Fried Vegetable MoMos with Spicy Red Chutney

Introducing you to Indian Dim sums or Momos. MoMos are bite-sized delicacies made with spoonfuls of stuffing wrapped in dumpling wrappers. One can serve these vegetable Momos with a variety of side sauces including red chilli chutney, ketchup, and mayonnaise as well. I am sure you might have come across variations of this dish at least once in your life in the form of dumplings, dim sums or even Gyozas. These little pockets of treats belong to the dumpling lineage and are a big hit in many South Asian Countries.

Origin Of MoMos

Momos are native to the Tibetan and Nepalese regions and were brought to India in the 20th Century. They are Nepalese or Tibetan versions of dim sums but can also be classified as a dumpling. People fill MoMos with either meat or vegetables. Due to their popularity, these flavourful dumplings now have a place in almost every Indian’s heart and are here to stay. And I hope this recipe makes its way to your heart as well.

What is a MoMo?

MoMos or Nepalese/Tibetan/Indian dim sums can occasionally be fried or steam-fried, but they are mostly steamed. The idea is to pack all the ingredients and flavourful broth into the wrappers, and steamed, fried, or steam-fried. It is filled with all kinds of fillings including meat, veggies, tofu, or even mock meat for those who want a vegan option. Momos are generally street food, sold in momo kiosks or carts, while fresh momos are steamed and served with a side of red chilly garlic chutney.

MoMos in India

One big misconception that runs around in India is that the East Indian states or the Chinese introduced MoMos to India. This is absolutely false. Momos are thought to have arrived in India during the 1960s, during a time when many Tibetan immigrants were moving to Indian regions like  Ladakh, Darjeeling, Dharamshala, Sikkim, and Delhi. All of these places have now popularized the consumption of momos by mass-producing variations of momos including steamed, fried, steam-fried, tandoori momos, chocolate momos, and so on.

In this recipe I am going to show how you can make these yummy vegetable momos in your kitchen with a few simple, no-nonsense steps. Let’s clear out a few things, first.

Is it Momo or Dumpling or Dim sums?

To make things simple for you, think of dumplings as the mother and all the other variations as the little babies including momos and dim sums. Depending on the region, Dim sums are native to the Cantonese region of China, and a Nepalese or Tibetan adaptation of the same is called a Momo. Dumplings are wheat-based appetisers with multiple fillings or none at all. As a result, Indian Samosas, Italian gnocchi, stuffed ravioli or even YOU will classify as a dumpling. 😛 Branching from the same family history, momos are predominantly of maida (all-purpose flour) and wheat flour, while dim sums can be cooked with any type of flour, including rice, potato starch, and corn starch.

Now that we know a little bit about the history of Momos, let’s jump right into the recipe.

How to make Vegetable Momos and Red Chilli chutney ?

Vegetable Stuffing

1. Start by chopping the vegetables (processing them in a food processor until finely chopped). You can also use crumbled tofu or any mock meat of your choice as a filling.

2. In a pan heat oil, and add finely chopped garlic and minced ginger. Sauté for 2 to 3 seconds on medium-low heat. Add spring onion whites and sauté for half a minute, then add all the finely chopped vegetables.

2. Stir fry the vegetables on a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.. Then add soy sauce, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Switch off the flame and add the spring onions/scallion greens. Mix well.

Making the momos

1. Apply some water along the rim of the dumpling wrapper. Place 2 or 3 tsp of vegetable stuffing in the center of a dumpling wrapper, then pleat and close up the dumplings.

2. Prepare all momos this way and keep them covered under a moist paper towel or napkin, so they don’t dry out until you are ready to steam.

3. In a greased steamer steam the momos for about 5-6 minutes. When you touch the momo the dough should not feel sticky and be kind of translucent

Spicy red chutney

1. Drop the red chillies and tomatoes in boiling water and cook for about 8 minutes to blanch the tomatoes and rehydrate the red chillies. Once blanched and cooled, remove the skins of the tomatoes carefully.

2. Add red chillies, garlic, tomatoes, oil, salt, sugar and soy sauce (roughly chopped if required) to a blender and blend smooth. Serve with hot momos.

And that’s how simple it can get. I created a video for this recipe over on my Instagram in collaboration with Em from MyriadRecipes. Go check out her work as well!

So, give this recipe a try and let me know how you liked the Momos or the Spicy chutney. I would love to see you try it out. Much love <3

Also, check out my other steamed dishes:

1. Khaman Dhokla – Steam gram flour cakes
2. Idli – steamed rice cakes
3. Vegan Ela Ada – Kerala delicacy