Steamed Veg Momo Recipe | Vegan Dumplings Recipe [Video]

Veg Momos are vegan dumplings stuffed with a stir fried mix of finely chopped vegetables. The dumpling can either be steamed,  deep fried or pan fried. This is the recipe for steamed veg momos. Steamed veg momos are a specialty of North East India and these are now a popular street food all through India.

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I never skip a chance to eat a Momo. But making them, I've had my excuses.

I'm glad I finally got around to making some, because I simply loved this recipe and I'm so happy I can share it with you. And unlike what I imagined earlier, it is not that elaborate and no, homemade is so much better than the street side one. 

So.... a Momo is a dumpling that is native to the Himalayan region, mainly North-East India, Tibet, Nepal and regions around them. In recent times, momos have taken the streets by storm and it is not unusual to see folks selling momos at street corners. They have become extremely popular as street food. 

My first experience with momo making was in 2009, when we visited Darjeeling. Darjeeling is very famous for momos and I had it in my bucket list to try some there. We used to frequent a small family run restaurant called Nimto that served us vegetarian food. It was here that we saw Auntie (the owner and chef) prepare momos. I was amazed at the speed and quality of the pleating of her momos. While I am nowhere close to her's in aesthetic appeal, I believe I've made up for it with taste.

Veg momos are usually stuffed with cabbage and a mix of other finely chopped veggies. A momo is very mild in flavor, it has a subtle hint of ginger, garlic and heat. It is usually served with either chilly vinegar or a spicy chilli garlic sauce or a spicy peanut sauce. There are some places that serve momos with mayo but I would never visit those places. 

In this post and video, I have included details on how to make the momo wrappers as well. In my next post, I will share a simple recipe to make the Chilli Garlic sauce that I served the momos with. While I did not do it this time, in the past I have frozen momos and steamed them when required. If you plan to freeze momos, place the momos in a large box in a single layer and freeze them. You can then directly steam them (no thawing required) when you want to eat the momos. But just serve them hot, momos tend to get chewy if allowed to cool.

This recipe shows one method of pleating the momos, this is usually how veg momos are pleated. But feel free to pleat or seal the momos as you please. Look up online, there are several easy ways to pleat. Hope you enjoy this recipe. If you do, please let me know!!

Happy Momo Making Weekend!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Steamed Veg Momo Recipe | Vegan Dumplings Recipe

Veg Momos are vegan dumplings stuffed with a stir fried mix of finely chopped carrots and cabbage. The dumpling can either be steamed, deep fried or pan fried. This is the recipe for steamed veg momos. Steamed veg momos are a specialty of North East India and these are now a popular street food all through India.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     60 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Total time:     50 minutes
Yield:                Makes 20 momos

Ingredients:

For the Dumpling Wrappers:

1 cup All Purpose Flour (Maida)
0.5 tsp Salt
0.5 cup hot Water

For the Momo filling:

3 cups finely chopped Cabbage
0.5 cup finely chopped Carrot
1 Tbsp finely chopped Garlic
1 Tbsp finely chopped Ginger
1 Green Chilli, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. To make the dumpling wrappers, take the flour in a large bowl and add salt to it.
2. Now add water by the spoonfuls and knead until you have a smooth dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes to allow the gluten to develop. You can also use cold water to knead the dough, but hot water yields a softer wrapper.
3. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes to 1 hours.
4. While the wrapper dough is resting, make the filling for the momo.
5. To make the momo filling, heat oil in a pan and add in the chopped garlic, ginger and green chilli. Saute until fragrant.
6. Now add the chopped carrot and saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
7. Add in the chopped cabbage and salt to taste and continue to saute on low heat until the cabbage is almost cooked.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool down to room temperature.
9. Divide the wrapper dough into 20 equal portions.
10. Fill in 1-2 spoons of filling.
11. Wet the edge with water.
12. Carefully pleat the edges to seal the momos.
13. Steam the momos for 5-6 minutes.
14. Serve hot with chilli sauce.

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Vegan Laksa Soup

Steamed Rice Cups

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Vegan Laksa Soup Recipe | How to make vegan Malaysian Laksa Lemak [Video]

Vegan Laksa Soup or Curry Laksa or Malaysian Laksa Lemak is a spicy noodle soup from Malaysia that has a rich creamy base made from coconut milk and topped with noodles, blanched vegetables and fried Tofu. The soup is spicy, sweet, salty and creamy. It is perfect for a cold winter day. This recipe includes video instructions to make the Laksa Soup.

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Hello friends, wishing you a very Happy New Year once again. Are you excited for what 2019 holds for you? Have you made resolutions yet?

