Momos - Delicious Dumplings from the "Roof of the World"
Hari Bista chats in Nepali with a new Vermont resident and former English teacher and healthcare worker in Nepal while making momos
It says something of Burlington that most of the 20 people who attended the most recent City Market class in the Mosaic of Flavors series raised their hands when asked if they had ever tried momos, the juicy dumplings popular in Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet. This area has seen a big upsurge in refugees from Bhutan and Nepal in the last two years, as many Bhutanese of Nepali origin, mainly Hindu, have fled their homeland due to ethnic and religious tensions.
Hari Bista recently moved to Winooski from Nepal (she was born in Bhutan) with her extended family. She showed us how to make vegetarian momos filled with the mouthwatering flavors of ginger, onion, and cilantro in base of green cabbage. The momos were topped with a savory tomato and chili chutney whose heat had you coming back for more.
I recently read a beautiful book about Bhutan called Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan, and memoirist Jamie Zeppa, a Canadian who taught English there for several years, recounts a popular childhood jingle that makes me smile:
"Five little momos sitting in a shop
Juicy and plump with chili on top
Along comes a boy with a ngultrum* in his hand -
Four little momos sitting in a shop."
Etc.
[Bhutanese currency]
This was a very popular class in our Mosaic of Flavors series, so here are photos and the recipes for those who couldn’t attend.
Making the vegetarian filling
Wrapping dumplings
A close-up of the cabbage filling
The dumplings can be shaped like half-moons or purses
Hari brought her own 3-tier steamer, but any steamer would work
Momos cooling after coming out of the steamer
The spicy tomato chutney is briefly cooked, then ladled on the momos - bursting with flavor!
And here is an article in the New York Times last week about momos called Momos: Tibetans (Forbidden) Special Treat!
MOMOS
Wrappers:
4 cups white flour
1 cup water, or as needed
OR
2 packages dumpling wrappers
Filling:
1 small green cabbage
¼ cup minced ginger
1 onion
1 tomato
½cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne powder
¼cup vegetable oil
salt
Mix and knead the wrapper ingredients to form a dough. Roll the dough and make circles 6-10 cm. across. (Dough should be rolled out to be very thin.) OR use pre-made square dumpling wrappers.
Shred cabbage in a food processor and set aside. Transfer it to a large bowl and put a pinch of salt over it (this will release the water). Squeeze out extra water and transfer to another bowl.
Peel ginger and process in the food processor with the onion. Transfer to bowl with the cabbage.
Chop tomato and cilantro and add to cabbage mixture along with cumin, cayenne powder, oil, and salt to taste. Place one teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each circle and wet the edges to glue together. Stick the sides together strongly to stop leakage. Pleat edges.
Boil a pan of water with a steaming insert on top (or use a large vegetable steamer). Oil the steaming insert to prevent sticking. Place a few momos into the steamer and steam for 15 minutes.
TOMATO CHUTNEY (FOR MOMOS)
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 hot chili peppers, chopped
½cup onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
½tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
Lightly cook tomatoes until they start to soften. Add everything to the food processor and add a little water if the chutney is too thick.