My tryst with the Momo

After a number of trials I have finally mastered the art of making momos. These aren't really as perfect as the ones you would find made by the deft hands of ladies from tibet or nepal, but they were passable and did have quite the zing of the standard street fare. The recipe is quite simple and does not require learning much technicalities, but the route to perfection definitely lies in the precision and care taken while preparing each element. The kneading of the dough, its rest and the mixing of the filling all have a purpose to it which finally adds to the end product.




  • Knead a cup of all purpose flour with cold water to a soft, smooth and pliable dough
  • Leave the dough to rest under a wet napkin.....(the wet napkin is to make sure that the dough doesn't dry out)
  • Mix about two cups of mince chicken along with two cups of minced onions, and a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves......(substitute the chicken with mince of mushrooms, bean sprouts/ cabbage and carrots and voila! we have a vegetarian filling)
  • Knead the mix well with salt to taste, pepper to season and a table spoon of soya sauce...... (the kneading allows the onions to start releasing its moisture)
  • Add four table spoons of oil and knead some more till well mixed
  • Rollout portions of the dough into a sheet as thin as you can and cut out circles of four inches diameter
  • Place as much filling as it can hold in the centre of a circle and lift it up to make a sachet and pinch the edges together.....(there should be not too much dough when the top is pinched off or else when popped into the mouth all you feel is dough and doughy dough!)
  • Make as many of these as you want, place them in a steamer over simmering water and wait for it to turn translucent......(adding some ginger, garlic, celery sticks, lemon leaves and shallots into the water helps in lending flavour)  
  • Serve hot with a spicy salsa of onions, red chilly( more the merrier), tomatoes, garlic and coriander leaves









Comments

Jayashree said…
They look perfect, Dakshina....
December 15, 2011 at 7:30 PM
Dakshina said…
Thanx jaysree....we'll try them out once more together
December 19, 2011 at 10:30 PM
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