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1
Make and Rest the Dough
40 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Mix the flour with 2g of the salt, add about 150 ml of cold water a little at a time, and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, firm and no longer sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes — the rest relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls paper-thin without springing back.
The dough should feel firm, like a dumpling dough, not soft like bread dough. If it is sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time; if it cracks, add water a teaspoon at a time.
Done when: The dough is smooth, springs back when pressed, and no longer sticks to your hands.
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2
Mix the Chicken Filling
15 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Put the ground chicken in a large bowl with the onion, cabbage, spring onions, 15g of the ginger, 10g of the garlic, 15g of the coriander, the green chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil, melted butter, cumin, black pepper and 3g of salt. Pour in the ice-cold water and mix with your hands until the liquid is absorbed and the filling looks loose and glossy — do not overwork it, or the chicken turns tough.
The ice-cold water is the trick to a juicy momo: it turns to steam inside the dumpling and keeps the chicken moist. Thigh meat, not lean breast, is what makes the filling juicy.
Done when: The filling holds together when squeezed but still looks loose, not like a paste.
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3
Make the Tomato-Sesame Achar
15 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (325°F)
Dry-roast the sesame seeds in a pan until golden, then grind them to a coarse paste. In the same pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the tomatoes, dried red chillies, 6g of the garlic, 5g of the ginger and the turmeric for 8–10 minutes until the tomatoes collapse into a thick sauce. Blend with the sesame paste, 10g of the coriander, 1g of salt and the lemon juice until smooth, then taste — it should be hot, sour and nutty all at once.
Roast the sesame seeds until they just turn golden and smell nutty; a minute too long and they turn bitter and darken the sauce.
Done when: A thick, brick-red sauce that coats a spoon, with the sesame paste fully blended in.
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4
Roll, Fill and Pleat the Momos
25 Mins
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Divide the rested dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each one into a round wrapper about 8 cm (3 inches) across and 1–2 mm thick — thin in the middle, slightly thicker at the edges. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre, fold the wrapper in half and pinch the edges together in small pleats, or gather the edges up and twist them shut into a round purse shape. Seal each momo tightly so no juice can escape.
Keep the wrappers you are not working with under the damp cloth — thin dough dries out in minutes and then it will not seal. A dab of water on the rim helps the edges grip.
Done when: Each momo is plump, tightly sealed, and small enough to eat in two bites.
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5
Steam Until Juicy
12 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Bring 500 ml of water to a boil in a steamer pot or a large pot with a steamer insert. Lightly oil the steamer basket or line it with cabbage leaves, set the momos in with space between them, and steam with the lid on for 10–12 minutes in batches — the wrappers turn slightly translucent and glossy, and the chicken inside must reach at least 74°C (165°F).
Do not lift the lid in the first 8 minutes — the rush of cool air can make the wrappers wrinkle and stick. Steam in batches rather than crowding the basket.
Done when: The wrappers are tender and slightly translucent, and the centre of a cut-open momo is steaming hot with no pink chicken.
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6
Serve Hot with Achar
5 Mins
Serving temperature, above 63°C (145°F)
Lift the momos out onto a warm plate and serve at once, with the tomato-sesame achar in a small bowl on the side for dipping. Eat them hot, in two bites, and bite carefully — the juices inside are scalding.
Momos wait for nobody: they dry out and toughen fast in open air, so keep them covered in the steamer until the moment they reach the table.
Done when: The momos are glossy, hot and soft to the touch; the achar is warm and ready for dipping.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the momos straight from the steamer, glossy and steaming, with the brick-red achar alongside — dip, bite, and let the hot, juicy filling and the sharp, nutty sauce do the talking.
Nepal
1h 5m
France
Vietnam