The origins of Momos are unclear but what is clear is that they are an absolute treat – full of flavor! The little bags or sacks of fillings that burst flavors the moment you take a bite are something not easily to forget. We have shown some very basic fillings here but really, you can customize it to your taste and ingredients on hand. Enjoy making these for yourself or your family but remember, beginners, have patience and the more you make them, the better you get 🙂
Don’t forget to pair these Momos with the Chutney! Click here for the Recipe – Momos Chutney.
Prep Time: 60 min + 60 min for filling the Momos
Cook Time: 60 min
Makes: 40-70 momos (depending on the level of expertise)
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 3 cups
Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp
Water – 1 cup, approx
For the Vegetable Filling:
Cabbage – 3 cups, food processed or cut really fine
Carrots – 1, medium, shredded fine
Onions – 4 medium (approx 300gm), finely chopped
Ginger – 1 tbsp, minced
Cilantro – 3-4 sprigs, finely chopped
Dalda/ Butter/ Margarine – 1/3rd cup, melted
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp or to taste
Dalda/Butter/Margarine – 3 tbsp
For the Non-Vegetarian Filling:
Ground Chicken – 250 gm (approx 1/2 lb)
Onions – 300gm (approx 4 medium), finely chopped
Carrots – 1, shredded
Minced Ginger – 1 tbsp
Mined Garlic – 1 tbsp
Cilantro – 3-4 sprigs, finely chopped
Dalda/ Butter/ Margarine – 1/3rd cup, melted
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Method:
For the Dough:
1. In a bowl, mix in the All Purpose Flour and the Baking Powder.
2. Add in the Water a little at a time to form a dough.
3. Once in comes together, knead for another 10 minutes.
4. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile work on the fillings.
For the Vegetable Filling:
1. Finely chop the Cabbage by hand or in a food-processor.
2. Sprinkle a little Salt and allow it to release the moisture for about 10 min.
3. Squeeze the Cabbage between your palms and discard all the moisture.
4. The Cabbage will reduce to about 1.5 cups.
5. Fine shred the Carrot and squeeze the moisture from it as well.
6. Finely cut the Onions and squeeze the moisture from it as well.
7. Combine the 3 vegetables in a bowl and add in all the other ingredients of the vegetable filling.
8. Mix well and set aside till ready to use.
For the Chicken Filling:
1. After shredding the Carrots, squeeze the moisture.
2. Cut the Onions fine and if there is any moisture, squeeze them as well.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the Chicken Filling in a bowl and mix well.
4. Set aside till ready to use.
To make the Momos:
1. Knead the dough for another 5 minutes.
2. Take a pinch of the dough, about the size of a large marble and roll into a smooth ball.
3. Dust in some All-Purpose Flour, press onto a rolling platform and roll into a 2.5-3″ disc.
4. Dust occasionally as needed.
5. Make all the discs for filling and set aside. Keep them covered so they do not dry up.
6. To fill the discs, take a disc in your palm and place a spoonful of filling in the center.
7. Fold over and from one edge, fold in and pleat the dough and pinch so it seals well.
8. Keep pleating and folding till done. Cover till ready to steam.
9. Add Water to the base of a steamer and allow it to come to a rolling boil.
10. Brush some Oil in the slotted portion to avoid the Momos from sticking to the base.
11. Place the Momos in it, avoid over-crowding them.
12. Place the Momos on the boiling water pan, cover and allow them to cook.
13. Vegetable ones will take about 12 minutes and Chicken ones about 12-15 minutes (depending on the size).
14. To double check, you can always open the lid and touch the skin and if it is sticky, means the dough is still raw.
15. Once done, remove carefully from the pan and serve hot along with some Momo Chutney.
Tips:
1. Patience and practice is the mantra to getting these like how they are served in restaurants and street-side.
2. Extra dough – freeze, extra fillings – freeze, extra uncooked momos – freeze!
3. Substitute or add in additional fillings – spring onions, paneer, tofu, potatoes, shrimps, fish, turkey, beef, pork…the list goes on and on.
Hi anuja,
Thanks for the recipe. I tried making these and they came out well. The only thing was the momos became a little crisp and were not entirely soft. I would appreciate if you suggest ehat could have happened wrong and how this can be prevented in the future
Thank you
Thank you for this great recipe. Momos are a traditional Tibetan dish. My daughters and I have fond memories of buying them off the street in McLeod Ganj and of watching them made by our Tibetan friends in their homes!
Hey Hetal and Anuja,
I made the vegetarian momos today.cant tell u in words..they were super hit with my family and friends. a big thank you to u as always!! but i have a question here– i ended up making only 25 momos as it was my first time.u said absolutely right for the beginners 🙂 but i have this maida dough left with me now and i am out of filling now.so what should i do with this dough? i freezed it right now. plz suggest some recipes here from left over dough.plz help
Hey Hetal and Anuja,
I made the vegetarian momos today.cant tell u in words..they were super hit with my family and friends. a big thank you to u as always!! but i have a question here– i ended up making only 25 momos as it was my first time.u said absolutely right for the beginners 🙂 but i have this maida dough left with me now and i am out of filling now.so what should i do with this dough? i freezed it right now. plz suggest some recipes here from left over dough
Hi Anuja…I appreciate your efforts to bring this wonderful recipe….hope u soon post the recipe of soya chaap…the basic chaap recipe not the curry which they use to make diffrent curries or appetizers…thanks
Very nice recipe Anuja. But I feel you were too fast when you speak and bit loud too, when compared to the videos posted when u were in US. When I watched vahchef video momos should be taken with oily sauce. Basically for steamed items sauce with oil and for deep fried items dip without oil, he mentioned in the video. Anyways nice recipe. Post more unusual and yummy recipes to try.
Anuja, tried veg momos it cameout well. I replaced chilly powder with chilly flakes and garam masala with pav bhaji masala. Also added chopped green onions. It was too good.
For the dip, I made hot chilly oil and mixed 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar I was superb combination. But love to try with momos chutney. Since I don’t have the spicy variety red chilly. Thanks for sharing. Perfect.
But I was poor in shaping momos. I made dumpling shape.
Hi Anuja,
I am a big fan of you guys. I follow your site from a very long time. I am from SriLanka and living in London at the moment.Haven’t heard of this before but I am definitely going to try this one.
Thank you.
BTW- haven’t seen Hetal in a while.hope she’s fine. 🙂
Hi Anuja,
I am a big fan of you guys. I follow your site from a very long time. I am from SriLanka and living in London at the moment.Haven’t heard of this before but I am definitely going to try this one.
Thank you.
BTW- haven’t seen Hetal in a while.ope she’s fine. 🙂
I have been following your recipes for the last 4 years now and have always, successfully tried a large number of them. You girls are my go to for every thing I wish to try. And lately, it seems like I think of it and you girls come to my rescue. The day I was hosting a brunch, you gave the easy parfait idea. And now I have been craving momos, and there! THANKS! Its such a pleasant experience. The biggest, most frequently requested hits have been the kulfi and date/walnut cake.
Please do not stop delighting us loyal viewers!
– BIG FAN
Very good recipe. Will try soon. Thanks Anuja.
Hi Hetal and Anuja,
great recipe =)
What can i make with leftovers Momos?
Can they reheat an the microwave, oven, steamer etc.?
Can they stored in the freezer too?
Thanks for your answer
Thank you Anuja . College ke din yaad aagaye. We use to go dilli haat for
Momos.. I will try to make it and let u know
Deepa.