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Try our Nepalese prawn momos with cherry tomato chutney, then discover Nepalese food: 10 things we love, Nepalese chicken choyela, or Nepalese potato and cucumber pickle salad.

They’re typically filled with spiced meat or vegetables, and served in big steam baskets for sharing. Momos take centre stage at Indo-Chinese restaurant Fatt Pundit (fattpundit.co.uk) and head chef Huzefa Sajawal’s take stays true to their roots. “Momos were historically eaten by farmers trekking the Himalayan region,” he explains. “They’re made using a simple dough of flour and water, rolled into small discs and filled with meat (buffalo, chicken, lamb) or vegetables (cabbage, carrots, potatoes). Once filled, they are then folded into different shapes with pleats, and either steamed or fried.” The spicing is what sets Fatt Pundit’s dumplings apart, as Huzefa elaborates: “Instead of using a typical spice mixture for all our momos, we have different mixtures to match our fillings.

Our beef momo is complex in flavour using 15 ingredients, whereas the kid goat is more aromatic, enhanced with just cardamom and garam masala.” A punchy dipping sauce is an essential momo accompaniment for sisters Dipa and Trishna Chamling, founders of Eat Momo (eatmomo.uk) near London’s Borough Market. “Our customers relish in two kinds of dips,” they explain. “Our chilli sauce and our tomato achar, made with timmur pepper, an ingredient that is very special to Nepali cooking.”


Nepalese prawn momos with cherry tomato chutney recipe

  • 8 green cardamom pods
    seeds extracted
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 400g raw prawns
  • 3 garlic cloves
    finely grated
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 16 frozen round dumpling pastry wrappers

CHUTNEY

  • 300g cherry tomatoes
  • 3 large red Turkish chillies
  • 40g ginger
  • 1 lemon
    zested and juiced
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Nutrition: per momo (16)

  • kcal87
  • fat1.7g
  • saturates0.2g
  • carbs11g
  • sugars3.3g
  • fibre1.1g
  • protein6.4g
  • salt0.9g

Method

  • step 1

    First prepare the chutney. Blanch the tomatoes in a pan of boiling water for 3 mins, then drain and plunge into cold water. Leave for 1 min, then carefully de-skin. Put in a blender with the chillies, ginger, 1 tsp of lemon zest, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, the sugar, vinegar and 1 tsp of fine salt. Blend to a fine paste.

  • step 2

    Return the chutney to the pan and simmer over a medium-high heat for 10 mins to concentrate the flavours. Leave to cool to room temperature.

  • step 3

    In a small frying pan, gently toast the cardamom, coriander and fennel seeds, and peppercorns, for 2-3 mins or until aromatic. Add the sesame seeds and toast for 1 min until they just start brown. Use a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to grind to a very fine powder.

  • step 4

    Pour the ground spice mixture into a food processor, along with the prawns, garlic, onion powder, garam masala, oil and 1 tsp of fine salt. Pulse into a coarse paste, scraping down the sides to fully combine the flavours.

  • step 5

    Defrost the dumpling wrappers. For each dumpling put one wrapper onto a board, spoon over 1 heaped tbsp of the prawn mixture into the middle. Brush the edges of the wrapper with cold water, then carefully pleat the dumpling, bringing each fold up with a twist at the top, tightly enclosing the stuffing.

  • step 6

    When all the momos are ready to cook, prepare a large pan of boiling water and get the water steaming. Put the dumplings, in batches of five or six at a time, in a bamboo or metal steamer, then steam for 8-9 mins or until the momos have plumped and the fillings are cooked through. Serve immediately with the chutney on the side for dipping.

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