Kitchen Experiments : Agent J's Power Momos

Ever since we'd sampled some delicious momos at Kung Food, they'd been firmly on my culinary radar. Add to that a colleague (let's call him Agent J)'s constant demands / requests / pleas / haranguing / harassing / pestering for 'power' momos and a long-unused supply of soya flakes and a free Sunday afternoon - and what we get is my take on the popular Tibetan/Sikkimese snack, Momos.

Just to appease J, I had skimmed through a few recipes for authentic momos but most of them featured pork which is a big no-no for me (cooking it I mean, not eating it!) After a few dips into varied recipes, I concluded that I would be happy only with my own improvisation of the recipe. So off I went! And as luck would have it, I whipped up some pretty good momos, as far apart from the bland boiled-chicken-with-a-hint-of-onion-and-corainder ones I'd first sampled at Pune, as could be.

The key to making these parcels of yummiliciousness is to ensure that the filling is redolent with clean, sharp flavours. Remember, the taste of the filling has to cut through the thin sticky starchy flour covering swaddling it, so make it a tad sharper in taste than you normally would make a stir-fry or any other subzi. I was pretty sure about how I wanted the filling to taste (hot and sour, not a hint of sweet) and made up my recipe accordingly, but you can do what you fancy. Thats what's great about versatile dishes like dumplings/pies - you are your own boss, and you can make them taste the way you want.

While my momos would not win any pageant for their looks (they looked decidedly clumsy - I call it the 'homestyle' or 'rustic' look!), they were hearty in taste and genuine in flavour. And that, I think is more important than delicate pleats or super-smooth skins. But yes, I shall work on making prettier momos in the future. :)

Ingredients: (For 10-12 small momos)

1 small red onion, diced finely
3 cloves of garlic - first bruised, then chopped finely (bruising the garlic first helps release the flavour better)
1 green chilly, finely chopped
2 handfuls soya flakes/granules
2 sprigs of coriander, chopped
soy sauce, vinegar, chilly sauce, salt, pepper - to taste
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Maida (refined flour) - 3 tablespoons
Water
Oil

Recipe:
Make a stretchy soft dough of maida and water. Drizzle some oil to keep the dough from going sticky.



Boil water, add the soya flakes/granules and let them cook for 5 minutes or so. Squeeze the excess water out.

Heat the oil in a pan, saute the onion, garlic and chilly.


Add the cooked soya flakes and stir through.

Add the vinegar, soy sauce and chilly sauce. Season with salt-and-pepper. Add chopped coriander.

Taste the filling - it should be moist, tangy and hot (spicy).

Keep aside, let it cool.



On a plastic sheet (I used the plastic bag in which the flour is packed) or cling film, roll out the dough into a circle. (If it refuses to roll out and sticks to the rolling pin, press it out using your fingers, it will be elastic enough).

Add a small amount of the filling and close the dumpling in a shape of your choice.



I made 2 half moons ( fold half of the dough circle over the filling and press down with a fork), one round dumpling (roll out the dough, put the filling in the centre and bring the edges of the dough circle together in a rough circular shape - you can even pleat them first and then bring them together at the top if you're deft enough) and one paratha dumpling (one round dough circle clamped over another with the filling thinly spread between the two, like a sandwich).



Steam in a steamer for about 5 minutes.



The cooked dumplings will look translucent and darker in colour. Serve piping-hot with chilly sauce.





Bite into steaming goodness and sit back as the flavours - hot, spicy, pungent, sour, tangy, fresh - explode in your mouth and fill your senses. Enjoy this perfect rainy-day food, sitting by an open window watching the rain crash down. :)