Veg Momos are steamed dumplings filled with a lightly spiced vegetable stuffing. They are a popular Tibetan dish and a common North Indian street food, usually served with spicy momos chutney.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 60 minutes
  • Total time: 90 minutes
  • Yield: 15 · 15 Momos
  • Category: Appetizers, Snacks
  • Cuisine: Indian, Tibetan, World

Ingredients

  • 1 cup or 125 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (or as required)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoon water (for kneading or as required)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 small-sized spring onions ((scallions) finely chopped - reserve the greens to be added later)
  • ½ teaspoon or 3 to 4 small-sized garlic garlic (– finely chopped)
  • 1.5 to 1.75 cups mix vegetables
  • ½ cup white button mushrooms (– chopped, optional)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce (or add as required)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder (or as required)
  • salt (as required)

Method

Making dough

  1. Take the all-purpose flour, salt, oil in a bowl and mix them well with a spoon.
  2. Add water in parts and knead to a firm and pliable dough. It can be soft but not too soft. Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.

Making vegetable stuffing

  1. Finely chop all the vegetables. You can also use a food processor to chop the vegetables.
  2. In a thick bottomed pan heat oil. Add finely chopped garlic. Sauté for 2 to 3 seconds on medium-low heat.
  3. Add spring onion whites and sauté for 10 to 15 seconds on medium-low heat. Then add all the finely chopped vegetables.
  4. Increase the flame and stir fry the vegetables on a medium to high heat. If you have not used a thick bottomed pan, then saute the veggies on a low to medium heat.
  5. Sauté or stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add soy sauce, salt and pepper.
  6. Continue to stir fry on a medium to high flame for 2 to 3 minutes more.
  7. Switch off the flame and add the spring onions greens. Mix well.
  8. Check the taste and add more salt, pepper or soy sauce, if required. Set the stuffing aside until it cools completely.

Shaping momos

  1. Divide the dough in two parts. Make a 7 to 8 inches log from each part. Cut the log into equal slices.
  2. Make ball of each slice and keep them covered with a moist napkin.
  3. Take each dough ball and on a lightly dusted board, roll each dough ball into a thin circle of about 3 to 4 inches in diameter.
  4. Try to get the edges to be thin and the center to be thick.
  5. Place 2 or 3 teaspoons of vegetable stuffing in the center.
  6. Lift one side of the edge and start pleating. (Refer to the video below to see how pleating is done).
  7. Start folding and forming the pleats one by one. Towards the end, join the pleats in the center.
  8. Prepare all momos this way and keep them covered under a moist napkin. Till you are ready to steam them.

Steaming veg momos

  1. Heat 1.5 to 2 cups water in a steamer or in an electric cooker or in a pressure cooker. Let the water come to a boil.
  2. In a greased steamer pan or in idli moulds, place the momos keeping some space between them so that they don't touch each other. Check notes on how to steam the momos in idli pan or pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
  3. Steam them for 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Don't overdo the steaming, as the dough becomes dense and dry.
  5. The steaming time may vary upon the thickness of momos' cover.
  6. When you touch the momo then dough should not feel sticky to you. This means they are done and the momos will have a transparent look.
  7. Time of cooking varies from intensity of the flame and kind of pan and the steamer you are using.
  8. Once done, remove them and keep on a serving tray or plate. Garnish with spring onion greens.
  9. Serve veg momos with a spicy sauce like schezwan sauce or tomato-chili sauce or chili sauce. You can also serve it with red chilli garlic chutney.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.