House Momo

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour
• 200 to 220 ml water, added gradually
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, optional
• 500 g minced meat: buffalo, pork, chicken, or 200 g beef, 200 g pork, and 100 g lamb
• 2 medium onions, very finely chopped
• 5 large garlic cloves, about 25 to 30 g, minced
• Ginger, about half as much as the garlic, minced
• Green chillies, to taste, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh coriander, leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 2 to 3 teaspoons momo masala
• 1 to 2 tablespoons mustard oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG
• Salt, to taste
• House momo achar, for serving
• Street-style momo jhol, for serving

Method

1. 1Make the dough: mix the flour and salt, then add water gradually and knead into a firm but smooth dough.
2. 2Add the oil if using, knead again, cover, and rest for at least 30 minutes.
3. 3Roll thin circles, about 8 to 9 cm wide. Store-bought gyoza skins are also a solid substitute when you want momo now and not after a small flour-based life crisis.
4. 4Make the filling: put the minced meat in a large bowl.
5. 5Add the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies, fresh coriander, momo masala, mustard oil, soy sauce, MSG, and salt.
6. 6Mix thoroughly with your hand until the filling becomes slightly sticky and cohesive. You are not just distributing ingredients. You are building the texture.
7. 7Taste the filling before wrapping. The safest way is to microwave a small ball of filling for 20 to 30 seconds, then taste it.
8. 8Adjust salt, masala, chilli, MSG, or mustard oil as needed. Once the momo are wrapped, the filling is no longer accepting feedback.
9. 9Wrap the momo: place a small spoonful of filling in the centre of a wrapper, wet the edge lightly if using gyoza skins, fold however your hands know how to fold, and keep the wrapped momo covered.
10. 10For steamed momo, oil the steamer tray lightly or line it with parchment, arrange momo with space between them, and steam over boiling water for about 10 to 12 minutes.
11. 11For quick pan momo, heat a pan over medium heat, add a small knob of butter or a little oil, add momo in one layer, and let the bottoms lightly saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
12. 12Add a splash of water, cover, and steam-fry for about 7 to 9 minutes, adding a little more water if the pan dries out too quickly.
13. 13Remove the lid and let the bottoms crisp slightly if you want. This lands somewhere between steamed momo and kothey momo: not strict tradition, but extremely useful.
14. 14Serve immediately with House momo achar, Street-style momo jhol, extra chilli if the table is that kind of table, and a complete disregard for portion control.