Momos from Nepal

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 500 g minced pork
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped, preferably Thai
• 1 small can of chestnuts (water chestnuts), diced
• 1 bunch coriander, fresh, chopped
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, light
• 1 tsp white pepper, ground
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 48 dough wrappers, small, round or square from the Asian store
• n. B. water
• e.g. Chinese cabbage for steaming or baking paper
• n. B. Sesame oil for brushing
• n. B. Soy sauce, light, for dipping
• possibly fat for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

steamed dumplings with pork filling

Knead the minced pork, spring onions, water chestnuts, coriander, soy sauce, pepper, and sesame oil into a smooth dough. Place a portion of the filling into the center of each dough wrapper. Moisten the edges with water, pull them over the filling, and press them together to form small dough pouches. Heat water in a wok. Remove the stalks from the cabbage leaves and line the bottom of the bamboo steamer basket with individual leaves (if using baking paper, pierce it in a few places with a fork). Place the dough pouches inside, brush with sesame oil, cover the steamer basket, and steam in the wok for about 15 minutes. If you don’t have a bamboo steamer basket, you can of course use a regular steamer and pot. Serve while still hot with a small bowl of light soy sauce for dipping. The momos can be served not only as an appetizer or snack, but also as part of a main course, in the steamer basket itself or on a serving platter. Portions may need to be increased from six momos to more per person, depending on the number of courses in the meal. Storage tip: Uncooked momos freeze well. Line a freezer box with cling film and lightly dust with cornflour. Place the momos in the freezer one at a time and dust with cornflour. For a second layer of momos, place cling film over the first layer and continue as described. Close the box and freeze. The momos do not need to be thawed before steaming, but the cooking time will be 5 minutes longer. Variation: If you like, you can deep-fry some of the momos – I find wonton wrappers are best for this. The shape can also be varied, of course. For example, you can make small triangles or spring rolls using square dumpling wrappers. Instead of pouches, you can use round dumpling wrappers to make a filled crescent moon, which also creates a beautiful picture after steaming.