Vegetarian Momo/Dim sum | A step-by-step guide to folding Momo

Vegetarian momo easily tops the list of my favorite finger foods. It is light, flavor-packed and never boring! The serving portion that I get from a momo stall is too small for the price I pay for,so I taught myself to make it at home. The filling for the momo can be varied. I have used many variations by adding crumbled paneer, radishes, carrots, onions, soy granules, etc. One can also used minced meat. So whatever you feel can do justice to the momos can be added in :) 
In this recipe, I have used cabbages, carrots and radishes. It is sautéed for few minutes until the liquid is all dried up. But I learnt recently that, when the fillings are used uncooked, then you end with more juicy momos. Also working with minced meat as filling is lot easier than with vegetables. Sautéed vegetables binds well as  cooking softens them.

Preparation time: 1 hour 20 mintues
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Makes : 25-30 Momos

Ingredients:

For the momo wrappers
2 Cups of plain flour/Maida
A big pinch of salt
2 tsp of oil
Water for kneading

For the filling
1/2 of one big head of cabbage, grated
1 raddish, grated
2 medium sized carrot, grated
1 small inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 tbsp of oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour , salt and oil. Mix thoroughly. Add water little by little and knead the dough to a smooth ball.
TIP: Knead the dough continously for 5-7 minutes. This helps to stretch the gluten in the flour and you get smooth wrappers. This step is very important as the final outcome lies in the quality of the wrapper. The wrapper should feel smooth and elastic.
Cover and let the dough rest for a while.



2. In a pan, heat oil and add the grated vegetables and ginger. Add salt and pepper. Cook the liquid from the vegetable have gone dry.
TIP: For juicer momos, you can avoid sautéing the filling. Just mix together all the grated vegetables with the oil and seasoning and use as such.

3. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll each portion between the palms to make a even log. Using a knife, cut 15 equal portions from each log of dough. 



4. Dust the dough ball in some dry flour/maida and roll it into a thin disc (about the size of your palm) Make sure the edges of the disc are thinner compared to the middle.
TIP: Use a moist cloth to cover the dough while working. Make sure the discs are also kept covered to prevent from drying(you could use a old magazine) If the rolled discs are stacked one over the other, ensure it is dusted with dry flour/maida to prevent from sticking to each other.



5. Take one of the discs, and spoon in the filling mixture in the middle portion. Ensure you leave quarter inch gap from the mixture to the edges for sealing the wrapper. Gather the two sides of the disc and pinch in the middle. Pinch the end of right side of the momo as shown in pic 1 of the collage below. You can see a rabbit ear shape sticking out, press down to the seam as shown in pic 2 of the collage. Now repeat the same on the left side of the momo.  The finished one will look like a half moon. 




6. In a steamer/Idli cooker, pour required water and let it come to a boil. Grease the steaming plate with some oil and arrange the momos. Place it inside the steamer and cook for about 15 minutes. There you have it..steaming hot momos!



You can complement this mellow momos with this fiery Tibetan chutney.

Tibetan Hot Chutney 



Ingredients:
10 dried red chillies (if using the low heat variety, else 5 will do)
1 tomato, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tbsp vinegar/ lime juice
A pinch of sugar
salt to taste



1. Soak the red chillies in some water for an hour.
2. Strain the water and puree the soaked chillies with tomatoes, garlic, ginger, salt and vinegar.
3. Add a tbsp of water to aid blending. Check for salt and you are done.

 You see, the pleats that was painstakingly created while sealing the momo is all worth it--when you dunk one into the chutney, the pleats beautifully collects the saucey goodness!

Mango Shrikhand a.k.a Aamrakhand | Mango dessert

In our part of the world, Mangoes are probably the only joys of summer. The blistering hot climate and frequent power cuts make this season totally an unpleasant experience in India. But on the brighter side, summer offers surplus of mangoes in myriad of varieties. And that equals many  heavenly mango desserts for the summer time :) Aamrakhand is very famous in northern part of India and loved by most people. This post is my take on this dessert and its finger-licking good! Plus, you will just need 3 ingredients to put together. 

For this recipe, I recommend using two different kinds of mangoes : Alphonso, for its orangish color and Himayat/Himampasand for taste.
If you can't find these, it is still okay to use any variety of mango provided it is flavorful and sweet.
Those who can't source mangoes in their region, can enjoy making this with store bought mango pulp.

 Alphonso Mangoes

The simplest, absolutely mango-licious dessert, Aamrakhand recipe as follows...

