30 Jan / A Dumpling for Every Friend: #3–The Meat Lover (Spiced Beef Momos)
You may be married to one. Your best friend may be one. You may even unknowingly be nurturing one at home. My point is: I’m sure everyone knows at least one meat-loving carnivore, someone who frowns at a meal sans meat and/or shuns anything remotely vegetal.
To satiate this friend archetype, the next dumpling in my series is a chubby specimen chock full of ground meat with the most minimal of vegetables. Besides, shallots, green onions, and cilantro aren’t really vegetables, are they? Chop them up so tiny and your carnivore won’t be able to tell.
Momos can be shaped two ways–like pouches (above) or like silver ingots (think potstickers). While I prefer the cute little pouch, the silver ingot is more auspicious for Lunar New Year as it symbolizes wealth and prosperity.
I’m talking about momos, the Nepali dumplings that could very well be crowned Nepal’s national food. It’s definitely the most well-known.
Instead of parchment paper, you can line the steamer tray with lettuce or cabbage leaves. Either way, the momos will taste delish!
Momos have a lot going for them. They’re versatile, coming in both vegetarian and meat-filled versions. The filling is teeming with spices, making them oh-so-flavorful. The accompanying sauces which range from a tomato-cilantro chutney (see recipe) to sesame or peanut-spiked sauces–are absolutely delicious. Plus, who can resist a name like ‘momo’?
Enjoy!
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Spiced Beef Momos
My husband always laments that I hardly cook beef at home. So while beef dumplings are not very common in Asia, I developed this recipe in his honor. However, you can use pork, chicken, lamb, or even a mix of two meats. Feel free to experiment with the spices if you don’t have any/all of what’s listed below. Even curry powder would work.
Prep: 50 minutes (depending on your dumpling folding prowess)
Cook: 45 minutes (assuming your steamer can fit a maximum of 10 dumplings)
Makes: 60 momos
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (85%/15%)
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots or sweet onion
1⁄4 cup finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (chubby 1/2-inch piece)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 fresh long red chili like Fresno or Serrano, minced, or 2 teaspoons chili paste like sambal oelek
2 teaspoons sea salt
60 round dumpling wrappers
Tomato-Cilantro Chutney (recipe below)
Directions:
Combine the beef with the shallots, green onion, cilantro, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, cumin, chili, and salt in a medium bowl. Use your hands to mix everything thoroughly, ensuring the beef is well-seasoned. Cover and refrigerate the filling for at least 30 minutes. You can also make the filling a day ahead.
Prepare your work station: line a steamer insert and a baking sheet with parchment paper, set out a small bowl of water and cover the stack of wrappers with a damp cloth. Hold one wrapper in your left (or non-dominant hand) and place 2 teaspoons of the filling into the center leaving about a 1-inch border. Dab you index finger in the water and moisten the edges. Curl up your fingers naturally. The wrapper will form instant pleats around the filling. Twist and pleat the dough, forming a small topknot to seal. Place the momo on the prepared baking sheet, keeping dumplings about 1-inch apart, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat until all the filling is used up.
When ready to steam, pour 1-inch of water into the bottom of your steamer and bring the water to boil over high heat. Working in batches, arrange the momos in the steamer insert about 1-inch apart. Place the insert in the steamer and cover and steam the momos until the skins are translucent and the filling is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the steamer insert from the steamer, and transfer the momos to a serving platter. Repeat. Serve immediately with the tomato-cilantro sauce.
Notes:
The assembled momos can be frozen and kept in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. Arrange them on a baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Freeze for 45 minutes to an hour, until hardened. Scooch into a ziptop bag and freeze.
If you’d like to make your own dumpling wrappers, Andrea Nguyen has a great recipe in her book Asian Dumplings.
Tomato Cilantro Chutney
I used canned San Marzano tomatoes to make this recipe because I didn’t find any fresh ones I liked at the grocery store. When tomatoes are in season, feel free to use them instead. You can also used ground spices if that’s what you already have; taste and add more if you’d like.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: 1-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 to 6 dried small chilies
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic in their skins
2 pounds canned whole plum tomatoes (about 8)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems
2 to 3 Thai chilies (optional)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
Heat a small cast-iron skillet on high for 5 minutes. Add the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cumin seeds, and dried chilies, and toast for about 3 to 4 minutes until aromatic and browned but not burnt. Grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
Pour the oil into the skillet and fry the garlic for 6 to 7 minutes, turning frequently, until the skin is charred on both sides and the insides are soft.
Blitz the tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, and Thai chilies (if using) in a small food processor until it forms a puree. Pour the puree into a small saucepan and add the ground spices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and adjust the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens to the consistency of Bolognese sauce. Season with salt and set aside.
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Be sure to check out all the different dumplings in my Lunar New Year “A Dumpling for Every Friend” series:
#1 The Vegan (Tofu, Spinach, and Fennel Wontons)
#2 The Fried Food Fiend (Fried Pork Wontons)
#3 The Meat Lover (Spiced Beef Momos)
#4 Ms. or Mr. Gluten-Free (White Chicken Curry and Sticky Rice Dumplings)
Plus, more dumpling recipes: