Nepali Momos

Steam Lifts, mist rises, blooming and aglow are these tender, succulent momos, wrapped in them are the smell and flavours of the oriental lands of the antiquity. Delightfully simple or simply delightful. 

Any of you who has taken a winter afternoon lazy stroll in the markets of Delhi is not unfamiliar to the steam billowing pots on the roadside with signs that typically read: 'Tibetan Momos' , 'Nepali Momos'. If there ever existed a 'Kingdom of healthy yet tasty foods', a momo would be its undisputed king for eternity. However, we always find it cumbersome to make these at home. Let me tell you one little secret which has been buried in the Himalayan kingdoms- making momos could be a wee bit easier than walking out and buying those. I will tell you how. So if you want to surprise someone with a cane box full of steaming momos as an afternoon snack, you are reading the right story

Last November I travelled to Kasol village in Himachal Pradesh my daily routine was a black tea and noodle soup at a tiny noodle shop run by family of three from Darjeeling. The shop served momos, noodle soup, eggs with buns and tea . Each morning I watched how the couple made fresh dough for momos and noodles, they deftly rolled the dough and passed it through a hand cranked noodle machine. The dough sheets were cut into rounds for momo wrappers. Fresh mixture of meat, minced veggies and minimum seasoning was tossed as a stuffing for momos and a large cauldron of stock was always simmering, a bowl of which would be served with a plate of steamed momos. They were generous enough to let me into  their kitchen and dabble a bit with momos.  The brief experience I had at Kasol gave me the courage to attempt momos at home and I surprised myself.

There are two parts to making momos: the wrapper and the stuffing. Here is the list of ingredients and the method to make momos

Fresh Steamed Momos with Broth

Mrs. Hyolmo tossing freshly blanched noodles

Trying to be of help to the Hyolmo family

The soulful noodle soup

Rolling out the Wrapper

Wrappers stacked

Stuffed and ready

Steamed Momo

For the wrapper:

Yields about 16 to 20 depending on the size of the cutter

Ingredients

Flour  - 250 grams

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Water -  1/2 c to 3/4 c

Baking powder a pinch

Corn flour for dusting

For the stuffing:

Ingredients

Chicken, minced 200 g

Fat 25 g

Spring onion 1

Ginger 1 inch 

Mirepoix of (Garlic 4 cloves, Onion 1 small, Celery 6'inch stalk(optional)

carrot 1 small) 

Cabbage 1 heaped cup

Parsley or Coriander 2 tbsp

Sesame oil 2 tsp

Pepper 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Wrapper

Boil water and set aside for a minute

To knead use the dough hook attachment of the stand mixer or use a spatula if kneading by hand. Mix the hot water into the flour

Knead for about 2 to 3 minutes till the dough comes together, add water by tablespoon if the dough is too dry

Continue kneading the dough till it is somewhat soft, yet firm.

Wrap in a cling film or cover with a damp cloth and set aside for a minimum of 15 minutes or upto 2 hours

To make the wrappers, dust the kitchen counter with corn flour and place the dough on the counter. Shape the dough into a log and cut into equal portions.

By using a rolling pin or a pasta maker roll the portions into rounds of 1/8" inch thickness or as thin as possible.

Using a round cutter, trim the excess dough for a even appearance

Stack the wrapper one above, avoid the wrappers sticking to each other by dusting cornstarch between each wrappers

Stuffing

Wash the chicken and set aside for the water to drain, add fat and mince chicken in a meat mincer or take it to your local butcher

Using a microwave steam the cabbage for a few minutes till tender alternatively the cabbage can be cooked in a open pan 

Finely dice all the ingredients for mirepoix

Heat oil in a small frying pan. To the oil add garlic, onion and other mirepoix ingredients and saute for a minute on low heat

Once the mirepoix mixture  is fragrant add ginger, cabbage, chopped parsley/coriander, spring onion and saute for a minute more

Add some fresh cracked pepper, season with salt to taste and set aside to cool

Add the cooled mixture to raw minced chicken and mix until the meat and flavoring is thoroughly combined

Putting it together – Momos

Place a teaspoon of stuffing in the middle of each wrapper

Dip your finger into water and run it on the skirting edges to seal

Fold the wrapper into crescent shape or any desired shape, ensuring there are no air bubble and the edges are tightly sealed

Place the dumplings upright on a floured pan, cover the pan with a damp kitchen towel or spray water on the prepared dumpling to avoid dry dumpling skin 

Place the prepare water for steaming and place the dumplings on a lined steamer

Steam for about 15 minutes 

Serve hot with Sriracha sauce