Vegetarian Momo’s- Stuffed with goodness of broccoli, golden corn and beans

Momo’s for me are more than food. Being a native of north east, momo’s are synonyms with a variety of things associated with my childhood memories. The memories are of divine beauty of places like Darjeeling, Sikkim and Shillong. It reminds me of innocent good times, my parents and our frequent retreat to Shillong and Darjeeling. Times that have slipped away beyond my reach, but I have been able to gather all of it and given words to some. Momo’s are a lip-smacking appetizer, very famous among youths and these dumplings are native to Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Himalayan states of India.

Most of my memories of momo’s are associated with the unparalleled beauty that the little town” Shillong” had to offer us, days and days of happiness that keeps me going even now.

Momo’s were introduced from Han China, as Momo is a loanword from the Chinese mómo, a type of steamed bun. Momo’s have become a traditional delicacy in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling district and Ladakh. They are one of the most popular fast food in Nepal and many other South Asian region populated with people of Nepali origin and people of hilly origin. They are also common in places with noticeable Nepalese and Tibetan diaspora, sauch as Assam, Delhi, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Shillong, Uttarakhand and West Bengal”.

It is definitely a time consuming recipe but it’s worth all the hard work that goes in creating these little parcel full of wonderful aromas. 

Ingredients:

For the Shell/Covering

Maida/All Purpose Flour:1 cup

Salt: As needed

Water: Just enough to knead the dough

Oil: 1 ½ tsp

For the Stuffing:

Finely Chopped French Beans: ½ Cup blanched

Finely Chopped garlic and Onion: ½ cup

Finely Chopped Carrots:1/4 cup

Finely chopped Broccoli: ½ cup

Corn Kernels: 1/4 Cup

Sugar:1/4 tsp

Crushed Pepper: ½ tsp

White sesame seeds:1/2 tsp

Soya Sauce:1 tsp

Salt: As per taste

Oil: 1 Tbsp

Method:

1.    Mix flour, salt and oil in a bowl and add water to make smooth dough. Just like our poori dough. Keep aside covered for 15-20 minutes.

2.    Take all the veggies for the stuffing and blanch it in hot water for approximately 10 minutes. Strain it under running cold water to retain the natural color.

Tip: Blanch it with little salt to retain the green color of the veggies.

3.    Allow the veggies to cool. Once it cools down, slightly churn it in the mixer for a minute just to get rid of the big bites of veggies. Don’t mash it completely. It should have some rough texture of its own; just good enough for the filling.

4.    Heat a pan with 1 Tbsp of oil and add the sesame seeds to crackle. Don’t let it splutter for too long or else it will get burnt. Now add the garlic and onion to it and sauté it for 2 minutes. Fry them till they become translucent.  

5.    Next step is to add in the green veggie mixture and add salt, pepper, soy sauce and mix well. Stir it for a minute in medium flame. Switch off and keep aside.

6.    Roll out the dough to make thin 8-10 cm circles. Take a dollop of mixture about a tsp and place it at the middle of a circle.

7.    Wet the edges of the circle and stick the edges strongly to give them the shape of momo’s.

8. Boil a pan of water with a steaming momo pot on top of it. I use the traditional bamboo boiler to steam my momos. Banana leaf can be used to cover the base of the momo steamer to infuse a nice aroma.

9.    Steam the moms for 5 minutes before serving them with your choice of dip. You can add finely chopped onion with tomato ketchup and serve it as your dip or simply use mint or any other green chutney).

10. I decided to use both to serve my tempting momos.

Enjoy the lip smacking momo’s with your loved ones and savor the Food for Life!