The Global Kitchen Series: Tibet

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    The Global Kitchen Series: Tibet

    The GSBTB Global Kitchen is a new series of workshops by our Open Kitchen project, aimed at giving aspiring chefs and food lovers a chance to learn how to expand their taste buds and make food from other countries. Each time, a new chef teaches the group how to cook a traditional dish from their own culture. The first workshop in the series was conducted by Tashi, a Tibetan volunteer who taught the participants how to make their own momos! Find the recipe (as well as tons of photos from the workshop) below.

    Tashi, the volunteer chef.

    To kick off this workshop series, the Open Kitchen invited Tashi, a Tibetan volunteer, to teach people how to make their own delicious momos! For those who don’t know, momos are a type of dumpling native to the South Asian region, but with origins in Tibet. Learn how to make your own at home with the recipe provided below!

    How  to make your own momos:

    Prep time: 40 min
    Cooking time: 10 min
    Makes about 36-40 momos

    For the dough:

    • 900 grams flour 110
    • about 600 ml of water
    • salt

    For the spinach cheese filling:

    • 150 grams spinach, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
    • 300 grams paneer, small cubes
    • 1 onion, finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon melted butter/ghee
    • 3/8 teaspoon salt
    • freshly ground black pepper

    For the meat filling:

    • 500 grams ground beef
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 bunch spring onions, chopped
    • 1 small bunch coriander, chopped
    • salt, pepper to taste

    Directions:

    Add flour into a large mixing bowl. Pour 250 ml  of water in the middle. Mix in a swirling motion to combine the flour in center of the bowl and leave some of the flour along the edge untouched. When the water is fully combined, add the rest of the water along the edge in a swirling motion. Keep mixing until all the water is absorbed. Dust both hands with flour and start kneading to form dough. When dough has formed, dust the working surface with flour and dust hands again. Transfer the dough to the working surface and continue to knead it until its surface becomes smooth, about 10 to 15 minutes. Form into a ball and rest for 30-60 minutes.

    Add the spinach leaves and garlic into a large skillet. Swirl in a splash of water and sprinkle salt on the spinach. Cover and cook over medium heat until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a plate and set aside to cool. When it has cooled enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water. Add the chopped spinach, cheese, green onion, garlic, salt, a few turns of black pepper, and butter into a medium-sized bowl. Stir it to mix well. For the meat filling, mix all ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

    Hold a dumpling wrapper in one hand. Scoop about 2 teaspoons (or less, so you can easily fold the dumpling) of dumpling filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Start sealing the edges with your other hand. After folding, press the edge again to seal it well. You can use any method to fold the dumplings, as long as you’re comfortable with it.

    Place the dumplings onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or onto a lightly floured cutting board. Cover with a clean damp cheesecloth (or a few layers of paper towel) to prevent the dumplings from drying out. Line a steamer with parchment paper or a damp cheesecloth. Transfer the momos into the steamer, one finger’s width apart from each other. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, place the steaming rack on top. Steam for 10 minutes.

    Serve with momo sauce (find the recipe below) and enjoy!

    For the momo sauce:

    • 1 big onion
    • 1 big tin of chopped tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
    • 2 cm of ginger, finely chopped
    • 2 spring onions
    • ½ bunch coriander
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions: 

    Add to large saucepan and bring to the boil once, then simmer for 5 minutes.

    If you aren’t convinced to attend one of these workshops yet, check out some impressions from this one!

    Photography by Friederike Ruge.