Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Nepali Chicken Momo
尼泊爾雞肉蒸餃
Recipe overview
Ready-made round wrappers hold chicken, cabbage and onion filling, with a tomato-sesame dipping sauce. The 30-minute preparation excludes making wrappers; the 15-minute cooking assumes a steamer holding all 24 at once.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 24 Ready-made round dumpling wrappers (10 cm diameter)
- 300 g Minced chicken
- 100 g Cabbage
- 60 g Onion
- 200 g Tomatoes
Filling seasoning
- 1 tsp Minced ginger (Filling seasoning)
- 1 tsp Minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Salt (Filling seasoning)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
Sauce seasoning
- 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp Minced ginger (Sauce seasoning)
- 1/4 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt (Sauce seasoning)
- 1 tsp Lime juice
- 60 ml Water
02
Tools
- 32 cm two-tier steamer with lid
- Perforated steaming paper
- Knife and board
- Mixing bowl and teaspoon
- Small saucepan and immersion blender
- Probe thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Mince vegetables
Wash and dry cabbage, chop very finely and mince onion; gently squeeze excess water from cabbage.
Step 2
Prepare sauce ingredients
Dice tomatoes and measure sesame, sauce ginger, chilli, salt, lime and 60 ml water; reserve lime for the finish.
Step 3
Mix filling
Mix chicken, cabbage, onion and all filling seasonings in one direction for 1 minute until cohesive.
Step 4
Portion filling
Keep wrappers under a slightly damp cloth; divide the filling into 24 portions and put one portion (about 20 g) in each centre, keeping the rim clean.
Step 5
Moisten and fold
Moisten half the rim with a fingertip of clean water, fold into a half-moon and pinch the centre closed.
Step 6
Pleat and seal
Make three or four pleats from centre toward the ends and pinch firmly with no gaps; repeat for 24 dumplings.
Step 7
Arrange steamer
Line trays with perforated paper, space dumplings 1 cm apart and thoroughly clean hands and utensils after raw chicken filling.
Step 8
Boil steamer water
Keep water below the dumpling base and bring to a full boil covered on high heat in about 3 minutes, with enough water for steaming.
Step 9
Steam momo
Set trays over the boil, cover and steam on high for 12 minutes without lifting the lid; open it away from your body.
Step 10
Cook dipping sauce alongside
During steaming simmer tomato, sesame, sauce ginger, chilli, salt and water for 8 minutes. Turn off heat, add lime and blend smooth in the deep saucepan to prevent splashes.
Step 11
Check filling
Check a thick dumpling: chicken filling must be at least 75°C with no raw meat and wrappers soft with no dry flour centre; steam longer if needed.
Step 12
Serve with dip
Serve six momo per person with tomato-sesame sauce separately; cool slightly and remember the filling juices are hot.
Common mistakes
- Overfilling bursts the seam.
- Wet cabbage makes wrappers soggy.
- Crowded dumplings stick together.
- Cooked-looking wrappers do not prove the chicken is done.
Tips
Wrapper thickness varies; test one for folding without cracking and moisten dry edges sparingly. If your steamer cannot hold 24, cook in batches and allow extra time, refrigerating waiting raw dumplings. Toasted sesame avoids a separate toasting step, but cook the tomatoes fully.
