First Experience: Nepalese Momos (Dumplings)

Momos with Dipping Sauce & Jicama-Pineapple Slaw

Once upon a time, my husband and I bought a new couch and gave our old sectional to a friend. As an act of appreciation, he made for us the most delicious dumplings. Of course, our friend is Nepalese, so he grew up making these momos, which is speculated to be the most popular dish in Nepal. That day was nearly 3 years ago and I haven't been able to shake the thought of those delicious dumplings, so this weekend I decided to give it a go myself. 

I did some research from several sites and scratched out a recipe that I thought would work. I made up a dipping sauce, which was pretty good, but not nearly as good as the original dipping sauce we tried, so I'll have to hound our friend for his recipe. With my husband's blessing, I can say that the dish was a success, and will only need a few minor adjustments in the future. Luckily, our friend has agreed to give me a lesson and I can't wait!

I also made a jicama-pineapple slaw as a side. It isn't at all traditional, in fact, I made it up. :)

Recipe Origin: 

Nepal

Serves:

4

Ingredients:

Dough:

• about 3 cups whole wheat, white whole wheat, or all purpose white flour
• 3/4-1 cup water

Filling:

• 1 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 inches fresh ginger root
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp vegetable stock

Cooking:

1. Begin by making your dough. I read several different versions of the dough, some calling for salt, others butter, but I opted for the simplest. The suggested whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour, so I went with an "in-between" option from King Arthur Flour: White Whole Wheat. I've used it before in place of all-purpose flour before with good results. To make the dough, simply place your flour in a large bowl and begin adding water, mixing with your hand. Continue to mix until the dough forms a smooth ball. Then knead the dough until it is flexible, NOT FLAKY. Cover your bowl to prevent the dough from drying out and set aside.

2. Mix the filling ingredients. I decided to take out my trusty food processor, as finely chopping things is not always my forte. After a slight scare, where it refused to work (it is older than me), I coaxed it back to life. I put in all the ingredients in the food processor, (except for the turkey, soy sauce, and vegetable stock) and blended. Some of my ingredients started to get a little too fine, so be careful if you use a food processor.

3. Take the finely chopped mixture and add it to your ground turkey, along with the soy sauce and vegetable stock. Mix well.

 4. Now for the fun part! Grab a handful of your dough, but be sure to replace the lid to keep it moist! On a cutting board, roll out your dough. I typically have a lot of issues with sticking, but this simple dough was NO PROBLEM! You want to roll the dough pretty thin: it should be around 1/8 inch thick or slightly less. The dough is fairly elastic, so the risk of tearing isn't much.

5. Use a small dish or cup, a little larger that the palm of your hand as a guide for cutting circles in the dough. Just put the cup on top of the dough and use a sharp knife to cut around it. Put the circle of dough in your non-dominant hand and then scoop about 1 Tbsp of the filling in the center of the circle. You can seal the momo in a couple different ways, either in a half moon shape, or a round shape. I found that the half moon shape was a little easier to get the hang-of. I also found that if I stretched the dough a little before adding the filling, that it makes closing the momo much easier. To make a half moon shape, simply pinch one end of the circle and work your way across. Make tiny folds in the dough to ensure that it is sealed (and to make it look pretty). To make a round shape, fold in one edge and begin pinching around in a circle until you make it all the way around. Twist the folds to secure the seal. I'm not sure I really mastered the round shape, but they tasted just as good. This can be time-consuming, so try not to do it when you are pressed for time. It took me about 30 minutes just to form the dumplings.

The first two I made!

 6. Time to steam the dumplings! I had two large pots going, one meant to be a steamer and one with a steaming basket. I sprayed a little cooking spray on the surface to prevent the momos from sticking. Put as many possible on each steaming surface without them touching. Steam for about 10 minutes, covered.

7. Carefully remove from the steamer and serve immediately! Serve with dipping sauce for tastiest results.

Notes:

• I made up a dipping sauce to serve with these that went something like this: couple of roma tomatoes diced, little soy sauce, little lime juice, some chili paste, boil, simmer, serve. It was good with the momos, but it just wasn't as good as the sauce we originally ate. If/when I get the other recipe, I will update it. Serving this with a hot sauce like sriracha, regular soy sauce, or even sweet and sour sauce would also be good, I think. 
• Traditionally, meat momos have beef or pork, not turkey. I opted for turkey because it is a much healthier option. And, truth be told, due to my genetics, I'm at risk for high cholesterol, so I rarely, if ever, eat red meat. The turkey was a good option, but I must admit, it is fairly tasteless. All the more reason to serve with an extra tasty dipping sauce. I think I might add a little more garlic, or perhaps some chiles next time, also. I saw several recipes that included more spice options, such as cumin, turmeric, etc. I decided to go with the most basic recipe I could, but now that I know the taste and consistency, I will feel more comfortable adding spice combinations. That, and, I didn't taste the filling mixture before adding the raw turkey, sooooooooo, I was a little in the dark so I figured the garlic and ginger would suffice. 
• Using whole wheat or even white whole wheat is a healthier option, but makes it more difficult to make roll-out, loosing the authenticity. Even with a slightly thicker covering, the dumplings were quite delicious. On a rare, albeit special occasion, I may try to make these with all-purpose (killer) white flour. 
• Using a food-processor to chop the filling ingredients may not be the best option, though it is the somewhat easier (read: lazy) option. My food processor is super-old and only has one blade, so if you are able to adjust the level of chop, make it a little courser. I would have liked more of the texture of the cabbage, which was somewhat lost with the super-fine chop it underwent. 
• Finally, be patient. From what I read, and experienced, making momos is supposed to be enjoyable. I actually really enjoyed forming the dumplings and trying my very best to make them look pretty. It really was a relaxing experience.

So, if you are feeling adventurous, give these a try. Let me know how they turn out!

-Carly