Vegetable dumplings/momos/dim sums

Vegetarian momos, many people will argue is not a dish at all. Just like biryani, momos are considered to be made of meat, specially pork. Chicken momos and vegetable momos are just an improvisation to satisfy taste buds of non-pork eaters. Nevertheless, I am a fan of vegetable momos. Although, momos are known for juicy pork meat, I like momos more for the vegetable crunch. Some vendors simply destroy it for me, when they boil or over-steam their veggies and momos just become a gooey-textured dough. I tried preparing momos for the first time this week, and they turned out perfect for my taste buds. Have a look:

I did not have time to prepare momos chutney, so I prepared a quick spicy salsa dip to go with momos. I will share the momos chutney’s recipe soon.

Recipe
(Serves 2, approx. 10 pieces)

Ingredients:

Dough:
2 cups All purpose Flour (maida)
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Water
Filling:
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 cup Carrots, grated
1 cup Cabbage, grated
1/2 cup Capsicum (aka Bell Pepper)
1 tsp Vegetable oil
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Vinegar
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, grounded
1 tsp Salt

Step 1: Prepare Dough
1. Mix maida, salt and oil.
2. Add water, as needed, and knead to get a stiff dough. Add 1 Tbsp of water at once, and add more as needed.
3. Keep the dough aside.

Step 2: Prepare Filling
1. Add oil into a pan. Once hot, add garlic.
2. Saute over high heat and add carrots, cabbage and capsicum. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes.
3. Turn off the flame. Add soy sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let it cool slightly.

Step 3: Prepare Dumplings
1. Knead the dough with oily hands and then roll the dough as thin as possible and cut into 4″-5″ rounds. You can also divide the dough into 10 equal parts and then roll each round separately.
2. Take a round, add filling in the center. Give it the desired shape. Wet edges, if needed.
3. Steam for about 10 minutes. Once done, let it stand for few minutes and serve with chilly sauce.