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Jhol Momo (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Momos originate from the Himalayan region and are traditionally made with a savory filling wrapped in a wheat-based dough. It's essentially dumplings served in a bowl of spicy johl. Here's my gluten-free and vegan version of this tasty dish.
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Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 14 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Nepalese
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Bamboo or Stainless Steel Steamer Amazon.com: Helen's Asian Kitchen Food Steamer
  • Digital Scale Amazon.com: Etekcity 0.1g Food Kitchen Scale
  • Adjustable Height Rolling Pin Amazon.com: Rolling Pin With 4 Adjustable Thickness Rings

Ingredients
  

Dough:

  • 172 grams white rice flour
  • 50 grams tapioca starch
  • 3 grams salt
  • 4 grams baking powder
  • 10 grams oil any kind
  • 130 grams boiling hot water about 2/3 cup

Filling:

  • 1 cup golden potatoes (210 g) roughly mashed, 2-3 potatoes
  • 1 cup cabbage (63 g) shredded
  • 1 cup carrots (85 g) shredded
  • 2 cloves garlic (7 g) minced
  • .5 tablespoon ginger (8 g) peeled, minced
  • 1 cup onion (114 g) any variety, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon oil for the pan *omit for oil free

Jhol Sauce: these ingredients will be blended

  • 2 tablespoon oil for the pan *omit for oil free
  • 4 tomatoes, medium sized (536 grams) roughly chopped
  • 1 cup onion (126 grams) roughly chopped
  • .5 tablespoon ginger (5 grams) peeled, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic (5 grams) roughly chopped
  • 4 cilantro sprigs + more for serving
  • 1 serrano pepper (24 grams) roughly chopped | optionally remove seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon Indian red chili powder more to taste | Indian red chili powder is VERY spicy, substitute with cayenne powder or omit if mild is preferred
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coconut aminos

For a more flavorful, soup-like sauce, add these ingredients:

  • 4 cloves if you don't have a Vitamix blender, crush cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods if you don't have a Vitamix blender, crush pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick fish out before blending
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water

Instructions
 

Make the Filling

  • Steam potatoes for 15 minutes until soft, then roughly mash in a medium sized mixing bowl (we'll add the rest of the filling to this bowl in step 3).
    1 cup golden potatoes (210 g)
  • While potatoes are steaming, shred cabbage and carrots if not already shredded. Mince the garlic and ginger. Finely chop the onion. Place all ingredients in a bowl/plate.
    2 cloves garlic (7 g), .5 tablespoon ginger (8 g), 1 cup cabbage (63 g), 1 cup carrots (85 g), 1 cup onion (114 g)
  • Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the prepped ingredients (garlic, ginger, onion, carrots and cabbage) to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer everything in the pan to the bowl with the mashed potatoes and mix until combined. The filling is complete!
    1 tablespoon oil

Make the Jhol Sauce

  • Prep the tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and serrano pepper and place in a bowl. These ingredients will be blended after cooking, so they can all be roughly chopped. *if you are going to top your momos with cilantro, now is a good to chop some up and set aside for serving.
    4 tomatoes, medium sized (536 grams), 1 cup onion (126 grams), .5 tablespoon ginger (5 grams), 2 cloves garlic (5 grams), 1 serrano pepper (24 grams), 4 cilantro sprigs
  • Heat oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the veggies (tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and serrano pepper) to the pan. Now add red chili powder, cumin powder, coconut aminos, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    2 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon Indian red chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coconut aminos, 4 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 bay leaves
  • Add vegetable broth to a blender. When the ingredients in the pan are done cooking, add to them to the blender and blend until smooth. *If you used a cinnamon stick, be sure to remove it before transferring the rest of the ingredients to the blender. The sauce is complete!
    2 cups vegetable broth or water

Make the Dough

  • For best results, use a scale to measure the dough ingredients. Combine white rice flour, tapioca starch, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
    172 grams white rice flour, 50 grams tapioca starch, 3 grams salt, 4 grams baking powder
  • Heat water until boiling. Hot water is needed to activate the starches. Pour into a glass measuring bowl that has been tared on a scale. Add the oil and mix together.
    10 grams oil, 130 grams boiling hot water
  • Add most of the water/oil mixture to the bowl with the flour and mix with a fork until well combined.
  • Now, knead the dough by hand, adding water gradually until it reaches a soft consistency and incorporates all the flour in the bowl. Adding too much water will cause the dough to stick to the rolling pin, while too little water will result in a crumbly texture. Therefore, it's crucial to add water slowly, allowing you to gauge the dough's consistency accurately. Keep kneading the dough until its smooth.
  • Roll the dough into a ball and then cut it into quarters. Keep 3 of the quarters covered in a bowl with a lid to prevent drying.
  • Dust your work surface with tapioca starch.
  • Roll one quarter of the dough into a ball, then roll out flat with a rolling pin.
    You want the dough thin, about 2-3 mm. My rolling pin has adjustable height attachments, which I had set to 1/8 inch | 3mm.
    If your dough is sticking to the rolling pin, sprinkle with tapioca flour.
  • Cut into circles approximately 3 inches wide. I used a drinking glass for this.

Fill the Momos

  • Working on one momo at a time, gently fill the dough circle with one tablespoon of filling. Do not overfill or the dough with tear.
  • Seal the momo by pinching lengthwise along the dough. I like my momos to sit with the bottom flat, and the pleated side facing up.
  • Place each sealed momo on a cookie sheet and cover with a wet towel to prevent from drying out.
  • If you're having trouble sealing the momo, moisten the dough for easier sealing by dipping your finger into a bowl of water and dampening the edges of the dough with it.
  • Tears in the dough can be fixed by gently rubbing with a bit of water.
  • Continue this process until you've used up all the dough. If you have someone to assist you, the process can be expedited by having one person roll and cut the dough into circles while the other fills and seals the momos.

Steam the Momos

  • Prepare your steamer by boiling water and lining the rack(s) with a mat or with cabbage leaves to prevent sticking.
  • Add momos to steamer, leaving enough space to prevent them from touching.
  • The momos should be steamed for a total of 14 minutes. If your steamer has two racks, steam the momos for 10 minutes. Then, switch the bottom and top racks and continue steaming for an additional 4 minutes.
  • While the momos are steaming, you can heat the jhol sauce on the stove.

Serve

  • Ladle the jhol sauce in a bowl and add the momos. I used 1 cup jhol + 6 momos for one serving. Top with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Notes

  • 1 cup of sauce + 6 momos = 1 serving
  • The sauce makes 5 cups if using vegetable broth.
  • These momos are freezer-friendly: you can freeze them before or after steaming. Flash freeze by placing them on a baking sheet and freezing for 1 hour, or until frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a zip lock bag. When ready to enjoy, steam the momos that were steamed before frozen for 14 minutes, or 22 minutes for the raw momos.