Bon Appetite : MOMOS/ DIMSUMS Steamed Veg and Chicken Kheema Deep Fried

" Appetizers are the little things you keep eating until you lose your appetite. "

-Joe Moore

Isn't this true for any appetizer you name, you go to a restaurant and ask for any appetizer to have a good start, spend some time leisurely before u order that main meal and by the time u have ordered a good main course, you are half full and you have ordered a little more than required, hehe i say some of you nodding your heads .. umm yess..
For me momos or dimsums are one such appetizers, iam so fond of it that i can very well have it as a main course any time. There have been times when i have had a full serving of dimsums or momos as my main course. Momos are one of the famous cuisines from Sikkim. It reminds me of my days in Delhi. It is said that the number of momo hawkers in Delhi can give a good competition to those in sikkim, the native to this kind of food. You ought to have it if you havent had it yet. OK momos come in four varieties:

1. Veg - both steamed and deep fried
2. Non Veg - both steamed and deep fried

So lets explore this beautiful variety of appetizers from our very own, North East India.
Momos are had with this yummy .. spicy tangy dipping sauce, some call it momo sauce but i prefer to call it the schezuan sauce, this is what the delhi haat momoz wala explained to me the first time i had it there. A must have with Chinese too. So lets kick-start finally. :)

The best outlets that i remember in delhi were of course my fav Delhi Haat Momoz, Momo point at Kamla Nagar and of course the momo stalls at model town III, not sure if the same ones still exist..

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:
15 dry red chillies
2 small tomatoes
10-12 garlic cloves
1/2 inch cube of ginger chopped
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
3-4 drops of soya sauce for color
extra virgin olive oil for frying.


For the Dumpling:
All purpose Flour - 1.5 Cup (8 momos)
Water for kneading(approx 1 cup)
Vegetable oil 2 tsp

For the Filling:(Non Veg)
100 gm Chicken Kheema
1 1/2 Onions (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger finely chopped
2 tsp garlic finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chilli / chilli sauce
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1 tsp coriander leaves finely chopped



For the Veg Filling:
1 1/2 Onions finely chopped
1 carrot grated or finely chopped
1 small cup cabbage finely chopped
1/2 small cup red bel peppers finely chopped
1 tsp ginger finely chopped
2 tsp garlic finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1 tsp coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp chilli garlic sauce

Method:
For the schezuean sauce:

1. Boil red chillies for 5 minutes and drain. Meanwhile peel the tomatoes and chop roughly. Chop half the garlic roughly.
2. Now grind all these and the rest of the ingredients except the remaining garlic and oil.
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add the remaining finely chopped garlic, once it turns a little brown add the mixture to this and stir till most of the water is evaporated and it starts leaving the oil from the corners.
4. Spicy tangy sauce is ready for the momos.

For the Dumplings:
1. Knead a soft dough out of flour and water, it should b soft as required for bhatures. Cover with a linen and keep aside.
2. Chicken Kheema: Heat some oil in a wok and add the cumin seeds, let it splutter, add d onions and ginger garlic and saute till golden brown, now add all the spices and saute for another minute. To this add the chicken kheema and stir regularly till the kheema is cooked properly. Once done remove from heat and keep it aside.

3. Veg Filling: Follow the same steps as the kheema, just add all the veggies in place of the kheema and add the sauces just before removing from heat. Keep this aside too.


4. Take an inch sized diameter balls and roll it into a thin small round circles. Fill 2 tbsp of the filling into this & fold over as you would do for any paratha. (see pic).
5. For steamed momos: Place the momo's on a cabbage leaf(so that it does not stick(it does not help oiling it at times, this is d best way)) and then on the steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes. For deep fried ones, just deep fry these and they are ready.


Serve it with the spicy tangy schezuan sauce and Bon Appetite !!



Not yet over buddies:) We have completed the 7th day of the
The good gurls are done with the day with:

Siri stirs her childhood memories with Egg puffs

Lakshmi has some healthy green Pudina Sadam (Mint Rice)

Arundhati has yummy looking Steamed Wontons

Dhivya heads to middle east with Beet Hummus

Srivalli has a perfect lunchbox with Puliyodarai

Ranji has an interesting Papdi Pizza

Divya - Reva Kesari

This goes as my entry to RCI: North-East Indian Cuisine. Thanks bhags ... i made momos myself... dont know if i would have made it otherwise.


This also goes as an entry to Mansi's Fun n Food for Monthly Mingle. What say Mansi... hope this is appetizing enough for the Mingle :)