Nepal Style chicken dumplings (momos), a renowned street food item I used to have in Koregaon park, Pune. Something special about these dumplings is the spicy tomato garlic chutney served with them. I remember it had very simple minced chicken filling inside in a soft wrap, paired with an extremely spicy tomato chutney. This chutney was the one thing that took the experience to a whole new level. It definitely stuck with me. Later on I had introduced this place with many other friends and family, who loved them same. I finally decided to make these on my own, trying to bring a similar taste and had success after few attempts. So finally, I am now sharing this recipe whilst getting nostalgic about it and the friends I relished such lovely 'MoMoMents' with 😉The fillingThe chicken filling they serve is very simple but the one given here is more flavourful as I make it to use in other recipes too. Try it for burger patties, meatballs and seekh kebabs, they work wonderfully.The chutneyIn order to get the same taste in your dumplings you need exact flavour in chutney otherwise the combination won't be as great. I tried some variations a few times to make this copy-cat Nepali style chutney that is made from tomatoes, garlic, onion and red chillies. Originally Nepali chutneys have sesame seeds in it, but they changed the taste and so I avoid them. Use very little onion or else it will dominate flavour. I only use a very small piece of either red or white onion, or a tiny shallot. Use Thai red chillies and they are extremely spicy, you can always adjust the quantity, one chilli works just fine. The chutney is also very simple and quick to make in microwave. Just roast everything in microwave and then blend it, easy peasy !I have included the recipe to make dumpling wraps as well, however if you have lack of time, just use ready made frozen gyoza or wanton wraps from supermarket, they save a lot of time. So let's get started.
Equipment
- steamer/rice cooker
- blender
- cookie cutter
Ingredients
Preparing the chicken filling
- 300 gm minced chicken
- 1 cup finely chopped spring onions (both green and white parts)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp dark soya sauce (2 tbsp if using light soya)
- 2 pods grated garlic
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt to taste
For Nepal Style Tomato Garlic Chutney
- 2 medium size tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- 2 pods garlic
- 1-2 Thai red chilli (adjust spicy as preferred)
- 1 small shallot (only use about an inch, not more)
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp sesame oil/ghee/olive oil
- salt to taste
For Momo/Dumpling Dough
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour/maida
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup water (as required)
Instructions
Preparing dough & sheets
- Add flour salt and oil in a mixing bowl, mash together using hands, there shall be no lumps.
- Mixing oil in the dough helps dough to cook faster while steaming and also avoids momos sticking to each other as they moisten in the steam.
- Add little water at a time and form a soft-stiff dough, brush with oil and keep aside covered for 10 minutes.
- Roll the dough using a rolling pin on a flat floured surface, very thin layer and cut into small rings using cookie cutter, keep aside (this can be a time consuming step, you can alternatively use frozen dumpling sheets to save time.)
Preparing Momos
- Add all the above ingredients for Momos in a large mixing bowl along with minced chicken, use a fork to mix it well then keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Prepare dumplings/momos by wrapping a spoonful of mixture inside each momo/dumpling sheet.
- Grease the steamer tray and place momos/dumplings over it. If you are using frozen dumpling sheets, no need to brush with oil on top as they already contain oil in it.
- Steam for about 20 minutes, meanwhile let's prepare chutney.
Preparing the Chutney
- Put together all above chutney ingredients in a microwave bowl, and heat at hight for 3 minutes.
- Let it cool, then blend together to form paste. Chutney is ready, serve together with hot steamed momos.