunchy-tuna hand roll, the okominyaki pancake, the tempura sweet potato sushi roll and the grilled mackerel.  The weekday lunch time Bento boxes are a great deal and another bonus is that he has a satellite radio tuned to a great roots reggae and ska channel.

Wasabi and Pork Shumai

The Dumplings:  Moshi Moshi only sells dumplings wrapped in green wrappers, the vegetable gyoza (steamed or pan-fried) have wrappers colored with spinach and the pork shumai wrappers are infused with wasabi.  The pan fried gyoza are a crispy, crunchy vegan treat but the filling is pretty standard fare.  The wasabi and pork shumai, however are really good.  The last time I had them the wasabi kicked out my sinuses and cleared my head, while the mild sweetness of the pork filling rounded out the bite.

The Dipping Sauce:  Sam serves a light dipping sauce that is slightly tangy, close to a ponzu sauce, with slivers of scallion floating in it.

The Location:  Moshi Moshi is in downtown Northampton at the corner of Main and Strong streets.