Momos
Servings: 15
Momos are a popular street food in northern parts of India. These are also known as Dim Sum and are basically dumplings made from flour with a savory stuffing. Learn to make these popular Tibetan recipe of easy vegetable momos from scratch with two folding techniques. The recipe is vegan.
Ingredients
For The Dumpling Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour – 125 grams
½ teaspoon oil
¼ teaspoon salt or as required
2 to 3 tablespoon water for kneading or as required
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For Vegetable Stuffing
1 tablespoon oil
2 small-sized spring onions (scallions) finely chopped – reserve the greens to be added later
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small-sized garlic, finely chopped
1.5 to 1.75 cups finely chopped mix vegetables (I added ½ cup chopped cabbage, ½ cup chopped carrots, â…“ cup chopped french beans and ¼ cup chopped capsicum)
½ cup chopped white button mushrooms – optional
1 teaspoon soy sauce or add as required
½ teaspoon black pepper powder or as required
salt as required
Instructions
Step 1.
Making Dough: Take the all-purpose flour, salt, oil in a bowl and mix them well with a spoon. Add water in parts and knead to a firm dough. Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Step 4.
Shaping Momos: Divide the dough in two parts. Make a 7 to 8 inches log from each part. Cut the log into equal slices. Make ball of each slice and keep them covered with a moist napkin. Take each dough ball and on a lightly dusted board, roll each dough ball into a thin circle of about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Try to get the edges to be thin and the center to be thick. Place 2 or 3 teaspoons of vegetable stuffing in the center. Lift one side of the edge and start pleating. Start folding and forming the pleats one by one. Towards the end, join the pleats in the center. Prepare all momos this way and keep them covered under a moist napkin. Till you are ready to steam them.
Step 2.
Making Vegetable Stuffing: Finely chop all the vegetables. You can also use a food processor to chop the vegetables. In a thick bottomed pan heat oil. Add finely chopped garlic. Sauté for 2 to 3 seconds on medium-low heat. Add spring onion whites and sauté for 10 to 15 seconds on medium-low heat. Then add all the finely chopped vegetables. Increase the flame and stir fry the vegetables on a medium to high heat
Step 5.
Steaming The Momos: Heat 1.5 to 2 cups water in a steamer or in an electric cooker or in a pressure cooker. Let the water come to a boil. In a greased steamer pan or in idli moulds, place the momos keeping some space between them so that they don't touch each other. Steam them for 5 to 6 minutes. Don't overdo the steaming, as the dough becomes dense and dry.The steaming time may vary upon the thickness of momos’ cover.
Step 3.
. If you have not used a thick bottomed pan, then saute the veggies on a low to medium heat. Sauté or stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add soy sauce, salt and pepper. Continue to stir fry on a medium to high flame for 2 to 3 minutes more. Switch off the flame and add the spring onions greens. Mix well. Check the taste and add more salt, pepper or soy sauce, if required. Set the stuffing aside until it cools completely.
Step 6.
When you touch the momo then dough should not feel sticky to you. This means they are done and the momos will have a transparent look. Time of cooking varies from intensity of the flame and kind of pan and the steamer you are using. Once done, remove them and keep on a serving tray or plate. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve veg momos with a spicy sauce like schezwan sauce or tomato-chili sauce or chili sauce. You can also serve it with red chilli garlic chutney.
Notes
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Dough: Knead the dough to a firm texture. If the dough becomes soft, then add some flour and knead again. If the dough looks dry, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and continue to knead.
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Stuffing: Add your favorite veggies in the stuffing. Just a stuffing of button mushrooms or a mix of fresh mushrooms also taste good. You could even make a stuffing of mashed or boiled potatoes and paneer or even cheddar cheese.
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Seasonings: You can experiment in the stuffing and come up with different flavors. Add your favorite ground spices, herbs, sauces and seasonings.
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Steaming: While steaming do keep some space between the momos. After steaming the dumplings expand and you don’t want them sticking to each other. You can steam in an Instant Pot, Electric Cooker, Stove-top Pressure cooker, a regular Pot or pan or even in a Idli steamer pan.
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Checking for doneness: After the momos are steamed, when you touch the dough it should not feel sticky. The momos will also look transparent.
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Gluten Free: Using millet flour or rice flour to make these dumplings gluten free. Shaping them can be a tricky with a gluten free dough. To 1 cup of any millet flour or rice flour, add ½ teaspoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and enough boiling water to get a smooth dough. After adding hot water first mix with a spoon. Cover and let dough become warm and then knead to a smooth dough.
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Substitutes: Use tamari or bragg liquid aminos in place of soy sauce. Use white pepper in place of black pepper. Use onions (red or white) or shallots in place of spring onions (scallions).
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Steaming in Instant Pot
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Keep a trivet inside the IP steel insert. Add 1 to 1.5 cup water.
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Use the sauté button to get the water to a boiling stage.
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Place the pan containing the dim sum or momos on the trivet.
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Position the valve to steam release position on the lid. Seal with the lid and using the steam option, steam for 5 to 6 minutes. Keep a track of the time using a stop-watch.
Steaming in Electric cooker
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Pour water inside the steel insert or pot of the cooker. Using the steam or cook/heat option let the water come to a boil.
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Use the steamer pan that came with the cooker. Grease it and place the dumplings on it.
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Place this steamer pan on the top of the pot in the cooker or inside the pot on a trivet (depending on various models and brands, this will change). Set the time of 5 to 6 minutes for steaming.
Steaming in a stovetop Pressure Cooker
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Remove the vent weight/whistle from the lid.
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Keep a trivet inside the cooker. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water.
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Bring the water to boil on medium-high heat.
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Place the pan with the momos on the trivet.
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Cover and steam for 5 to 6 minutes.
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If the dim sum looks undercooked, then steam for a few more minutes. Note that the water should not come in contact with the dumplings.
Steam dim sum in a pot or in an idli pan:
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For a pot, first keep a trivet and then heat 1.5 to 2 cups water. Place the pan with the momos in the pot. Cover and steam for 5 to 6 minutes.
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For steaming in a Idli pan, heat water in the pan.
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Grease the idli moulds with oil.
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Place the momos on the idli moulds.
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Then place the moulds in the pan and steam them for 5 to 6 minutes.