Momos

When shopping for food, my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach and as a result, I am often left with large amounts of leftovers.  Momos, or Tibetan dumplings, are a dish my brother introduced to me after he spent some time there several years ago and they have since become one of my chief left-over vehicles because they are simple to make and freeze really well.  When using momos to address left-overs, I'm not a purist and will deviate completely from Tibetan spices and seasonings as my left-over resources dictate.  I've made versions with sweet BBQ chicken filling as well as spicy Mexican adobo pork and they're always fantastic.

Makes 12-18 momos

Filling
1 cup left-over beef or pork
1/2 cup chopped scallions
2 teaspoons chopped red chilis
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce or other sauce

Wraps
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup warm water

To make wrappers, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then mound the mixture up on a clean surface.  Make a well in the middle and begin to add in water while mixing thoroughly.  When the dough starts to firm up, set aside to rest under plastic wrap for 20-30 minutes.  Alternately, you can put the dry ingredients into a food processor with a dough blade or a stand mixer and add the water slowly.

To make filling, chop or shred left over meat in a bowl, add scallions chilis and hoisin, mix thoroughly and set aside.

Cut dough into pieces about the size of half a ping pong ball and roll into circles 4-5" across.  Heap in about 1 tablespoon of filling and twist dough at the top to create dumplings.

If freezing, dust momos with flour and put in an airtight container, separating layers with wax paper. When cooking,  oil a steamer basket and the dumplings and steam for 5-10 minutes.

If you like crispy dumplings then fry the steamed momos in a bit of peanut and sesame oil to crisp them up. Serve with chili sauce.