I sure have. As every year before, I resolve to eat healthier, blog more and just spend contribute more time towards home. I would also love to reduce stress, and interact more with you on social media. I also want to go on more vacations and carve out some "me" time. A lot of resolutions and I hope can follow them through.

Now that we have our new year courtesies off the table, lets get on to the recipe - Vegan Laksa Soup.
The Laksa Soup is an uber-delicious Malaysian Noodle Soup. While there are different varieties of Laksa, this is the recipe for Curry Laksa or Laksa Lemak which is a spicy soup finished off with rich creamy coconut milk.  Which is perfect for this weather. Something weird is going on with the weather in Bangalore and we've had just about the coldest January in ages. Temperatures are dropping to 8-10 degree C and that's not really normal. So cozying up under a blanket and enjoying some delicious spicy soup is just perfect. I mean the weather calls for it!

My inspiration for recreating a Laksa at home came from the Laksa I ate at FoodHall in December. You have got to try theirs! It was so deliciously flavored, that I wanted more. When you want more and more of something, you have to make it at home, especially when they don't do a home delivery. So I looked up several recipes, and came up with mine. I mostly followed Adam Liaw's recipe, but kept it vegan.

The Laksa Soup has 3 main parts to it:

• Laksa Curry Paste - The curry paste is what gives the soup its flavor. The Laksa I had was spicy and hence, I added enough chillies to give the same heat. This heat is eventually balanced by the sweetness and saltiness, but I'd say add just as many chillies as you can tolerate. The curry paste is simple to make, just blend all the ingredients together and you will get your smooth curry paste. If you don't have access to fresh lemongrass, use lemongrass paste or lemon zest (lots of it!). Candle nuts can be replaced with cashew nuts like I did. Use fresh turmeric if you have access to it, else use the ground powder like me. 
• Laksa Soup - The soup I had was spicy, sweet, salty and sour (from the lemongrass).  It had the perfect balance of flavors (MasterChef judges would be proud of me!). To get the best flavor our of the soup, the laksa paste has to be fried until the oil separates or at least for 15-20 minutes. After that just add in broth or water to thin it. Add the thick coconut milk towards the end to get the creamy richness.
• Toppings/Additions - Since it is a noodle soup, noodles are kind of mandatory. Use any noodles you have accessible. If you are not  purist, you may also use spaghetti. After this it is totally up to you to add whatever vegetable you want. I added blanched broccoli, capsicum, snow peas and mushrooms. I blanched my veggies instead of cooking them in the soup because I wanted my vegetables to retain their crunch and texture. Since I did not have Tofu Puffs, I added pan fried Tofu and it was delish!

Enjoy this bowl of heartwarming deliciousness before the Winter is over! See you next week.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

Vegan Laksa Soup | Malaysian Laksa Lemak Recipe

Vegan Laksa Soup or Curry Laksa or Malaysian Laksa Lemak is a spicy noodle soup from Malaysia that has a rich creamy base made from coconut milk and topped with noodles, blanched vegetables and fried Tofu. The soup is spicy, sweet, salty and creamy.

Recipe Type:  Soup
Cuisine:            Malaysian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     50 minutes
Total time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Laksa Curry Paste:

6-8 Dry Red Chillies
2-3 Fresh Red Chillies
10-12 Cashew Nuts
3 Lemongrass Stalks (white part only)
1 small Onion
1 Tbsp Garlic
1 Tbsp Ginger
0.5 tsp Turmeric powder
1.5 Tbsp Coriander Seeds

For the Laksa Soup:

2-3 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
1 cup thick Coconut Milk
4 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water or Broth as required

For the Crispy Tofu

100 gms firm Tofu
2 tsp Corn Starch
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Oil

To assemble the Laksa Soup

2 cups cooked Noodles
1 cup Broccoli Florets
8-10 Snow peas
0.5 Capsicum
5 Mushrooms
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Soak the dry red chillies and cashew nuts in hot water and keep aside for 10 minutes. Then discard the water.
2. Blend together the soaked red chillies, cashew nuts along with all the other ingredients for the laksa curry paste along with a little water to a smooth paste.
3. Heat 4 Tbsp of Oil in a thick bottomed pan and add the curry paste.
4. Fry the paste for 15-20 minutes on low heat or until the oil separates.
5. Add 1 cup of water or broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add salt and sugar to taste.
7. Add in the coconut milk and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and keep aside.
9. Boil water in a pan and add a pinch of salt.
10. Dab the Tofu with kitchen towel to extract as much water from it as possible.
11. Dice the Tofu into cubes and add to a large bowl.
12. Sprinkle the corn starch, salt and pepper to the bowl and toss until the tofu is coated with the corn starch.
13. Heat 2 Tbsp Oil in a frying pan and place the tofu in one layer. Flip the tofu until all sides are browned and crisp. Remove from heat until time to serve. Alternately, you can deep fry or bake the tofu.
14. Drop in the vegetables - broccoli, snow peas, diced capsicum and sliced mushrooms, one by one and blanch for few minutes until the vegetables are slightly soft.
15. To assemble the Laksa Soup, spoon the soup into a bowl, add the cooked noodles and the blanched vegetables. Top with crispy tofu and chopped coriander leaves before serving.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Miso Noodle Soup

