So here comes our first recipe, of momo aka dumplings. This is a really simple, yet very delicious twist to the meat/vegetable momo that we are used to having. This is recipe for making momo from spinach entirely without adding any cabbage, cauliflower and stuff. No MSG, no grinding garlic and clove, no extra momo spice required. Very simple, yet the result will surprise you.
Right onto the recipe now
Ingredients:
The quantity we have outlined here will serve about 3 people, with 10 momo each. Please make necessary adjustments to it, according to the number of people you are serving.
For dumpling
1.flour : 400 gm
2. baking powder : 10 gm
3. palung spinach (paalak) : 2 bunch (200 gm)
4. cheese : 200 gm
5. garlic clove : 200 gm
6. salt as per taste
7. water as required
For achaar/sauce
1. one onion finely chopped
2. salt to taste
3. 4 medium sized tomatoes
4. chilly (optional)
Cooking Instructions:
1. Mix the flour, baking powder with water and knead it to make rough dough
2. Keep the dough covered with plastic for 15 minutes. This will help to make the dough finer, and much easier to roll the momos later.
3. Now lets get started on the Palung or spinach. Wash it thoroughly because when you get it in Kathmandu, it needs thorough washing. For good measure, soak the spinach in a tub of water with a few drops of Piyush (chlorine water purifier)
If in Kathmandu, leave the spinach for a few minutes in chlorine water
4. Now heat water in a medium deep pot. Add a pinch of salt. Let the water boil.
5. After the water boils, cook the thoroughly washed spinach onto the boiling water for one minute. Or basically blanch it for a minute.
Blanching the spinach just right
6. After one minute, we have to bring the spinach out of the boiling water. We can use a sieve for that. Keep the boiled water aside. This will make for a great broth later on.
all the vitamin here
7. Run cold water over the hot spinach. Now chop it very finely and uniformly. There may be water leaking, but that is normal.
chop chop chop
8. Now transfer all the chopped spinach into a deep bowl.
9. Next up, chop the garlic cloves. Heat some butter/oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute until the garlic turns light brown.
10. Add the light brown garlic onto the spinach.
11. Grate cheese until fine. And mix it with the spinach and garlic.
12. Now mix these in the bowl well which is going to be our stuffing or kima for the dumplings.
Mix well for the stuffing
13. Now, remove the plastic from the dough. Knead some more to get a fine texture. Now start making small balls out of the dough. Also put water in the momo steamer and put it on gas. Because soon it will be time to steam the momo.
Boil water in advance for steaming momo
14. Roll the small balls into circular shape as a wrapper for our dumplings. Make the wrapper as thin as possible. Here’s a video showing you how to do it. 🙂
and please ignore the voice over. 😉
15. Now, stuff the spinach mix inside the wrapper as shown in the video below. We are going with the fish shape here. But please feel free to use your creativity and dexterity in whatever shape you want to give to the dumpling.
if the voice over is too irritating, see this youtube video here
16. There’s your first lot of dumpling all ready to be steamed.
17. Generally, the dumpling cooks in about 10-15 minute. Check periodically.
There goes our first lot of momo
When you press your hand into the dumpling, if it starts sticking in your fingers then you know that it is cooked.
Is it sticky yet?
Momo all cooked and ready
18. For the sauce, chop onions into fine pieces. Chop tomatoes into medium sized pieces.
19. Heat some butter/oil in a fan. Add onions and some salt. When onions turn light brown add tomatoes and saute until the tomatoes are all quashed.
20. Now blend the mixture for a few seconds to get that silky texture of a sauce. You can add some chopped chilies if you would like. If you dont have blender, no problem. The tomato is now squishy enough to grind by hand in your mortar pestle.
21. For the soup, you can just add this sauce. Or else just boil for a few minutes with cream of vegetable soup, and you are all good to go.
All done. Now sit back, relax and enjoy your delicious spinach momo
Time to Eat
And we are happy…
Now that we are finally done with momo mania, we too are a happy lot in Kathmandu 🙂
Please share your dumpling photos, feel free to comment and message us. Thank you for visiting.
Nirmala's Delight 
Namaste Nirmala!
I love your blog! Can you post (or email me) a recipe for regular momos? I am hoping to make them when Ang Babu Sherpa is here in two weeks. Thanks!
Mina Ayers
Hello Mina, we will post recipe for regular momos on Tuesday-Aug 5. Will that work for you? Otherwise, I will just email you the recipe without photos.
Namaste!
Thats fine! Thank you!
Mina
Sent from my iPad
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