From the Chinese provinces to our plates

 

 

Momos generally refer to simple steamed and filled buns or dumplings. The fillings are either vegetables like carrot, beans, cabbage or meat varieties like chicken. In this article, the recipe is about the making of Chilli garlic momos!

The spicy steamy momos that everyone relishes around the globe come from the Chinese provinces. When trades were flourishing, people shared this delicacy around various regions and gave diverse names to these dumplings. Now momos are the flag bearer of regional food delicacies in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and regions in and around Sikkim and Darjeeling in India! These momos are little fillets of enriched vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin A and Vitamin K.

Delicious variations in momos

Steamed or fried, with meat or vegetables that fill those pockets, momos are in various shapes, types and flavours. Similarly, the recipe involves steaming or pan-frying the momos with a side of chilli garlic sauce or tomato sauce and sesame flavour chutneys.

Chilli garlic momos give an amazing taste when eaten piping hot! However, you can make simple steam vegetable momos, tandoori momos, momos that dip in sauces and cheese-filled and fried momos.

Chilli garlic momos can be enjoyed as an appetizer on the Chinese platter and make a great combo with a hot bowl of vegetable soup! Variations occur even in the way we fold the dough sheets. Here we have followed the “fold-and-pinch” method. You can also give shape to your momos via Half moon folding, single pleat folding and rose folding techniques.

If you are health conscious, you can go with using Wheat flour (Atta) in place of All-purpose flour (Maida).

How to prepare Chilli garlic momos

Chilli garlic momos are pretty easy to prepare. We first prepare the dough and keep it aside, while we saute the vegetables with little pepper and salt. On the other hand, we prepare the chilli garlic sauce and bring them to a glazy consistency. The dough stuffed with sauteed vegetables are first kept in steam and we give the steamed momos a little saute in the chilli garlic sauce prepared.

Do not miss out on our recipe for vegetable momos! Also, try making the dumplings using various stuffing suggested!

Vegetable momos are simple steam-cooked buns filled with vegetables.

Meat momos- Stuffing of minced meat like chicken/ mutton in place of the vegetables.

Serving

1. Serve the chilli garlic momos hot. Because it helps to retain the soft texture of the dough and the glazy texture of the sauce on the outer side of momos.
2. Serve the chilli garlic momos along with tomato sauce or mint chutney, and you can also add shredded paneer to elevate the taste.

Pro tips for your chilli garlic momos recipe

1. Make sure that the dough for the chilli garlic momos is neither too sticky nor too dry because it may create a mess when we fold them after rolling them into thin sheets. It all depends upon the amount of water and oil added.
2. Do not stir fry the vegetables in an excess amount of oil as they may soak. Also, you can add a pinch of sugar to retain the colour of the vegetables in the chilli garlic momos.
3. While preparing chilli garlic sauce for the momos, if you cannot avail of the schezwan chutney, you can prepare at home. Blend the soaked red chilli into a fine paste. In a pan, add them along with star anise, garlic and ginger. Fry them on a high flame and add sauces of red chilli, green chilli, soya sauce and vinegar. Bring them together and add salt as per requirement and a little pinch of sugar. Keep them on flame and wait till the chutney attains a rich glazy texture.
4. While folding the momos to steam, seal the end and corners of the same properly so that you can avoid the spillage of vegetable stuffing from inside.

Here is the video for chilli garlic momos!

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Have a look at the printable version of the recipe

 

 

Making of Chilli garlic momos: step-by-step instruction with pictures

Preparing the dough

1. To start with making chilli garlic momos, add 2 cups of Maida flour to a bowl.
2. Then put 1 teaspoon of oil and half a teaspoon of salt to that and mix them well.
3.   After that, pour warm water as per the requirement. Blend and knead the flour to a soft texture.
4.    Cover the dough bowl with a lid and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Cooking the vegetable filling for chilli garlic momos

1. In a pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil.
2. To that, add 1 teaspoon of garlic that is minced.
3. After that, add 1/4^th cup of grated carrots, 1 cup of shredded cabbage to the pan.
4. Sauté on high flame for 2 minutes.
5. Then add a ½ teaspoon of salt and corn starch to the pan. Add it and mix all the ingredients well. Turn off the heat.

Filling the dough

1. After keeping the kneaded dough at rest for 15 minutes, take it out.
2. To fold and make the momos, make the dough into small dough balls and dust them on either side with dry flour. Roll them into small thin circular sheets.
3. Take each sheet and place the vegetable filling in a certain amount while folding the momos so that, it won’t come out while folding the sheets.
4. Now fold the sheets in the “fold-and-pinch” method. Fold the sheet a little inside, and pinch the other two sides.
5. Repeat the folding till the sheet encloses the filling.
6. Fold the other sheets the same way, and you will have on your hands, the momo dumplings! Keep them on the steamer. Cover the steamer and let the momos steam cook for 10-12 minutes on a high flame. Wait till the momos attain a glazy shiny look and a soft transparent outer look.

Bringing the momos and the sauce together

1. Add 4 tablespoons of oil to the pan.
2. Then 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic and fry them a little so that, it attains a golden brown colour.
3. To bring the chilli garlic sauce, add 2 teaspoons of schezwan chutney and 1 teaspoon of green chilli sauce, soya sauce and vinegar.
4. Finish the chilli garlic sauce with 2 teaspoons of tomato ketchup.

The final step

1. When it is attaining the saucy texture, add the steamed momos to the pan and coat them well with the sauce on all the sides of the momos. It is appreciable if we add the momos when it is warm because it may help with gelling of the sauce on the momos and enhance the taste of the dish.
2. In conclusion, while plating the momos, garnish them with spring onions or with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve them piping hot!