Preparation time: 3 hours 
Cooking time : Nil
Serves: 5 people

You will need:
4 medium sized Alphonso Mangoes (or) 2 Cups of Mango pulp
1 large Himayat/Himampasand Mango
400 ml Curd for hung curd (or) 1.25 Cups of greek yogurt
Powdered sugar or Honey to taste

Procedure:

To make hung curd: Line a strainer with a clean piece of cotton/muslin cloth. Pour the curd onto it and gather the edges of the cloth to squeeze gently the excess water from the curd. You can tie the ends of the cloth together to hang them to drain the excess water out for an hour.(Just like making Paneer at home). Then refrigerate with the cloth wrapped for another hour. There you have it- 'hung curd'.
If your super market carries, greek yogurt then you are lucky. Just use that in place of hung curd.



Peel the alphonso mangoes and remove the flesh off the seed. Throw them in a blender and puree them smooth.



Transfer the mango puree in a bowl. Stir in the hung curd/ greek yogurt until well combined.
The mixture should be smooth. To ensure there are no curd lumps, you can pass through a strainer.



The mangoes sweetness can vary depending on the variety used. So taste the mixture and add the sweetener of your choice accordingly. I usually add approximately 2 tbsp of powdered sugar for the proportion given in this recipe.



Peel the Himayat mango and dice them into cubes. This is a extremely sweet kind of mango and the flesh is nice and firm. Fold the mango cubes into the mango mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least for an hour before serving.

Custardy Mango delight with bites of fresh mango pieces in it. It sure deserves the name 'Death by Mango'

Enjoy this season's mangoes to your heart's content...

Chilli Bajji with Salad Stuffing

Who doesn't love Bajjis? Especially Chilly Bajji.. I am sure there are many out there who are staunch fan of this fiery hot snack. This snack is simple and easy to make. It is too good on its own. But if you want the extra little something, then I would suggest stuffing it with some salad. The freshness from the salad pairs beautifully with the hot Bajji. I have had these Bajjis in many different ways, with Gongura chutney, green chutney, ketchup, coconut chutney and even stuffed with masalas. The best one is with some fresh indian salad and a nice squeeze of lime. The flavors of raw vegetables in the salad counter balances the heat and heaviness of the fried food.

Preparation time: 15 Minutes

Serves : 2-3 people

Calories: 142 / piece

You will need:

10 Chillies,the large ones (Banana peppers are ideal)

6 tbsp Besan/Chickpea flour/Kadala mavu

4 tbsp Rice flour

1 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp amchoor powder, optional

1 tsp salt

Oil for deep frying

For the stuffing:

1 small carrot,peeled and shredded

1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped finely

1 tomato, chopped finely

1 onion, chopped finely

few sprigs of coriander leaves, chopped finely

1 lemon

Salt to taste

Chaat masala to taste

Procedure:

Wash the chilly peppers and pat them dry.

Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan for frying.

In a bowl, mix the besan, rice flour, salt, chilly powder and amchoor. Add about 1/4 cup of water and stir well to create a lump free mixture. Add a tbsp or more of water to make the batter similar to that of idly batter consistency.

The oil should be hot but not smoking. Dip a chilly pepper into the batter and drop in the oil gently. Fry till golden brown in med-low heat. 

Prepare the salad by mixing all the vegetables together. Add salt, chaat masala as per taste. Squeeze half the lemon and mix well.

Slit the fried bajji in the middle and stuff the salad inside. Squeeze more lemon on top if desired. Enjoy immediately!

If you feel the peppers have got more heat, I'd suggest to remove the seeds in the fried bajjis before stuffing the salad.

Perfect snack for a rainy day ..or anyday :) 

Breakfast Ice cream | Only 2 ingredients

Ice cream for breakfast? I know, that sounds crazy. But with the onset of summer, it is totally forgivable to have ice cream for breakfast. Not any ice cream, but this magical, guilt-free ice cream. It is not only vegan, but very low in calories. There is no sugar, butter, cream or any other sort of unhealthy add-ons in it-unless you intend to add them!

No fancy ice cream maker is required. All you need to have is a refrigerator and a blender.
Ice cream junkies, here you go!

You will need : 

2 large bananas, ripened well
1 large sweet Mango



Peel and cut the bananas and mangoes into small pieces. Put them in the freezer for about 3 hours or until they are frozen. Pulverize the frozen bananas in a blender. Add the frozen mangoes into it and continue blending till they become a smooth mixture. Transfer in a freezer safe container and freeze them overnight. Voila! Luscious Ice cream will be ready to scoop in the morning.

Spread them on french toasts for a decadent ice cream sandwich or scoop them over some pancakes or mix in nuts and dried fruits for a power breakfast or just enjoy them plain.

Mangoes are in season so I made banana-mango ice cream. You can add strawberries/avocados/pineapples instead. Banana is the KEY ingredient for this recipe. You can enrich it by folding in chocolate chips or Nutella or Peanut butter. You see, the combinations are endless :)

Hope you enjoy this super healthy ice cream treat!