Tsering's Momos in Ladakh - India

View from our room :)

Leh, the capital of Ladakh in Northern India, sits in a valley at around 3500 metres and is surrounded by an amphitheatre of snow dusted peaks. In spring time it's dotted with the blossoms of apricot trees. Here you feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of India, not to mention the change in climate, culture, language, and culinary delights!

Given the extreme climatic conditions of this mountain desert, which is only accessible by road from May to September, Ladakhis are very self sufficient. Many of them grow their own vegetables by strategically channeling the water from the mountain streams. In the short peak tourist season from June to August the valley turns from brown to a luminous green.

Tsering and her husband Thukstan are the owners of Tse-Tan Guesthouse which is North of the city centre, and arriving at their guesthouse was like arriving home, with their warmth and hospitality immediately obvious. Like the majority of Ladakhis, Tsering and Thukstan grow their own vegetables and have a little green house for the cooler shoulder seasons.

Tsering and Thukstan

To prepare all the meals Tsering sits on a cloth on her kitchen floor and their guests, whom they treat like family, can be as involved in the process as they would like. Ladakhi food has some similarities to Tibetan cuisine as they eat Tsampa (roasted barley flour), salty butter tea Thukpa (noodle soup) and of course Momos (stuffed dumplings). With barley as their staple grain it is used and manipulated in many different ways for countless dishes.

One evening we sat on Tsering's kitchen floor and made delicious Ladakhi style Momos. Momos are generally stuffed with cooked vegetables or meat and eaten with a chutney or chilli style sambal. They can be made with any kind of flour, but here we made them with barley flour. Making the momos from scratch, dough and all, can be quite a long process so it was nice to do it together as a group. I am sure Tsering appreciated the help! :)

Here I have included a rough recipe guesstimating quantities with enough to serve 5 people. The most important piece of equipment you need to make these is a large mutli-layered steamer as well as a grater. Feel free to be as creative with the filling and chutney as you like. Barley flour is used for the dough as it is grown locally but you could also use wheat flour. You can prepare the filling and chutney ahead of time.

Momo dough
Mix approximately 9 cups of barley flour with a teaspoon of baking powder and 2 teaspoons of salt. Have about a litre of water handy and gradually add this to the flour mixture. Don't add it all at once! Get your hands in there and be sure to mix and knead it well after each addition of water. Knead this and add water until it is a good consistency to roll out using some extra flour to coat the surface, to about 2-3mm thick. Use the end of a glass with a diameter of approximately 6-7 cm to cut circles in the dough.


Momo Filling
Oil for frying (here we used mustard seed oil)
1 small head of cabbage grated
3 carrots grated
1 small red onion grated
A few handfuls of spinach or swiss chard (silverbeet) finely chopped
100 grams paneer finely chopped
Handful of coriander and handful parsley finely chopped
Handful of rice vermicelli soaked in boiling water, strained and chopped finely
A few teaspoons of garam masala
Salt and pepper to taste
A few tablespoons of ghee

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Add cabbage, carrots, spinach and red onion and sauté with a few teaspoons of garam masala and salt and pepper until fragrant. Mix the chopped paneer with the coriander and parsley. Remove pot from the heat and stir through the herb and paneer mixture along with the chopped vermicelli and a few tablespoons of ghee. Set aside.

Momo Chutney
A few carrots very finely grated
5 tomatoes very finely chopped
3 green chillies very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves very finely chopped or grated
1 inch piece ginger very finely chopped or grated
A handful of parsley and mint finely chopped
Juice of 1- 2 limes
Garam masala and salat and pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowel and set aside.


Assembling the Momos
This is very tricky to explain but I'll do my best. Place a circle of dough in your left hand and put a teaspoon of Momo filling in the centre. It is easier to use less than more filling when practicing. Hold the Momo filling in place using your left thumb. Take your forefinger and thumb of your right hand and pinch together the edge of the dough, repeat by gathering another punch of dough squeezing it together with last working in a circle. Until all the edges are gathered together. Hmmm understand!? Perhaps YouTube will have better explanations for you! :) Have patience as it can take some practice!


















Cooking the Momos
Rub a little oil on the base if each steamer and place all the Momos inside making sure they are not touching each other. Fill the base if the steamer with water, bring it to the boil, and simmer to steam the Momos for about 30 minutes or until the dough is cooked. Remove from steamer and serve with chutney.

Enjoy your Momo party! :)