Broccoli Almond Soup

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Avocado, Cucumber, Carrot Sushi | Vegan Maki Roll [Video Recipe]

Vegan Maki Sushi Roll made by rolling avocados, cucumber and carrots in sushi rice and Nori sheets.

Remember here, I spoke of Gee going to Malaysia and shopping in super markets? It paid off, a second time!! It is she who bought me the Nori Sheets and the Sushi Rice all the way from a Japanese store in KL. (You can buy them in Gourmet stores in Bangalore or buy them online).

Well, she looves sushi. And this time she got to eat them sitting at home in her pajamas without worrying if they are really vegetarian. Win-win! I always knew of sushi as a raw fish dish. But the first time I heard of a vegan one was when I was in California and my friend wanted to make me try some. I did not get the chance to try there, but I did try it the first chance I got once I was back in Bangalore and the love affair has continued since. Every single time I see a vegan sushi on the menu, I order it. This was my first time making it at home, but it definitely won't be the last.

Making sushi is really not that difficult, if you have the correct variety of rice. A lot of recipes online say you can use quinoa or brown rice or some other variety of rice. While I'm sure you can work with them if you are a pro at sushi making. For an amateur, sushi rice works best. This rice is very different from the other varieties of rice in my pantry. It is sticky, yet the grains hold their shape. Any Indian rice when cooked to become sticky, will turn mushy and become paste like. And that is definitely a no-no for sushi making. You want to be able to identify the grains, yet have them stick to each other. I was scared when I rolled my first roll, but the rice made it impossible for me to mess it up. So say what you may, according to me it is the rice that is the hero of the sushi. Making the rice is simple, you cook it as per instructions on the packet. Then spread it out in a large bowl or plate and mix in the vinegar, sugar and salt while smashing the rice a little. Adjust the vinegar, sugar and salt to your taste.

Once your rice is ready, you can fill your rolls up with basically anything. Keep it fresh and simple. I filled my rolls with avocado, cucumber and carrots. And for a few, I threw in some sauteed mushrooms as well. The flavor of a sushi comes majorly from the rice and the nori sheets. Nori sheets give the sushi a mild fishy umami flavor. 

Serve sushi with a good quality Soy Sauce, Pickled Ginger and Wasabi paste.

Note: Sushi is usually rolled with a bamboo mat, but the technique is achievable with a kitchen towel and a plastic wrap. Watch the video for more details!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Avocado Cucumber Carrot Maki Sushi Roll

Vegan Maki Sushi Roll made by rolling avocados, cucumber and carrots in sushi rice and Nori sheets.
Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Japanese
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4. Makes 27-30 individual rolls.

Ingredients:

3 Nori Sheets
1 cup uncooked Sushi Rice
2 cups Water
2 Tbsp Vinegar
1.5 tsp Sugar or Jaggery
0.5 tsp Salt
0.5 Avocado
1 Cucumber
1 Carrot
Wasabi paste to serve
Soy sauce to serve

Method:

Making the Sushi Rice:

1. Wash and cook the rice as per instructions on the packet. I rinsed the rice once and pressure cooked it with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes on low-medium heat.
2. Once the rice is cooked, remove it into a large steel or wooden bowl or plate.
Heat the vinegar in a small pan, add the sugar and salt. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat.
3. Add the vinegar to the rice and with a wooden spoon, mix it well. The rice should be sticky, yet retain the grain structure. Allow it to cool.

