Momos
This recipe for Ladakh momos - a type of stuffed dumpling - uses very simple ingredients to produce a beautiful, juicy vegan dumpling. It's filled with carrot, cabbage, potatoes, spinach and a little bit of chilli. Folding dumplings neatly can be a bit of a challenge at first - it’s important to seal the dumplings firmly all the way around so they don’t burst as they cook. If you end up with more dumplings than you need, simply freeze the extras and steam from frozen, adding on a couple minutes of steaming time.
Extracted from On The Himalayan Trail by Romy Gill (Hardie Grant, £27)
Romy says: "Momos are famous in Ladakhi cuisine. These filled dumplings can have a variety of different stuffings – meat, vegetables or paneer – and can be either fried or steamed (in a traditional steamer called a mokto). They come in a few different shapes and are eaten with chilli sauce or served as an accompaniment to soup. They can be eaten at any time of day and are found across all the Himalayan regions of India. This recipe was taught to me by Charol’s mother-in-law, Palzes (or Palay, as her family call her), on my first trip to Ladakh."
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the dough
- 300g of atta flour, or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch of salt
- 200ml of water, at room temperature
- 2 tsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 30g of white cabbage, finely grated
- 30g of carrots, peeled and finely grated
- 30g of potatoes, peeled and finely grated
- 20g of onion, finely chopped
- 20g of spinach, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
Equipment
- Steamer
Method
To make the dough, sift the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Gradually add the water, mixing and kneading until you have a flexible dough. Drizzle the oil over the dough, turning it to coat, cover with a dish towel and leave to rest for 20–30 minutes at room temperature
- 300g of atta flour, or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch of salt
- 200ml of water, at room temperature
- 2 tsp sunflower oil
Meanwhile, make the filling. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine
- 30g of white cabbage, finely grated
- 30g of carrots, peeled and finely grated
- 30g of potatoes, peeled and finely grated
- 20g of onion, finely chopped
- 20g of spinach, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
Divide the dough into about 30 equal-sized balls, each weighing around 10–12 g. Dust the work surface with flour, then roll one of the balls into thin circles, about 8 cm in diameter, one at a time
Place 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling mixture in the middle of each circle of dough, then use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the sides together to seal each parcel
Repeat until all the dough and filling are used up
Fill a steamer pan with water, cover the base of the steamer with baking paper and pierce a few holes in it
Place over a high heat and bring to the boil
Working in batches, place the momos on the baking paper, cover the pan with the lid and steam for 10–12 minutes until the momos look transparent
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