Chicken Momo

Momos or dumplings have been a around for centuries. You can find them under different names in China, Japan, Mongolia, etc..

The momo that has now become popular is of Nepalese origin. Inadvertently you will find that all the local momo boys in the markets are Nepalese. When the Nepalese started coming to India they bought along with them this simple yet wholesome food.

We are accustomed to only the normal chicken, paneer and veg varieties of momos. But there are so many variations of these dumplings. You can have them steamed or fried. The pan fried version is called Kothay. You can have them in soups and broths. And there are so many shapes you can make them in.

Today I am focusing only on a basic chicken momo.

Ingredients

For the dough

2 cups flour

Salt to taste

Water to knead

Mix the flour and salt. Use the water to knead a firm dough. Cover and keep aside for some time.

For the filling

500 gms chicken keema

2 onions, chopped fine

7-8 garlic pods, chopped fine

4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

1 tbsp cold butter

I have found that if you want juicy momos you should include some chicken fat into the filling. However since I buy ready made mince it is not possible for me to add the chicken fat. The other alternative is to add some butter.

Mix all the filling ingredients.

Now make small balls of the dough and start rolling them out. The trick with rolling out the momo wrappers is to make the outer circumference thinner that the middle portion.

This is because you will be gathering up the outer rim and folding it into different shapes. The middle portion has to be thicker so that the momo does not break after being steamed.

Place a tablespoon of filing in the middle and fold the momo into desired shapes.

Steam them for 20-25 minutes. Have the hot, steaming momos with the red chutney.