Momosમોમોઝ
Steamed dumplings of thin dough filled with shredded vegetables, served with a fiery red chutney. Nothing is fried, which makes them lighter than they look.
Ingredients
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- Dough: 2 cups plain flour, salt, water
- Filling: 2 cups shredded cabbage, 1 carrot, 1 onion
- 5 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp soy sauce, salt, crushed pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- Chutney: 4 dried red chillies, 3 tomatoes, garlic, salt
Method
- Knead a firm dough from the flour, salt and water, and rest it 30 minutes.
- Fry the garlic and ginger, toss the vegetables on high for 3 minutes, season with soy, salt and pepper, and cool.
- Roll small thin discs, place filling in the middle and pleat the edges shut.
- Arrange on a greased steamer and steam over boiling water for 10-12 minutes.
- For the chutney, boil the chillies and tomatoes, then blend with garlic and salt.
- Serve the momos hot with the chutney.
Tips
- The thinner the wrapper the better, as long as it doesn't tear.
- Fill only with cooled filling; warm filling softens the dough.
Storing and reheating
Steamed momos keep two days in the fridge but the wrappers firm up; three or four minutes back in the steamer softens them again. A microwave turns the dough rubbery. The best approach is to freeze them raw: set them apart on a tray until solid, then bag them, and steam straight from frozen with four extra minutes.
What you can swap
- No momo steamer? An idli stand, a metal colander or a perforated plate set over a pot and covered all work. Just remember to grease whatever you use.
- To avoid all plain flour, use half wholewheat. The dough is less stretchy, so roll the discs slightly thicker and keep the pleating simple.
- Cabbage can give way to grated paneer, mushroom or bottle gourd. With bottle gourd, grate it, salt it for ten minutes and squeeze it completely dry first.
- No soy sauce? Use a pinch of salt, half a teaspoon of vinegar and some crushed pepper. The filling tastes milder but cleaner.
What to serve with it
An evening snack with the fiery red chutney and a cup of hot clear soup. In India these have become proper street-cart food, and a steaming plate of them is a winter habit. They also travel in a lunch box, wrapped in a dry cloth rather than sealed in plastic.
Mistakes to avoid
- Cook the filling until every bit of vegetable water has evaporated. A wet filling dissolves the wrapper from inside and the momos split while steaming.
- Do not forget to grease the steamer. Without oil they weld to the surface and the base tears when you lift them.
- Do not leave rolled discs uncovered. They dry out in two or three minutes and then will not seal, so keep them under a damp cloth.
- Do not pack the steamer so the momos touch. They swell as they cook and fuse together, so leave a finger's gap between them.
Questions people ask
Why are my momo wrappers tough and gummy?
Over-steaming. Ten to twelve minutes is enough; beyond that the dough goes rubbery rather than soft. The other cause is condensation dripping off the lid, which you can stop by tying a cloth over it.
Can I make momos without a steamer?
Yes. Boil two inches of water in a pot, put a ring or an upturned bowl inside, set a greased plate on it and cover. An idli stand is the easiest substitute if you have one.
Can momos be fried?
Steam them first, then deep fry in medium-hot oil for fried momos, or crisp one side on an oiled tawa for pan-fried. Do not fry them raw, or the wrapper browns outside while the dough stays uncooked.
