Momos and tomatoes
Wintry, Himalayan cooking.
The dazzling universe of South Asian cuisine includes all the practices of winter cooking: slow-simmering stews. Braised meats. Bread in the oven. You have to go up north, to the Himalayas, to find it — Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan and many more Indian states and countries.
In this region, it gets cold. People wear sweaters and make noodle soups. But they also have access to a dizzying array of spices. The result: cozy, delicious meals with a flavor profile more complex than ... “butter.” (sick burn aside, I love butter).
Here I make momos — steamed dumplings with tasty fillings. The first time I had momos was years ago at a Tibetan restaurant in New Delhi. It opened my eyes to a whole new regional cuisine and I was delighted.
The last time I had momos was in Jackson Heights in Queens. I went to the Indian grocery store to get some groceries and to buy tamarind concentrate for when I was selling my tamarind hot sauce. I got some momos at a food truck after and then went to look for a spot to eat them at Diversity Plaza. There was a group of Nepali men nearby, and one of them pointed to an open seat near them and waved me over.
We introduced ourselves to each other and then he asked, “So what do you do? Doctor? IT?” I laughed and said, “no....” and then I just kind of drifted from there because I didn’t have a straight answer then and I still don’t really.
The momos came with a tomato-based hot sauce. Hot hot hot, but tomato-y too.
Here I make mushroom and onion momos with a tomato-based stewy sauce, in homage to that delectable hot sauce. I put together this recipe after reading and learning from the cookbook On the Himalayan Trail by Romy Gill and checking what I currently have in my spice cabinet.
Momos in Tomatoes
Fermented millet batter
Parallel to mixing barley and rice, which I wrote about in my last newsletter, here is a batter that combines the nutrition and hardiness of millet flour with the glutinous magic of all-purpose flour.
Mix well 1 cup millet flour and 1 cup water in a bowl, cover and leave overnight or at least eight hours.
Fermenting the batter makes the grain tastier and more digestible. You can make dosas from this batter too! Future newsletter topic alert.
Tomato sauce
I like the 13-oz boxes of Colavita crushed tomatoes for tomato sauces.
In a mortar and pestle, spice or coffee grinder, grind 1 cardamom pod, 1 or 2 cloves, 1 garlic clove and 1 tsp fennel seeds.
In a wide pan, heat 1 tbsp neutral oil. Add ground spices and pinch of turmeric and let bloom. Add crushed tomatoes. To this mixture add a pinch each of asafoetida powder, chili powder, ground ginger and ground cinnamon and couple of pinches salt. Let simmer for a few minutes, until fully mixed and heated through. Adjust spices to taste.
Momos!
Filling
Momos are often filled with meat, but I made a veggie version.
Dice one cup mushrooms and one onion, and sautee mixture in neutral oil, until onions are browning and mushrooms are fully cooked. Season with a pinch of salt.
Dough
Mix 1 cup of the fermented millet batter with about 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour in a stand mixer for a few minutes, then knead dough for another few minutes. If the mixture is a bit crumbly at first, like in the middle picture below, add a bit of water and the dough will form nicely.
Once kneaded, pinch off dough into balls, and roll out each ball into about the size of a small roti or your hand.
To each mini-roti, add about a spoonful of filling. Then comes the most fun part, wrapping up the momo! How I did it: fold top, bottom, left, right, then fold up the rest and twist and set.
Finally, cook dumplings in a steamer pot for about 15 minutes. Top with tomato sauce.
Newsfeed:
I loved this multimedia piece about OOO Farms in the Western Ghats in India, which is working to preserve rapidly disappearing rice varieties, including those that need less water to grow.
American restaurants should serve smaller portions at lower prices to reduce both obesity and food waste. That’s easier said than done, but we ought to try to make this happen! ReFed, a food waste advocacy group I’ve long followed, released a report on customizable portions and how they can help drive restaurants’ bottom line too.
Beautiful essay about lunch ladies in Bitter Southerner.
Li’l Nubs
I’m looking for work. I’m a seasoned PR/content/comms pro with experience in food and hospitality. If you know anyone who’s looking for help in communications and/or restaurants, or more generally, a friendly pair of hands — let me know!