Shaping momos is not difficult but it needs a little practice.
The communication these days is all about the pandemic. The economy, the downfall, the after-effects and the life that is ought to be changed for once and forever (maybe). We don’t want to talk about this, but we are eagerly waiting for the day when the Sun will rise with its purest sheen and without a single trace of this invisible monster.
My daughter has been introduced to her formal school, virtually. Forget the experiential learning, this total outdoor lover child of mine hasn’t stepped out from the past 40 days. I understand and she understands too. Thankfully, we have our ways to keep it easy, simple and interesting.
And so is my close-knit group of almost 600 workshop participants. I cannot express the love I have received in these past few weeks. To keep everyone busy, excited and happy, I came up with the idea of 21 days of Live cooking on Instagram. Participants from all across the world expressed their interest to join and cook-up Live with me. The idea was no-fuss recipes. Recipes that you can cook without bothering much about sourcing the ingredients.
I was amazed to see how beautifully we can create magic with ingredients as simple as ‘lentils’, just plain lentils. There were Gujarati, Rajasthani, Kashmiri and South Indian cuisines along with cuisines of the world, which were explored. There were no-fuss innovations with ingredients as basic as Semolina and leftover biscuits. There were Kids with their colourful delights, Men with their so-called culinary lessons and senior citizens with their immense knowledge bank and easiest recipes to prepare party snacks in no time.
I call it ‘Golden Recipes of 21 days of Lockdown’. Thankfully I am able to compile them all and will soon be releasing an e-book of the same. Compiling them all is not easy and it is keeping me busy 24×7. I hope I should be able to do justice to each and every participant who has contributed to creating this buzz on social media with me. This campaign was a huge success with great viewership.
Yes, there something that is keeping me sane and happy in these trying times. And I am super excited to announce it soon.
These days, I am not encouraging much of a binge or junk eating because this is the time when we should be considering eating nutritious and something that can help us with our immunity boost mechanism too. And when the street food craving is topping the charts, I used my ways to satiate the craving without compromising on the nutrition meter.
Read more for the step by step recipe and let me know if this recipe of Barley Momos worked for your loved ones too.
PUMPKIN STUFFED BARLEY MOMOS
Ingredients for the dough:
· 1 Cup Barley flour (Jau ka aata)
· 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
· 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
· 1/2 tsp Rock Salt
· 1/4 tsp black Pepper Powder
· 1 tsp Cow Ghee
· Water to knead
Ingredients for the stuffing:
· 2 Cups grated Pumpkin (preferably yellow pumpkin)
· 1/2 Cup finely chopped Onions
· 1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic
· 1/2 cup finely chopped Tomatoes (I used my home-grown cherry tomatoes)
· Some fresh Mint Leaves
· 1 tsp grated Raw Turmeric (1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder)
· Rock Salt to taste
· 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
· 2 tsp Olive Oil to saute the stuffing
Method for stuffing:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions and garlic. Allow it to cook for two minutes, add grated pumpkin and mint leaves.
2. Add salt and turmeric and mix it well.
3. Finally add finely chopped tomatoes and salt, black pepper and cook it on high flame with continuous stirring till the mixture dries up nicely.
4. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and let it cool.
Please note: Shaping momos is not difficult but it needs a little practice. You can try potli, half moon or triangle shapes. Once it is steamed well, you will anyway relish the taste.
Method for shaping and steaming:
1. Divide the dough into 15 equal portions and make smooth balls. Take one ball and roll into 4-inch diameter circle. Keep the edges thinner compared to the centre.
2. Put about a spoonful of stuffing in the centre.
3. To shape the momos, lift one side of the edge and start pleating and joining them together. Then join all of them in the centre and seal it. And there you will have a Potli shaped momo ready.
4. If you do not want to spend time in shaping, you can just make half-moon shape just like we have seen how Gujiyas are made. You just have to combine both edges together. It looks something similar to wontons.
5. Now in a steamer pan add a glassful of water and bring it to a simmer on medium heat. Grease the steamer tray with oil and arrange the shaped momos onto it.
6. Steam them for 8-10 minutes.
7. Plate it nicely with more colourful veggies, spicy dip (read on for recipe) and some hung curd as sides.
Please note: You can check whether momos are perfectly cooked or not by looking at the texture. Once ready, it will be translucent and shiny and by touch, it won’t feel sticky. Please note that if you will overcook, the momos will become chewy.
Ingredients for Spicy Momos Chutney:
· 4 dried Red Chillies (preferably Kashmiri Mirch)
· 5 Almonds
· 7-8 cloves Garlic
· 1 tsp Lemon Juice
· Salt to taste
Method for the dip:
1. Blanch red chillies, almonds and garlic in ¾ cup water.
2. Now transfer almonds, garlic and red chilli into a blender. Make sure the almonds are peeled now. Blend it to a smooth paste.
3. Check for water, but make sure the sauce is thick and smooth.
4. Transfer the sauce in a pan and allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes on low flame with continuous stirring.
5. Allow it to cool and add lemon juice once properly cooled. Serve with sizzling hot momos.
Please note: You can club these momos with any of your favourite hot soup or a drink. I served it with super easy Pumpkin mint soup as I had these veggies in abundance and wanted to use them wisely without any wastage.
Health benefits of Barley Millet, Pumpkin and fresh Mint Leaves
Barley Millet boosts immunity as it is rich in vitamin B, potassium, selenium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, antioxidants and fiber. It also has a very low glycemic index making it perfect for weight loss regimes.
Pumpkin is rich in antioxidants that boost your immune system, protect your eyesight, lower your risk of certain cancers and promote heart and skin health.
You really can’t go wrong adding some fresh Mint Leaves to your diet. Mint’s health benefits range from improving brain function and digestive symptoms to relieving breastfeeding pain, cold symptoms and even bad breath.
Shalini Rajani is the founder of Crazy Kadchi and holds innovative and healthy cooking workshops for all age groups.