January 31, 2011

Mad about momos

If you are a lover of the ubiquitous kozhakattai, or our very own samosa, then there is no doubt that you will lust after its Tibetan counterpart — the momo. These steamed little dumplings of heaven not only provide a tantalising treat to your taste buds, but are an extremely healthy alternative to the junk we get in the name of health food today.

I first tasted these delicacies when I went for a holiday to Calcutta. My grandfather and I trudged along the streets one fine morning when he took me on a ‘sight-seeing’ walk. Howrah bridge apart, the only sight that caught my eye were these plump, snow-white dumplings that sat prettily steamed in a busy street as resident Tibetian families fed hungry office-goers mounds and mounds of these simple looking beauties. One bite, and I was hooked.

Be warned, making momos does require patience simply because of all the kneading and rolling. However, the end result is well worth its weight in gold. Since the parcels are made from a thin layer of dough, the stuffing can vary from cooked meat, vegetables and cheese to even chocolate on occasion.

The stuffing usually depends on the region the momos come from and every area has a different speciality. Served with a hot chilli dipping sauce that proves to be the perfect foil to the simple, yet subtle flavours of the dumplings, these sinfully delicious in-between bites sure have found a calling in Chennai.

I have tried a variety of filings, but I personally feel the traditional ones are still my favourite. No cream cheese and broccoli momos for me please. I have posted a really easy and simple recipe below which I’m sure you guys can try. Get the hubby/boyfriend to roll out the dough. (good way for him to work his muscles eh?)

VEGETABLE  MOMOS
Ingredients:
250 gm mushroom, carrot, cabbage, boiled and minced
500 gm plain maida
2 onions finely chopped
1 inch ginger cut into slivers,
2 green chillies finely chopped,
2 cloves garlic finely chopped,
1 tbsp soy sauce
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
METHOD: Combine flour, oil and salt in a bowl, mix well. Add water to make it a soft dough. Chop green chillies, onions, garlic and ginger. Combine them with minced chicken. Add soy sauce, mix well and set aside. Make small balls from the dough. Roll them into a small round and put one tsp of the filling in the middle. Seal it and steam for about twenty minutes. Serve hot with chilli-garlic sauce.

No comments:

Post a Comment