Whole Wheat Tibetian Vegetable Momo Recipe | Step by Step Recipe for Veg Momos

Learn how to make Whole Wheat Tibetian Vegetable Momos ~ Steam cooked whole wheat dumpling stuffed with crispy vegetables, a delicacy from North East India

Whole Wheat Tibetian Vegetable Momos (Steam cooked whole wheat dumpling stuffed with crispy vegetables, a delicacy from North East India)
Prep Time: 30 - 40 mins
Cooking Time: 10 - 15 mins
Recipe Level: Beginner to intermediate
Spice Level: Low
Makes: About 20 – 25
Shelf Life: Best served fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and frozen upto a month
Serving Suggestion: With sweet chilli sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice

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Ingredients:
For Outer Cover:
1½ cups Whole Wheat Flour (I have used chapatti flour/aatta)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt (Adjust as per taste)
Water for kneading

For the Filling:
1 packed cup Cabbage, finely shredded
1 packed cup Carrot, peeled and grated
¾ cup Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tsp Vinegar
5-6 Black Peppercorns, crushed to fine powder (Optional and adjust as per taste)
1 tbsp Oil (I have used roasted sesame oil)
Salt to taste

Method: 

• Sift whole wheat flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
• Add little water in parts and knead to make soft dough. Cover the dough with cling film or wet towel and let it rest for half an hour to an hour.

Prepare the vegetable filling:

• Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame and add finely chopped onions. Stir fry the onions for a minute before adding ginger-garlic paste. Stir it until the raw smell disappears, about 30-45 mins.
• Next add finely shredded cabbage and carrots and stir fry them on a high heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Don’t cook it for too long as we want to retain the crunch of vegetables.
• Turn off the flame and transfer the stir fried veggies to a bowl. Mix in soya sauce, vinegar, black pepper powder and salt to taste. Let the mixture cool down to room temperature.

Rolling and shaping the Momos:

• You can either roll individual wraps of 3 inch in diameter with thin edges and little thick in centre for the momos or simply roll the dough into large circle and cut them into smaller circles using a cookie cutter. I prefer the second method as it saves a lot of time and energy!
• Pinch a medium orange sized ball and roll it on a lightly dusted surface into large 1 mm thin circle. Using a cookie cutter or a bowl/glass with sharp edge, cut out 3 inch circles.
• Place 1-1½ heaped tsp of vegetable filling in the center and shape the momos by sealing the edges as shown above. Make sure that you seal the edges well as we don’t want the filling to ooze its liquid when we stem them. You can also shape them the authentic/traditional way by pleating the edges, but the above technique takes half the time and works best for me.
• Place the momo in a large plate and cover it with a wet towel from drying out. Repeat the process until you are ready for steaming.

Steaming the Momos:

• Heat water in a steamer or pressure cooker without weight as per instruction and let it come to a boil. (Read the notes in the end)
• Lightly grease the steamer bowl/idli moulds with little oil which will help in keeping the momos from sticking. Arrange momos in a steamer/idli moulds with some space between them so that they don’t stick to each other.
• Close the lid and allow the momos to steam cook for around 7-10 minutes on medium flame. The time to cook the momos will depend on the thickness of the outer cover. Once cooked, you will notice that the outer cover turns translucent and glossy and is not sticky to touch. Make sure not to overcook the momos as it will turn tough and chewy.
• Once cooked, remove from the dumplings from the steamer and serve these delicious and addictive Whole Wheat Tibetian Vegetarian Momos with sweet chilli sauce or any dipping sauce of your choice. Enjoy!

Shweta’s Notes:

1. Once you have added the filling, make sure that you seal the edges well as we don’t want the filling to ooze its liquid when we stem them.
2. To steam the momos in a pressure cooker, pour 2-3 cups of water (about 1 inch) in the pressure cooker and bring it to boil. Place the greased steamer bowl/idli moulds with momos in the cooker and close the lid. Please remember to remove the weight/whistle before closing the lid. Steam cook the momos for 7-10 mins.
3. The time to cook the momos will depend on the thickness of the outer cover. Please make sure not to overcook the momos as it will turn tough and chewy.
4. Traditionally, Momos are steamed in bamboo baskets, but you can steam cook them in a regular Steamer or cooker, the way you make dhoklas or idlis.
5. Once cooked, you will notice that the outer cover turns translucent and glossy and is not sticky to touch.
6. Be cautious when you bite into the hot momos as the filling will be very hot with the juice released from vegetables during steaming and can burn you easily.