Making the Avocado Cucumber Carrot Maki Sushi Roll:

4. Slice the avocado and julienne the cucumber and carrot.
5. Take a kitchen towel and spread a plastic sheet on it. I used a clean plastic packet in which I had purchased rice. I cut it into a rectangle and laid it on top of the kitchen towel.
6. Place the nori sheet, shiny side down on the plastic sheet.
7. Take 1/3rd of the rice and place it on the nori sheet. Wet your hands and spread the rice until it covers the nori sheet. Layer it as evenly as you can. It doesn't have to be perfectly even, the rolling later will ensure it spreads evenly.
8. On one edge, place 1/3rd of the cucumber, carrot and avocado.
9. Gently roll the nori sheet until the vegetables are covered. Use the kitchen towel now to compress the vegetables.
10. Continue rolling until the full nori sheet is rolled up.
11. Using the kitchen towel, compress the roll. Turn and compress again.
12. With a sharp wet knife slice the roll into individual maki rolls. Wet the knife between each slice. Do not apply pressure while slicing, make gentle to and fro motions. The roll should be sliced in 2-3 knife movements.
13. Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi paste.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Vegan Miso Soup

Breakfast Bruschetta

Baked Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Read more ...

Cauliflower Rendang Curry

Cauliflower Rendang is a vegan version of the spicy flavorful Malaysian curry made with lemongrass, red chillies and coconut milk.

Have you ever wondered how a fire breathing dragon feels? Fire in it's belly, fire in it's throat and fire on it's lips. I felt exactly the same way when I made this curry the first time. I was so excited with the bright red chilli paste that I ended up adding all of it and made this curry so hot that I felt like a fire breathing dragon for almost half the day. My tummy burned, by throat burned and my lips were literally on fire. Water didn't cool it off, neither did cold milk. 

Ever felt this way? What did you do to calm the fire?

Like lightening, in this case, the fire definitely did not strike a second time. I wised up. I used less red chillies. It was still hot, a Rendang is meant to be hot, but it was heat that I was comfortable with. Let me warn you though, I do eat spicy food at least 2-3 times a week, so I am spice tolerant. If you are not used to spicy food, I'd say go light on the chilli paste. You don't have to use all the chilli paste. You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge and use it to make some Honey Chilli Sauce or to add heat to other meals you cook.

I'll let you in on a little secret - I absolutely LOVE Asian curries!!! Yeah, well, no secret...

I was a big fan of Thai curries for a looong time, until I tried the Vegan Amok in Cambodia. And I kinda changed favorites. I've made that a couple of times with the Amok Powder I picked up in Siem Reap, it is sooo tasty, I feel like I'm cheating on Thai curry when I have it.

The only Asian curry that I had heard for a long time, but never had a vegan version was the Malaysian Rendang. Usually Rendang is made from Beef or Chicken, but since I consume neither, I wanted to make my own vegan version of it. I added Cauliflower, Cauliflower greens, and Sweet Potato to replace the beef or chicken in the curry. And girl... it was goooooood...

Have you ever tried sweet potato in a curry? If not, you really really should. I'm not such a big fan of boiled or roasted sweet potato, but when boiled in a curry, it is super tasty. I put it first in the Amok and now the Rendang, I've loved it both the times. Raj assumed he would be getting all the sweet potato in the curry, he was taken aback when he realised he had to compete with me in fishing them out in the curry.

To complement the curry, I made a simple cumin rice where I cooked short grained rice with salt and cumin. It went really well with the Cauliflower Rendang. Next time you feel like having curry, try this rendang out and take pictures and tag me @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram, or @OneTeaspoonLife on Twitter or share with me on Facebook.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Mushroom Cafreal - Vegan curry from Goa made by cooking mushrooms in a coriander sauce.
• Punjabi Dum Aloo - Vegan curry made from baby potatoes.
• Corn Tomato Bharta - Vegan curry made from grilled tomatoes and sweet corn.

Cauliflower Rendang Curry

Cauliflower Rendang is the vegan version of the Malaysian Rendang curry where Cauliflower and sweet potato are cooked in a spicy lemongrass, red chilli and coconut milk based sauce.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Asian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1/2 Cauliflower
1 small Sweet Potato
200ml Coconut Milk
4-5 Lemongrass Stalks
5-6 dry Red chillies
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
4-5 Garlic cloves
1/2" Ginger
1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Oil
2-4 Tbsp Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the dry red chillies in a cup of hot water and keep aside for 10 minutes
Remove the outer layers of the lemongrass stalk until you reach the soft white center.
Break the cauliflower into florets and cut the sweet potato into chunks.
Drain out the chillies and remove the seeds.
Grind 3 of the lemongrass stalks, chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic, tamarind and sugar along with a little water to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the paste for 3-4 minutes.
Bruise the remaining lemongrass and add it to the pan along with the cauliflower and the sweet potato.
Add salt and mix well.
Cover and cook on low heat until the cauliflower and sweet potato are almost done. They should be slightly undercooked.
Add the coconut milk and simmer on low heat uncovered for 8-9 minutes until you get the desired consistency and the vegetables are cooked. Adjust the sugar and salt as required.
Serve hot with rice.

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