MOMO WRAPPER RECIPES

Steps:

• Dough: In a large bowl combine flour, oil, salt and water.
• Mix well, knead until the dough becomes homogeneous in texture, about 8-10 minute.
• Cover and let stand for at least 30 minute.
• Knead well again before making wrappers.
• Filling: In a large bowl combine all filling ingredients.
• Mix well, adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow all ingredients to impart their unique flavors.
• This also improves the consistency of the filling.
• Assembly:.
• Give the dough a final knead.
• Prepare 1-in. dough balls.
• Take a ball, roll between your palms to spherical shape.
• Dust working board with dry flour.
• On the board gently flatten the ball with your palm to about 2-in circle.
• Make a few semi-flattened circles, cover with a bowl.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out each flattened circle into a wrapper.
• For well executed MOMO's, it is essential that the middle portion of the wrapper be slightly thicker than the edges to ensure the structural integrity of dumplings during packing and steaming.
• Hold the edges of the semi-flattened dough with one hand and with the other hand begin rolling the edges of the dough out, swirling a bit at a time.
• Continue until the wrapper attains 3-in diameter circular shape.
• Repeat with the remaining semi-flattened dough circles.
• Cover with bowl to prevent from drying.
• For packing hold wrapper on one palm, put one tablespoon of filling mixture and with the other hand bring all edges together to the center, making the pleats.
• Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure the absolute closure of the stuffed dumpling.
• This holds the key to good tasting, juicy dumplings.
• Heat up a steamer, oil the steamer rack well.
• This is critical because it will prevent dumplings from sticking.
• Arrange uncooked dumplings in the steamer.
• Close the lid, and allow steaming until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Take dumplings off the steamer and serve immediately.
• Alternatively, you can place uncooked dumplings directly in slightly salted boiling water and cook until done, approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to over boil the dumplings.
• You may also slightly sauté cooked dumplings in butter before serving.
• To serve, arrange the cooked dumplings (MOMO's) on serving plate with hot tomato achar or any other chutneys as condiment.

Steps:

• Spoon a small amount of filling into the centre of each momo wrapper and shape (keep wrappers covered to avoid them from drying out).
• Set up an ice bath next to your stove by filling a medium-sized bowl with cold water and ice. Bring a medium pot filled halfway full of water to a boil. Add two vine-ripened tomatoes and 4 chilis to water. After about 45 seconds (skins of tomatoes should just be visibly peeling) remove tomatoes from water and continue to cook chilis for an additional 60 seconds, remove chilis to ice bath. Keep the water from the pot.
• Mix all filling ingredients thoroughly in a medium-sized bowl and let sit in fridge for 30 minutes covered so flavours develop fully.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Create a well in the middle of the flour.
• There are plenty of ways to shape your momos, I recommend watching a few tutorials on how to shape them.
• Peel skin from tomatoes and discard. Remove stems from chilis and discard. Place tomatoes and chilis in a blender.
• Slowly pour warm water into the well, whisking flour from sides into the well with a fork until liquid is absorbed and a shaggy dough is formed.
• Keep dumplings on a large plate or sheet tray covered with plastic wrap. If not cooking immediately can store in the fridge or can place sheet tray in freezer until dumplings are frozen and then remove them into freezer bags to store.
• In a dry frying pan over medium-high heat, toast Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant (roughly 1 minute and 30 seconds). Remove from heat and grind finely with a mortar and pestle. Add ground Sichuan to blender.
• Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 8 minutes, until dough is very smooth.
• Either steam or pan-fry dumplings depending on your preference.
• Add the rest of the ingredients for the sepen to the blender, and pulse. Pour a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of the water you used to blanch tomatoes and pulse again. Consistency of sauce should be smooth but not too liquidy.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Steam: Fill a pot a quarter of the way full with cold water, place bamboo steamer so it is resting on rim of pot. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Grease slats of steamer with neutral oil and then place dumplings inside, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
• Pour hot sauce into a small bowl and set aside.
• Divide dough into 4 sections.
• Serve with sepen, soy sauce or whatever other chili sauce you may have on hand.
• On a floured work surface, roll out one of the sections into a large rectangle, about 1/8th of an inch thick (thin but not to the point where it will tear). Using a circle cutter or something similar that measures around 5" in diameter, cut dough into circles.
• Repeat with three remaining dough sections, dusting wrappers with flour and stacking them on top of one another, separated by parchment paper. Set aside in fridge until ready to use.
• It is not advisable but you can re-roll your scraps and cut again (I did this and wrappers turned out fine).