Australia, brace yourself because winter is coming! Cold evenings are meant to get curled up under the layers and enjoy a bowl of piping hot soup while binge-watching your favourite movies. Let’s add something more to ‘that perfect evening’. How about having steaming hot momos with tangy chutney, while you watch Thor fighting Thanos, snuggled in your cozy bed!
If you’re wondering how to make delicious Nepali dumplings you tasted at a restaurant, here’s the recipe for you!
Recipe for Momos
Filling:
- Minced chicken – 500 gms
- Finely chopped onion – 1 cup
- Thinly sliced green chilli – 5-6 No
- Minced fresh ginger – 1.5 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil – 1/2 tbsp
- Finely chopped fresh coriander – 1 cup
Dough
- All-purpose flour – 3.5 cups + some more to dust
- 1 cup water (approx) to knead the dough
Note: Use water with extra care, because you don’t want to make the dough too soft or too sticky.
Chutney/Dip
- Small tomatoes – 3 No. (with bottom end slit in an X)
- Red dry chilli pepper – 8 No. (You can increase or decrease the quantity according to your taste)
- Fresh coriander leaves – 1 cup
- Large cloves of garlic – 2 No.
- Salt to taste
Instruction
To make the Dough:
- Take a large bowl and add the flour. Mix water a little at a time to knead a flexible dough. Make sure it doesn’t get too soft or sticky.
- Cover and leave the dough aside for about 30 minutes.
While the dough is set for rest, you can start preparing the filling.
To prepare the Filling
- Take a large mixing bowl. Add minced chicken, onion, ginger, chilli, ginger, coriander and oil.
- Mix everything well. Now add salt. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for at least one hour. This will allow all the ingredients to leave their flavours.
Note: The consistency of the filling should be a little moist.
Making the Chutney/Dipping Sauce:
- Make a cross at the bottom of each tomato. Now boil water and add tomatoes, 4 chilli pepper and turn of the flame. Cover the vessel for a couple of minutes. Uncover, remove the tomatoes and peel the skin off.
- Toast 4 red dry chilli peppers in a dry skillet until they turn dark brown.
- Combine the peeled tomatoes, soaked and roasted peppers and fresh cilantro/coriander in a food processor and blend it. it. Adjust the salt.
Now comes the toughest part, assembling the momos.
Here’s how you can assemble the momos
- Divide the dough into equal portion. Make sure each ball is about 3/4 inch to 1 inch.
- Roll each ball between your palms to make a spherical shape. If the dough gets too sticky, dust some flour on the surface.
- Flatten each ball between your palms. Roll out each flattened circle with a rolling pin, to make 3-inch circle wrapper.
Note: It would be better if you can make the middle portion of the wrapper slightly thicker than the edge. This will hold the filling.
- Cover the rolled out wrappers with a thin cloth/towel to prevent them from drying out.
To fill the Momos
- Wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Hold the wrapper on one palm and put a spoonful of filling in the centre.
- Gently and loosely fold it on a semi-circle, just like a taco. Make the pleats to give a shape of your choice – half moons or purse. Make sure you seal them really well. The meat filling needs to get cooked as it steams.
Steaming the Momos:
- Prepare the steamer. Add some onions, ginger, fresh coriander to the steaming water. This can be used as a clear soup on the side of momos.
- Oil the steamer rack well. The oil will prevent the Momos from sticking and tearing out when you take them out.
- Arrange the stuffed Momos in the steamer. Close the lid, and steam it until they are cooked through.
- Take the Momos off the steamer, and serve immediately with the soup (if you wish) or the chutney.
