My tandoor obsession

Every year, ask me what I want for my birthday and you’ll get the same response each time. It’s not an expensive pair of shoes and it’s not perfume, it definitely isn’t a designer handbag or clothes. I don’t really care about those things. What I really want is my own tandoor.

But why a tandoor?

The idea of having a raging-hot pit of fiery coals in my kitchen makes me go weak at the knees. Install a beautiful granite countertop and leave just enough space for a cavernous drop into a heat-proof cylinder.

Pop in a clay oven and watch me go nuts with recipes galore. I’ll pretend I’m Sanjeev Kapoor or Cyrus Todiwala, reaching in with my gigantic asbestos hands.

What can you cook in a tandoor?

What can’t you cook in a tandoor? I would make fresh, homemade naan with charred edges and chewy middles, kebabs of all shapes and sizes and the best baked potatoes life has to offer!

Birthday week!

Well, my 28th birthday just went and sadly, I didn’t get my own tandoor. I did however, have the most wonderful birthday cake from Mr Feasts. It was the first cake he’d ever baked and he totally nailed it.

The next best thing: An oven

I’m hoping one day someone will take me up on my request for a tandoor but in the meantime, I’m getting my tandoori food fix using the trusty oven.

Whack it up as high as it will go and when it’s smoking hot, stow your food inside, closing the door swiftly. I do naans like this all the time and it works a charm.

What are Momos?

Except I didn’t make just any dumplings, I made Momos. The most delicious Indian-style dumplings filled with veggies, paneer, ginger and soy sauce.

Folding dumplings is one of the most cathartic things you can do. Little parcels, half moons, gyoza-style or tortellini style, the possibilities are endless.

I love nothing more than a ‪Saturday afternoon in with a cup of chai, a good movie and a marathon dumpling-making session. So after a long week at work, I did just that.

How to serve Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

Traditionally, Nepali Momos are served with hot tomato chutney but instead, I made my own tandoori marinade (the one I use for making my Tandoori Paneer Samosas) and covered the Momos in it before popping them into the sweltering pit of fire, a.k.a, the oven.

The Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

The pastry is of course, homemade – why not when it’s just three ingredients: flour, hot water and salt. It’s worth making your own, and so much easier when it comes to folding the Momos.

You can make them any shape you like but I thought the simple half moon was pretty.

Can I use this recipe to make regular momos?

You can skip the Tandoori paste part entirely and just straight up fry and steam them like Japanese gyozas – but where’s the fun in that?

No, I’m kidding, they’re absolutely delicious steamed too. Serve them with hot tomato and chilli chutney, adding a glug of sesame oil for good measure.

Word of warning

Once these are out of the oven, you’ll find yourself waiting to frantically get one into your mouth.

Don’t do that. If you’ve ever eaten a hot apple pie from McDonald’s and felt the sensation of the skin on the roof of your mouth being seared like a steak, you’ll know why.

Give your Vegetarian Tandoori Momos a street-style finish

Tumble the momos onto a platter or plate, cover them with sliced red onions, lemon wedges, cooling yoghurt and fresh coriander.

What’s also amazing is brushing them with butter as soon as the come out of the oven. Watch them glisten as you try your best not to go all Tasmanian Devil on them.

Serve immediately and watch them disappear faster than you can say ‘Sanjana, here’s your very own birthday tandoor.’

I can only dream.

How to make Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

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Vegetable and Paneer Tandoori Momos

These vegetable and paneer-filled dumplings are so delicious. Slather each one in Tandoori marinade and cook under intense heat for the heavenly charcoal smokiness we all know and love.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Nepali

Keyword dumplings, paneer, tandoori, vegetables

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 200 g plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 120 ml boiling water just enough to bind to a firm, smooth dough

For the filling:

• 25 g salted butter
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 hot red birds eye chillies chopped finely
• 60 g white cabbage finely shredded
• 2 carrots grated
• 30 g frozen peas
• 30 g green beans chopped finely
• 180 g paneer crumbled or grated
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 spring onions chopped finely
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns ground
• 1 tsp toasted fennel seeds ground
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tsp cold water

For the tandoori paste:

• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 8 black peppercorns
• 2 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 2 inches cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 star anise
• 4 cloves
• Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• You’ll also need:
• 1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp yoghurt
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp crushed garlic

Momos toppings:

• Fresh coriander chopped
• Plain yoghurt
• Sliced red onions

Instructions

• First, make the tandoori paste. Toast all the spices in a dry pan until aromatic. Grind them in a coffee grinder until super fine. Put half the ground spices in a jar and stow away for another day.
• With the remaining half of the masala, mix in the tomato puree, lemon juice, yoghurt, brown sugar, salt, ginger and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
• To make the filling, heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent but not browned. Add in ginger, garlic and chillies, cook for a moment and then add in the rest of the ingredients, apart from the cornflour.
• Once the veggies and paneer have cooked down, about 10 minutes, add the cornflour and mix vigorously. The mixture should bind together. Turn out onto a plate to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the dough. In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Little by little, add in the boiling water, mixing with a spoon. Once you’ve added in almost all the water, leave it for a few moments until cool enough to handle. Try to bind, checking if the rest of the water is required. Add more water if you need to. Bind to a smooth dough, kneading for around 8 minutes.
• Allow to rest, covered for 10 minutes.
• Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment.
• Take a grape-sized piece of dough and roll it out, 3 inches in diameter. A thin as you can. Take about 2 tsp cooled filling and place into the middle of the dough. Use your fingers to pull the dough together and pleat one side to the other, using your fingers to seal.
• There are lots of handy YouTube video around to help show you how to fold dumplings if you’re not sure. There are so many pays to do it and you don’t have to be a pro to make amazing ones. Just make sure the filling is totally sealed in. The shape is up to you.
• Repeat this process for all the dumplings. Put a movie on, make a cup of tea, enjoy the process.
• Once you have a tray or two of finished dumplings, you’re ready to cook.
• Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/430°F. Boil 150ml water in the kettle.
• Heat a large, flat bottomed pan (one that has a lid). Add 2 tsp oil. Arrange the dumplings in the pan – you may need to do this in batches. Allow for them to sizzle for a minute. Now very quickly and extremely carefully add hot water from the kettle to the pan – just a splash or two. Put the lid on and allow to steam for 3 minutes on a low heat.
• Remove the lid and place the momos back onto a baking tray. Brush them with the tandoori paste you made earlier.
• Place them in the oven for 10 minutes or until charred in places and looking delicious. You can brush them again with melted butter before you serve.
• Tumble onto a platter and garnish with chopped coriander, sliced red onion and plain yoghurt. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Cook the momos immediately before serving to prevent drying.
• To freeze: Arrange the momos on a baking tray. Freeze until solid. Remove from the tray and place in freezer-safe bags or a box. They will keep well for up to 6 months. Cook from frozen.

Pin it for later! Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

If you like these, you’ll love my recipe for Paneer Tikka

Love Sanjana

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