One of my favorite foods in Asia are dumplings, those thin dough bags stuffed with meat, vegetables or cheese.

In Nepal and surrounding areas, you will find one of the most delicious versions of them, called Momos. Usually found in every restaurant in Nepal, but also in India. I have tried them the first time in the Kalimpong area in Northern India and I was immediately crazy about them.

Then, my first crave when I was outside Nepal my goal was learning to make these delicious bites at home. I’m not going to lie; they are big work! They require several hours between preparing the dough, the filling and especially shaping them, but the results are great, and you can adapt the flavors to your own taste.

Momos come in different shapes and sizes and the most common in Nepal are stuffed with meat or vegetables.

The sauce accompanying Momos is a very important element and it’s what gives Momos the extra flavor and juice.

The good thing on Momos is they can be frozen, so you can make a long session and do double the portions and have them then always ready for a quick meal.

 

To prepare the Momos the best tool to have is a steamer, they will get soft and cooked perfectly.

They are very easy to find in most Asian shops and you can also find them online.

 

If you don’t have one, I highly suggest trying to get one, but if it’s too hard to find them where you live, you can still fry them in a pan with a bit of oil. The result won’t be as authentic as when they are steamed but they will be still delicious for sure.

 

 

Ingredients for the Dough

Makes about 60 dumplings
**consider 1 cup about 150 gr

600 gr or 5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup Water or as required
Pinch of salt

Ingredients for the Meat-based Filling

2 lbs. (900 gr) lean ground lamb/pork
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
¼ teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, grated
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder, meat masala or MOMO masala
3 fresh red chilies, minced, or as desired
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Salt and Pepper

 

Ingredients for the Vegetable Filling

1/4 cup (finely chopped) Cabbage
1/4 cup (grated) Carrot
1/2 cup (finely chopped) Spinach
1/4 cup (finely chopped) Spring Onions
1 tsp (finely chopped) Ginger
1 tsp (finely chopped) Garlic
3-4 (finely chopped) Green Chillies
1/2 cup (shredded) Cheddar Cheese
1/2-1 tsp (Freshly grounded) Black Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp  Fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Sesame seeds,

DIRECTIONS TO PREPARE THE MOMOS

To make Momos t home you need time and patience. Start preparing everything 1 to 2 hours before eating as the filling and the dough need some time to rest inside the fridge before starting to prepare them.

 

Preparing the filling

The first is to dry roast all the seeds in a pan without oil or anything else and blend the mix to powder.

Then, combine all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. You might want to check and adjust for seasoning, as well as the salt and pepper.

Cover the mix and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow all ingredients to impart their unique flavors,  and to improve the consistency of the filling.

 

Preparing the dough

In a large bowl combine the flour, oil, salt, and water mixing with a spoon. Once mixed you can start kneading until the dough becomes homogeneous in texture. This should take about 10 minutes.

Cover the dough and let stand for at least 15 min.

Preparing the Momos

Once your dough and filling are done, knead well again the dough before starting to make the wrappers.

Cut and separate the dough in small portions and prepare 1-inch (2,5 cm) diameter dough balls.

While you work each piece, keep the rest of the dough covered and work in bunches of 12 at a time to prevent the rest of the dough from drying.

To make your first Momo, take a dough ball and roll it between your palms to a spherical shape.

 

To make your first Momo, take a dough ball and roll it between your palms to a spherical shape.

Spread some flour into the working board and first gently flatten the ball with your palm. Then, roll out them into 3-inch (7-8cm) diameter flat wrapper.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls and remember to keep them covered to prevent them from drying.

Momos can have usually two different shapes, one like a like pouch or more of a half-moon.

This time I tried with both, but the half-moon was easier to make for me.

For making each Momo, hold one wrapper on one palm, put one tablespoon of filling mixture and with the other hand.

To make the circular pouches, bring all edges together to the center while making pleats. Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure the absolute closure of the stuffed dumpling.

To make the half-moons, bring one edge together and start bringing piece by piece the dough from one side. This is hard to explain in words, so you can check this video to have it more clear.

 

 

How to cook the Momos

Once you have half of your Momos done you can start to heat up a steamer. Before putting them inside the steamer, don’t forget to oil the steamer rack well or add a steamer fabric in the bottom to avoid them to get stuck and break once you try to take them out.

Arrange uncooked MOMOs in the steamer with some space left between the dumplings, they will grow a bit so it’s important to keep this space in between.

Close the lid, and allow steaming until the dumplings are cooked through about 10-15 min.

Take the dumplings off the steamer, and immediately serve.

Alternatively, you can place the uncooked dumplings directly in a slightly salted boiling water and cook until done, approximately 10 minutes.

You may also slightly sauté cooked dumplings in butter before serving.

To serve, arrange the cooked MOMOs on a plate dressed with your favorite sauce, I’m sharing with you some of my favorites.

 

 

 

Classic MOMO Achar
(Sesame-Tomato Achar for MOMO)

INGREDIENTS

4 large ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
5 fresh hot red chilies, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon Timur
1/4 teaspoon asafetida
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, add sesame seeds, cumin and mustard seeds in a pan and stir continuously until seeds pop and are toasted. Make sure that the seeds are not burnt.

Then remove the charred skin and reserve the flesh in a bowl.

Once a bit colder, grind the toasted seeds into a powder.

In a blender, combine roasted tomatoes, ground mixture of sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, chilies, garlic, ginger, timur, asafetida, lime juice, and salt; and process to form a smooth mixture.

You can add some water if the achar mixture is too thick.

 

Green Chutney

This is an Indian sauce or chutney usually served with sandwiches or samosas, but I love it to join a Momo plate.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh coriander leaves
1 cup of mint
2 garlic cloves
3 green chilies
½ tablespoon of ginger
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of cumin
Salt to taste

 

Pluck and separate the mint and coriander leaves and rinse them well under running water.

Add all the ingredients to a blender or mixer until you have a homogenous and smooth paste.

Try and adjust salt, lemon and chilly until you smile.

Sherpa MOMO Achar
(Spicy Soy-Based Dipping Sauce for MOMOs)

 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground Timur (Szechwan pepper)

DIRECTIONS

This one is the easiest to prepare.

In a small mixing bowl and just combine all the ingredients.

 

 

 

I hope you can enjoy and have fun making Momos at home. If you try this recipe let me know how did it go for you!