Making Momo dumplings

Dumplings are popular in Asia and people have their own methods and ingredients to make them. In Bhutan, they are called Momos and they are dumplings with fillings of either pork, beef, chicken or vegetables like cabbage and cheese or potato and cheese.

Here is a recipe for making beef dumplings.

First boil about half a kg of beef. Slice them into fine pieces when cooked. Chop about 7 onions finely. Grate and finely chop an inch of ginger. Finely chop about 1-2 spring onions. Now put about 5 spoonfuls of butter or vegetable oil  in a wok and when it gets hot, fry the above ingredients and stir fry till done. Add salt to taste. Keep aside and let it cool.

Now knead about half a kg of refined flour with water  to a smooth dough and make small balls and roll them out. Fill them with a spoonful or two of the fried meat. Close them up and you can get creative and make lots of shapes or if you don't know how to make any shapes, just pinch the sides closed and make sure the fillings don't come out.

Next put the ready dumplings in a steamer and steam them for about 10 minutes. Make sure you smear some oil on the steamer so that the dumplings don't stick to it.  when they are cooked through,the dumplings  change color to a brownish hue or you can test them by touching them with your fingers. If your finger don't stick to the dumplings, they are ready. But be careful, they are hot.

Serve with a dip made of chilli powder, chopped coriander and spring onion with a dash of vinegar and soya sauce and salt or just plain soya sauce or any other dipping of your choice. Enjoy.

You can use other meat like pork or chicken as you like. Don't use any bones. You can also shred cabbage into tiny pieces and boil them, then drain and squeeze out the excess water and fry with onions and when cooked, add grated cheese and use that as a filling instead of meat. Or use boiled and mashed potatoes with chopped onions and grated cheese as the filling.  It has a different taste than meat but tastes great all the same.