MOMOS

I can have momos anytime. It is my all time favourite food. The original and authentic spicy sauce is an equally important aspect. My father used to work in Siliguri briefly during my childhood days. Him being a doctor (surgeon) kept me in good company of cutest ever Nepali nurses. After seeing my love for momos they shared the recipe of their version of the hot sauce. I also tried my hands on Kothe Momos which is a pan fried version of the regular momos. The only difference between a regular pan fried momo and a kothe momo is that in Kothe Momos only the bottom part is crispy. 

Preparation:

Step 1: Knead the Dough:

For the momo wrapper you will need to knead the dough with water, salt and white vinegar. It should look like a tight dough initially. Knead it for 2-3 mins to make it softer and more manageable. Cover it with a wet kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 mins.

Step 2: Preparing the tempered oil:

In a pan, heat 4 TBSP of refined oil. Once the oil gets heated add all the chopped aromats- chopped onions, chopped spring onions (only the green part), chopped garlic, chopped ginger(optional), green chilies and chopped coriander.

* This quantity is for both veg and non-veg fillings

Step 3: Preparing the Chicken Filling:

In a bowl take 250gms of chicken mince, add 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste), 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce (optional). Add little more than ½ the quantity of the tempered oil into the chicken. Mix it well

Step 4: Preparing the Veg Filling:

In a bowl, take the chopped cabbage, chopped carrots and 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. After 5 mins drain the excess water that comes out of the cabbage and carrot mixture. After draining the excess water add the remaining quantity of the tempered oil into the cabbage and carrot mixture. Mix it well.

Step 5: Time to make the momo wrappers:

Knead the dough once more and roll it into a big circle. Then using a circular cutter cut circular discs out of the big circle to make the circular wrapper. Note, the momo wrapper should be thin and small in size. Once you make the wrappers dust a little bit of corn starch so that it does not stick to anything.

Step 6: Time to fill the wrappers with the fillings:

Take the wrapper in your palm and put one dollop of the filling in between. Now start folding the two sides of the wrapper. Or you can just dap a little bit of water onto one side of the wrapper and stick the other side to it. For a detailed understanding watch my video.

Step 7: Steam the Momos to make STEAM MOMOS:

Take a saucepan, add two cups of water. Now you will need a perforated utensil which fits exactly on the mouth of the saucepan (if you don’t have a momo maker). You will also need a lid which will be used to cover the perforated utensil. Now grease the perforated utensil with 1 teaspoon of refined oil. Put the momos onto the perforated utensil and cover it. For the first 3 mins keep the flame on high and then reduce the heat to low.

Your steamed momos should be ready in 8-10 mins depending on the size. If it’s huge, it may even take 12 mins. The dough will look a little translucent once it’s cooked.

Step 8: Pan fry the Momos to make PAN-FRIED MOMOS:

In a pan, pour 2 TBSP of refined oil. Once the oil is heated, add the momos. After a minute, add ½ a cup of water to the pan. Once the water starts bubbling reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.

Your pan-fried momos should be ready in 8-10 mins depending on the size. If it’s huge, it may even take 12 mins. The dough will look a little translucent once it’s cooked.

Step 9: Time to make the HOOOTTTT sauce!

Take two tomatoes and roast them. Take off the burnt skin. In a mixer grinder, throw in the tomatoes, dried red chilies, green chilies (if you like it to be spicier), salt, garlic paste, and peanuts. Make a paste.

Step 10: Your Momos are ready to be served.