Mumbai chefs share tips on how to fold momos effortlessly

Ice cube momos

Although John Keats propagated the thought, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" in the early 19th century, we believe his words - with mild alterations - are fitting in our daily sequences, too. For instance, an effective kitchen or food hack delights us forever and on.

Ranveer Brar

While some struggle to wrap a tamagoyaki and some lose sleep over an active sourdough starter, one group is constantly looking to perfect their momo parcels. Chef Ranveer Brar's recent video on batches of steaming hot momos made in an ice cube tray brought relief to the latter group.

An evenly flattened dough ball using an empanada press. Pics/Youtube

Round or half-moon, nurse cap or money bag - folding momos into a desired shape can be tricky. But since we want to know that secret to ‘endless joy', we ask chefs about their go-to tips and tricks.

Clamp them together
Josie Paris Renthlei, home chef, Josie's Kitchen

I prefer making ten-fold or half-moon momos, because they're quick to make. Over the years, I have learnt to make momos with bare fingers, but back home [in Mizoram], people use clamps. You put your filling of choice on the gap and clamp the edges together with the help of a clamping tool. When I started out, and was exploring shapes, I have used these tools; they do speed up the process when catering to a crowd. For those of us who fold momos on their palms, we place the flattened dough on our left hand and make the folds with our right hand. An easy trick for beginners is to place the dough on a rolling board and fold it in half.

Break even
Arnez Driver, head chef, Sante Spa Cuisine, BKC

Not in commercial kitchens, but when at home, I use an empanada press to shape momos in a jiffy. It takes after a roti-maker; you can make small balls of dough and even them out on the press. It is undoubtedly a more efficient way of getting one part of momo-making done. A circle cutter is widely used by beginners, but this method can lead to unnecessary wastage. I have a suggestion for soft fillings, though. If someone is using water chestnut in the filling, handling the mix can be difficult. For smooth fillings, you must ensure it doesn't trickle out. You can go ahead with a piping bag without its nozzle. The opening is appropriately big to put any silky smooth filling right at the centre.

Make it crisp
Keenan tham, MD, Pebble Street Hospitality

We predominantly serve gyozas and dumplings, not momos per se. But, there are some similarities between momos and gyozas. The base has to be exact for both. So, one should be mindful of certain factors while making dumplings; the temperature of the water that's being used, the right balance of starch [see if it's potato starch or rice flour starch], and so on. Stretching the dough and adding the right kind of texture is a skill and it takes time but being aware of a few steps can come in handy. The next food trend that is worth acing is the crisp skirt dumpling. In this trend, you play with a blend of potato and rice starch for a layer on top of dumplings and therefore, it comes off as a thin, dosa-like crispy film. I always add broth to make dumplings moist and juicy.