Veg momos recipe, a popular street food, is a steamed dumpling with a delicious vegetable filling served with a spicy red chutney or sauce
veg momos recipe
Veg momos recipe is one of the most requested among Indian Chinese food recipes. Veg momos are a tantalizing, traditional food of Tibet and Nepal. Momos, dim sum, wontons are different names of a variety of savory dumplings that are popular China, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and in many North Eastern states of India. These cute culinary beauties are equally popular in the Hindi speaking states and South India. Walk down to most popular street hawkers selling Indian Chinese food, you are sure to find a variety of momos on their menu list. Momo is a small bite sized savory snack or steamed dumpling with a filling which vary from mixed vegetables, greens, mushrooms, tofu, meat, chicken and shrimp.
Loyal followers of Sailu’s Food are aware of my love for Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine as my blog is home to many restaurant Indian Chinese starters like mushroom manchurian, chilli mushroom, veg manchurian, chicken manchurian, chilli paneer and many more. I am surprised why it took me so long to post my favourite steamed vegetable dumplings. Better late than never.
You will find a variety of momos with different fillings both vegetarian and meat based, different folding techniques, steamed and deep fried, at Indian Chinese food stalls manned by street hawkers especially in North Eastern states. If you are yet to try veg momos then you are missing one incredible culinary creation. You must try these cute vegetable momos at least once as you are sure to get mesmerized by a burst of flavors and textures in each bite. These minimally flavored veg momos with red chutney make for a light yet satisfying dinner.
I love to make veg momos at home as it’s an easy peasy process and way better than restaurant style momos. I do not use store bought wonton wrappers and I make veg momos from scratch by making the momo dough, preparation of vegetable filling, shaping and steaming. Like bread dough kneading, I find the making of veg momos very therapeutic. There are hundreds of momos recipes available online with a lot of variations in terms of the fillings used. I am sharing a simple, step by step veg momos recipe as requested by a few readers. (And it’s vegan too)
veg momos dough and finely chopped vegetables for filling
Basically all-purpose flour is used to prepare the momos dough. I have used 2 cups of flour, a teaspoon of oil, salt and lukewarm water to make a soft yet firm dough. I have kneaded the dough for at least 10 mins. Allow the dough to sit covered and work on the vegetable filling preparation. I have used half a head of cabbage, a medium sized carrot, a medium sized onion, a small knob of ginger, two cloves garlic and two green chilies. You can use beans and bell peppers too. Peel and finely chop the vegetables.
vegetable filling preparation
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a vessel, add the finely minced garlic and saute for a minute. Add the finely chopped onions and saute for 3 mins on medium heat. Add the finely chopped green chilies and carrots and saute for 3 mins. Add the finely chopped cabbage and saute for 8-10 mins. Add a tsp of light soy sauce, 1/4 tsp of black pepper powder and pinch of sugar and mix well. Turn off the heat and allow to come to room temperature. Just before using this filling to shape into momos, add salt and mix.
making balls of momos dough and rolled out into circles
Knead the dough again for a few minutes and pinch out small lemon sized balls of the prepared momos dough and dust with flour. Roll out each ball into a 3″ or 4″ diameter circle. It should not be too thick or too thin in thickness.
how to make veg momos easily
Place a tablespoon of the prepared vegetable filling in the center of each rolled out circle. Do not overstuff as it will be difficult to form a nice shape. Beginning at one end of the circle, gather the edge to form pleats working your way around the circle and prepare a pouch.
shaping veg momos into pouch like dumplings
Bring the pleats together to form a pouch-like dumpling and seal the top.
veg momos before and after steaming in a cooker
Fill and shape all the rolled out circles into pouch-like dumplings. Cover them with a damp cloth to avoid drying out. Grease an aluminum or stainless steel steamer and place the shaped dumplings leaving a little space between each of them. Fill a vessel or pot that’s large enough to place the steamer with 3″ to 4″ of water and bring water to a boil. Ensure that the bottom of the steamer does not touch the water. Once the water coming to a rolling boil, place the steamer in the vessel and cover with lid. Steam on high heat for 10 mins. The momos are done when a shiny sheen appears over them.
If you have never attempted making momos at home from scratch then do give this veg momo recipe a try and you will come back to thank me for sure.
veg momos
The dipping sauce is a crucial element to savor the authentic flavor of momos. These flavorsome bites are served with a spicy red sauce or chutney which has hot peppers going into its preparation. You can look forward to the momos red chutney recipe tomorrow.
recipe for momos
These soft, fluffy momos make for a great party food or appetizer. You can also serve veg momos for breakfast or an evening snack.
How to make veg momos recipe
