Beef Momos—do they really need an introduction? These tender, steamed dumplings filled with juicy meat are delightful on their own but truly shine when paired with some homemade chilli sauce. And don't worry, I've included a fantastic recipe for the sauce as well!
Momo enthusiasts likely have that one go-to dim sum spot where they love to hang out and indulge. Let’s be honest, we never miss the chance to try momos at every Asian restaurant we visit… but wait, are they Chinese? Tibetan? Nepalese? Or even Japanese?
By now, many of you may know that momos are a staple across various South Asian countries, each with its unique names and sauces. Today, I’m excited to share a Tibetan-style take on beef momos, highlighting their distinct flavour and preparation.
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🥢My Momo Days
Like many of my culinary adventures, my life in Bangalore introduced me to the steamed chicken momos. I used to frequent a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant where, after a long day at work, a single plate of momos was all I needed to feel satiated. They offered takeaway, but I always chose to sit at a corner table, enjoying each momo mindfully.
🥰Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Momo-making can be surprisingly therapeutic, especially if you’re like me and enjoy wrapping them without worrying about perfection.
- It's even better when your partner joins in—it can be a wonderful bonding experience. F helped me the first time, but I quickly realized I’m much better at making them on my own!
- I used to make the dough with just flour, salt and water until I came across this recipe on The Garum Factory that uses garlic-infused water to make the dough! You will never go back to the plain dough.
- If you get a hang of doing this, then make a big batch and freeze some before steaming!
🥟Dim Sum vs Momos
By the way, did you know there’s often confusion between dim sum and momos? Contrary to popular belief, dim sum isn’t just momos or dumplings. It’s more like what mezze is in the Middle East—a brunch or tea-time experience featuring bite-sized dishes served alongside tea. No wonder my favourite spot was called Dim Sum! 😄 If you are interested in reading more about this topic, I recommend you read this article.
📋Ingredients Notes
Here are the key ingredients used to make steamed momos:
- Produce: You will need garlic, onion, garlic chives or scallions and coriander leaves.
- Plain flour: Also known as all-purpose flour or maida. I have tested using wheat flour too.
- Ground beef: You may replace it with ground chicken or lamb.
- Soy sauce
- Ground spices: garam masala, cumin powder, black pepper powder
- Cooking oil
Please refer to the Recipe card for a detailed recipe for momos and chilli sauce.
🔪How to make it?
- Prepare the dough and let it rest.
- While the dough is resting, prepare the sweet chilli sauce.
- Prepare the filling and let it cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, roll out the dough discs and stack them.
- Fill, fold and steam the beef momos in batches.
- Serve immediately with chilli sauce.
🥟Wrapping Momos
Wrapping dumplings or momos takes a bit of practice, but you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Watching YouTube videos can be helpful, but trust me, the skill comes naturally once you start. Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts aren’t perfect—just keep going! I hope to make my video to share with you soon.
What I learned is that trying to replicate what you see in videos or pictures can actually limit your creativity. My first attempt at folding momos didn’t turn out as expected, and it was a bit disappointing. But now, I realize it doesn’t matter as long as your hands can shape them. Get creative, trust your instincts, and wrap those momos however feels right!
💡Tips to make the best momos
- You may add a little shredded cabbage when making momos, as it releases moisture while steaming making it juicy when done
- If you are used to washing the minced meat, then ensure it is drained well before you make the filling.
- Make one momo and taste it and then adjust the seasoning if required before wrapping the rest.
- Keep them covered all the time before and after steaming to retain the softness. Steam again to make it warm if serving later.
❄️Storage
To store beef momos, you can either refrigerate or freeze them depending on when you plan to enjoy them.
- Refrigerating Momos: Store cooked momos in an airtight container and refrigerate. To reheat, steam for a few minutes to restore their soft texture.
- Freezing Momos: For longer storage, freeze uncooked momos. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to cook, steam directly from frozen, allowing extra time for cooking.
If you love steamed food, then do try a Malabari dish, Kakka Orotti.
📖 Recipe Card
Beef Momos with Sweet Chilli Sauce
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 garlic clove, crushed and minced
- ½ cup water, approx
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
For the Filling
- 1 cup ground beef , or lamb or chicken
- 1 medium onion, diced finely
- 3 garlic chives, or scallions, chopped
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced finely
- Fresh coriander leaves
- 5 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons sunflower oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Sweet Chilli Sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 5 dried red chillies , torn into 2 to 3 pieces
- 5 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- salt to taste
- ½ tablespoon cornflour , mixed with ½ tablespoon water
Other
- Oil to grease , the steamer
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Add the minced garlic to a small bowl along with water and let it steep for 20 to 30 minutes.1 garlic clove½ cup water
- In another bowl, add the flour and make a well in the centre.2 cups all-purpose flour
- Strain the garlic-infused water through a sieve into the well in the flour. Use your fingers and make a circular motion to incorporate the water into the flour.
- Start to knead the dough until stiff and smooth, approx 5 to 8 minutes. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Add the dried red chillies to the boiling water. Switch off and cover the pan and let the chillies soak for 10 minutes.5 dried red chillies⅓ cup water
- Transfer the soaked chillies along with the water into a blender and add the sugar, garlic, salt, and vinegar and blend.5 garlic cloves¼ cup white vinegar3 tablespoons sugarsalt to taste
- Pour the sauce back into the pan and bring this to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer.
- Meanwhile, mix cornflour with water and stir into the sauce. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.½ tablespoon cornflour
- Turn off the heat and let it cool down completely. Serve with steamed or fried momos.
Prepare the filling
- Add all the filling ingredients into a bowl and give a good mix. Check the taste and adjust the flavours.1 cup ground beef1 medium onion3 garlic chives2 to 3 garlic clovesFresh coriander leaves5 teaspoons soy sauce½ teaspoon garam masala¼ teaspoon cumin powder2 teaspoons sunflower oilSalt and pepper to taste
Shape the momos
- Divide the dough into equal-sized pieces. approx 25.
- Take a dough ball, dust it with flour and flatten it slightly. Use a rolling pin (small), and roll the dough balls into 2-inch rounds, making sure not to put pressure in the middle. Ensure to put pressure on the edges as we want the edges to be thinner than the centre. Roll out enough dough balls your steamer can hold and stack them with flour or spread them on a large plate but ensure to keep them covered at all times.
- Place a tablespoon of filling in the centre of rolled dough rounds and seal the dumplings with your choice of method.
- Pinch to close one end of the momo and start to pleat. You can pleat one side and stick the pleat to the other edge as you go. Or, pleat on both the edges and stick as you go until the end (leaf-like momo)
Steam and serve
- Grease the steamer with oil to prevent the momos from sticking. Ensure to add enough water to the steamer and bring it to a full boil before placing the momos.Oil to grease
- Place enough momos in the steamer without touching each other and steam for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce and tea.
Notes
Nutrition Info
Sweet chilli sauce recipe adapted from Fun Food Frolic.
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