Mutton Wheat Momos

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Momo is a steam-cooked dumpling stuffed commonly with meat or vegetables. Momo has an outer layer made with all-purpose flour which is not a healthy option to go with. Momos are very interesting to make as the outer layer is to be pleated to form different shaped dumplings with the tasty stuffing inside.

Momos are a real treasure from Tibetans which has been gaining popularity across India. They are served with extra spicy momo chutney which makes it much tastier. No matter, whether you look for momos in the streets or restaurants, you would get the beautifully steam-cooked momos served along with the fiery chutney. Though deep-frying the momos has been in practice in some areas of Nepal, we stick to the steam-cooking version as it sounds to be a healthy option.

The recipe which I post here is the healthy version of momos with whole wheat flour as the outer layer. The whole wheat flour (atta) is kneaded perfectly and rolled beautifully with the thick centre going as thin as possible as we move to the edges. The cooked mutton stuffing is then placed at the centre and the thin edges are supposed to be pleated carefully to make different momo shapes which are then steam cooked to get a tasty treat, mutton wheat momos. Though it sounds tedious, it is absolutely an interesting recipe. Yeah! To the step by step procedure now:

Don,t forget to relish momos with momo chutney and for the easiest oil-free spicy momo chutney recipe, click on the link shown below.
MOMO CHUTNEY

⏲ Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours (includes chopping + mutton marination + dough resting time + momos shaping time)
⏲Cooking Time: 45 minutes (includes mutton cooking time + momos steam-cooking time)
🍴 Servings: 3 to 4
🍽 Yields: 15 to 18 momos

What to Use?
For Momo dough:

• Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
• Water - 1/3 cup
• Salt - as needed
• Olive oil - 2 tsp

 For Mutton Marination:

• Minced mutton - 200g
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Salt - as needed
• Lime juice - 1 tsp
• Soy sauce - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

For Mutton Masala (Stuffing):

• Marinated mutton
• Capsicum - 1 small
• Spring onions - a few
• Onion - 1
• Grated Cabbage - 1/2 cup
• Salt - as needed
• Olive oil - 2 tsp

Step-by-Step Procedure with Pictures

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How to Make:
For making the dough:

• Take wheat flour in a large bowl.

• Add salt and olive oil to the atta.

• Knead with your hands to get the soft dough with 1/3 cup or little more water.

• Rest the dough for 20 minutes before you roll.

For Mutton Marination:

• Take minced mutton in a large bowl.

• Add ginger-garlic paste to the raw mutton.
• Add the required salt to the minced mutton.
• Add black pepper powder, soya sauce, lime juice and turmeric powder.

• Mix all the ingredients well and rest it for at least half an hour.

For Mutton Masala (Stuffing):

• Take a pan and add some oil.
• When the oil shimmers, add chopped capsicum.

• Then, add spring onions (both the green and white parts) and saute well.

• Add finely chopped onions and saute till they turn pink.

• Add the grated cabbage and saute for a minute. 

• To the sauteed veggies, add the marinated mutton and cook for 15 minutes.

• Adding water is not necessary as we need dry mutton masala. Minced mutton leaves some water which is enough for the cooking process of the mutton stuffing.

• Just stir in-between to allow the mutton for even cooking. You can turn off the flame, once the mutton is near to fully cooked.

• What's now? Yes, add some fresh coriander leaves to the cooked mutton, give a gentle mix.

• Allow the mutton stuffing masala to cool for a little while.

For Making Momos:

• Make small balls out of the dough.
• Roll the ball in such a way that the centre is thick and the edges are thin. Roll as thin as you could when you move to the edges.

• This step is optional. You could cut the edges to a perfect Circle using some sharp-edged circle-shaped utensil and roll the edges even more thin to get even-sized perfect momos.

• Place a tablespoon of mutton masala (stuffing) inside.

• Here, I'll show you the three most common shapes of momos.

Shape 1:

• Start pleating from one place of the thin edge and continue to pleat until you are done with the edges all over.

• Join the dough at the top and twist it gently to get a kind of garlic-shaped momos.

 Shape 2:

• Pleat a half circle and seal the pleated half with the non-pleated next half.

• This makes a crescent-shaped momos.

 Shape 3:

• Do shape 2 and join the two edges you gotta get.

• Pleat a half circle and seal it with the other half that are non-pleated.
• The two edges of the crescent-shape have to be joined to make a garlic kind of momos with a circle on the top.

• Make all the wheat momos and place them in a greased idly / idiyappam plate.

• Steam-cook the wheat momos for 7 to 10 minutes. 

You could play around with the momo shapes as they are the interesting factor from the get-go. It may sound weird when you start working but it is of much fun and you will get expertise on shaping momos with a little effort and a good amount of practice.

Mutton Wheat Momos

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Dumplings made with whole wheat flour (atta) as the envelope and kheema masala stuffed inside.
Steps Involved:
Mix wheat flour, salt, olive oil, salt and knead with your hands to get a smooth dough. Allow the dough to sit for 20 minutes. Marinate minced mutton with ginger-garlic paste, salt, black pepper powder, soy sauce, turmeric powder and lime juice. Let it sit for at least half an hour. To a pan, add oil and saute capsicum, spring onions, onion, grated cabbage with a little salt. Add minced mutton to the sauteed vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes without adding water. Add coriander leaves as the final touch and allow the mutton masala to cool for a while. Now, roll the small portion of dough keeping some thickness at the centre going very thin to the edges. If needed, cut to a perfect circle and roll thin at the edges to make perfect, evenly shaped momos. Keep the kheema masala inside and start pleating as you want to make different momo shapes. Grease the idly / idiyappam plate, place the momos and steam-cook them for about 7 to 10 minutes. Yummy Wheat Mutton Momos are ready!

Visual Treat:
Still not clear about how to shape the momos? Watch my momo making-video.

 

Tips:

• Make sure, you knead the dough well and roll the edges as thin as possible. If your edges are thick, they will become thicker while pleating, hence could ruin your wheat momo eating experience.
• Check the salt while making mutton masala. Add some salt if necessary as we have added salt only in the minced mutton during marination.
• Do not over-cook the momos as the outer layer may turn hard or rubbery. Keep the timer on and let it not be steam-cooked for more than 10 minutes.
• Dry the mutton masala completely as the water in it may invite the messy momos.
• Don't forget to pair the wheat momos with momo chutney. 
• After steam-cooking the momos, open the lid immediately to prevent the water from staying at the bottom of the plate. 

Steam-Cooked, Healthy Wheat Momos!