Steaming hot  momos  fresh out of  the   steamer   are a  treat  on cold  foggy days.  A  small  pouch  of  steaming  hot  meat or  vegetable  with   a dash of  spices, these are  similar  to the  Japanese gyoza or  the Chinese steamed  won-tons.  This simple and  satisfying  dish   came  from  Tibet  and has become  very popular  wherever  the  Tibetan diaspora  spread , and I for one  am glad  for  it!

The winter  this  year is  turning  out  to be  very disappointing for us. It is almost  non existent. So a  few days back when the mornings began to look very  foggy,  it  was a  welcome  change.  The  fog  and  mist  brought  with it vision of mountains  and  the  steaming  cups  of  chai and  of  course  momos.

Momos are these  lovely one  or  two bite  dumplings   filled  with all sorts  of    meats  and  vegetables.   Chicken and  pork   dumplings  are  popular  in  our  family  but  my favorite  is   the  shrimp.   Making  these  from scratch requires  some  skill, but  this is  the  semi home made  version.  Store  bought dumpling wrappers  and  cooked salad  shrimp makes it  all easier.

Where I was born – Southern India –  we  had  our  steamed   rice  dumplings – kozhukkatai  and the  like.  These were  vegetarian  and could  be  sweet or  savory. As  more  north  eastern  folks  started moving  south,  they brought  with them  their  hometown  favorites, including Momos.  These were an  instant  hit – and  even  the  health  conscious  mothers and  grandmothers   gave this  savory ‘tiffin’ a  reluctant  nod.

There is  something  very  primal and  satisfying  about   sharing a  steaming  bowl of  food – My  kids  still remember  one  of  their  older  cousins  as  the  brother  who got  them momos  in  Bangalore.

The momos  that I make  are the  easy versions  and a   far cry from the  Chinese  har gow.  Har  gow  is  pristine white  dumplings. Their pure  white  wrappers   are  almost  transparent.   One could  see the the  orange  shrimp goodness inside.  These  easy ones  on the other hand  does a good  job of  hiding  the  mystery ingredients  🙂 .

But is  is super  easy  and  absolutely  delicious – and  that  was  the  whole  idea.  When you have  time   and  good  company try  making  it  from scratch. It is a  fun  activity  to have the  kids  involved in as well.  But today  we  are  short on time  and store  bought  wrappers  it is.

I use  cooked  shrimp in this   recipe. The reason is simple – convenience.  The cooked  salad  shrimp is usually very affordable  and  available in small packages.  Fresh  shrimp in  these will taste awesome as well.  Follow the  same  recipe , but  make  sure  that  you  add  the  corn starch  to absorb any extra   moisture.  Once  the  filling  is  assembled  take  about 1/4  tsp  and  roll into a ball and  cook in the  boiling  water. This is  going  to be  your  tester.

The  filling  will  cook in a  minute  or  two , remove  from the  water and  taste.  Adjust  seasonings  if  needed.

The  store  bought  wrappers  have a  liberal  coating  of  flour  to keep them  from   sticking  together. A  little  bit  of  water  goes  a  long  way in helping  the  wrapper seal.  Brush  the outer  sides  with  water  before  folding  the  sides  over the  filling.

There are different  ways of  shaping  the momos.   The method shown  above  is  one  of the  easiest  for a  novice –   gather  the sides  together  to the  center.  The moisture helps the sides  adhere  together,  pinch  the  tips  for insurance  and   you are  good to go .

One  thing  to  remember is  not  to over fill the  momos. For  my 2 inch  wrappers  I put a  heaped   spoonful – about 2 tsp if you want  to  measure.   You could add up to 1  tbsp , but  the  more  filling  there is  the  more  skill you need  to  close   without  spills.

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Easy Shrimp Momos

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

These quick and  easy  steamed  dumplings  are made  with  salad shrimp and  wanton wrappers. 

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian, Tibetan

Servings: 8

Author: Syama

Ingredients

• 3 Dozen 2 Inch Circular Dumpling Wrappers -
• 2 Cup Cooked Salad Shrimp
• 1 Inch Fresh Ginger
• 2 Stalks Green Onions / Scallions
• 3-6 Stalks Cilantro Optional
• 1 Tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Corn Starch
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Instructions

1. Take the shrimp in blender bowl. Add 1 tbsp of the finely grated ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil , roughly chopped scallions and cilantro. Pulse a few times until the shrimp is roughly minced. Transfer to a bowl, taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add the cornstarch and mix well.
2. Bring plenty of water to boil in a steamer. Grease the steamer rack and/or partially line with parchment paper. Make sure that at least some steam can escape through .
3. Place the dumpling wrapper on the work surface . Take one and brush water on the outer sides. Place 1 to 2 tsp of the mix in the center of the wrapper and bring sides towards the center and pinch it close. Do not over stuff the filling as the dumplings will not close properly.
4. Place the formed momos in the steamer rack and steam for 10 minutes.
5. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

• Keep the wrappers covered when not working with them.
• If not steaming immediately keep the formed momos covered as well.
• Finely shredded carrots, cabbage or minced chilies are all optional additions to the filling

Serve the  momos  hot/ warm.   These can be  prepared  fled  in advance  and  refrigerated in   airtight  containers.  Take out  and  stem just  before  serving. A generous dip in soy sauce – well these are dunked momos …

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