STM recipe: Victoria Minell’s Nepalese-style creamy momos

Momos are traditionally filled with spiced meat or vegetables and served with a fiery tomato chutney, and are a popular and comforting street food staple. This version gives them a high-protein twist. Juicy chicken filling is wrapped in delicate dumpling wrappers and served over a creamy spiced tomato and cottage cheese sauce — all less than 400 calories per serve

Ingredients

200g lean chicken breast mince

¼ small red onion, finely diced

¼ cup finely chopped spring onion

1 tbsp grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

½ cup chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to serve

16 gow gee pastry or dumpling wrappers

olive oil spray

1 red chilli, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped

100g cottage cheese

3 tsp chilli oil (optional)

1 tsp sesame seeds

Preparation

Step 1 In a bowl, combine the chicken mince, onion, spring onion, ginger, half the garlic, half the garam masala, half the turmeric, the salt and half the chopped coriander.

Step 2 To assemble the momos, add about 1 teaspoon of the filling to the centre of each wrapper.

Step 3 Hold the wrapper like a taco and pinch and pleat one side, working your way around. Twist and pinch the top to seal.

Step 4 Steam the wrappers for 10 minutes or until fully cooked.

Step 5 Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat with a spray of olive oil. Add the remaining garlic, the chilli, tomatoes and the rest of the spices and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant and softened.

Step 6 Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender or food processor with the cottage cheese and remaining chopped coriander. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Step 7 Spoon the sauce into bowls and arrange the steamed momos on top. Drizzle with chilli oil (if using), then sprinkle with sesame seeds and coriander to serve

Leftovers: Best eaten fresh, but cooked momos and sauce can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 2 days. Steam to reheat.

Serves 2

Extracted from High Protein Recipes by Victoria Minell, published by Macmillan Australia, $44.99, photography by Rob Palmer.