Tibetan kothay momo (dumplings)
Ask any South Asian and they can tell you how important momos are to them! haha.
Props to my neighbors, the Tibetans, for gifting the world these steamed dumpling full of warmth and juiciness. Then we had to take it up a notch with these Nepalese style kothay (fried) momos.
Whether steamed or fried, this recipe is a love letter to Darjeeling style momos, the kind I grew up eating in a small town nestled in the mountains.
Prep:
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 13 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
1 medium onion - diced
2 tbsp freshly ground ginger
3 stalks of green onions - finely diced
1/2 cup cilantro - chopped
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
round dumpling wrappers
Recipe:
To make the momo filling, mix all ingredients together. I prefer to fold the ingredients in and not work the meat too much. Tip: If you overwork it, the protein starts to break down and creates a glutenous tight ball.
Wrapping dumplings takes practice and there’s a million and one way to do it. You can YouTube how to wrap dumplings. The basics you need to know are:
Don’t overstuff the wrap, start with a small amount.
I like to wet the wrap for a minute and slightly stretching out the edge to get a thinner fold.
Before I start stuffing it I wet another wrap, so that it’s perfectly moist by the time I’m done wrapping the previous momo.
Practice, practice, practice!
I’ve been wrapping momos for at least 15 years. It takes time to develop that dexterity and speed up the wrapping.
Finally, oil the base of a steamer, and place the momos, with about 1/3 or half an inch of space to spare in between, and steam over boiling water for 13 minutes.
For kothay(fried) style momos, you can either pan fry it after steaming or place the raw momos on a skillet add 2 tbsp of cooking oil and 1/2 a cup of water and cook it covered until all the water has evaporated and the outside skin becomes translucent.
I’ve yet to meet one person who does not like momos, and this recipe is proof! 🥟
Tag me on Instagram with #nommygod, so I can see your yummy creations!
