6 Steps to Perfect Momos Dough at Home

Tip 250g of all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt into a wide bowl and whisk them together so the salt is evenly spread. Drizzle in 1 teaspoon of neutral oil and rub it through the flour with your fingertips for about 30 seconds until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. The oil coats the flour and keeps the finished wrappers tender and easy to roll thin.

Warm 125ml of water until it feels comfortably warm on your wrist, around 40C (104F), never hot enough to steam. Pour it in a little at a time while mixing with your other hand or a spatula, stopping as soon as the flour comes together into a shaggy mass. Add water only a teaspoon at a time at the end, because the dough should feel firm and slightly stiff rather than wet or sticky at this stage.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead firmly for 8 to 10 minutes, pushing it away with the heel of your hand and folding it back over itself. It will start out rough and gradually turn smooth, elastic and slightly shiny; when you press a finger in, the dent should spring back slowly. If it stays sticky, dust in a little flour; if it cracks, wet your hands and knead the moisture in.

Shape the dough into a ball, rub a thin film of oil over the surface, and place it back in the bowl. Cover with a damp cloth or cling film and let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour for the softest, most pliable wrappers. This resting time relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back or tearing; skipping it is the number one cause of tough, chewy momos.

Knead the rested dough for 30 seconds, then divide it into small pieces of roughly 10g each, or roll it into a long log and cut equal portions. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the rest covered, dust with a little flour or cornflour and roll each into a 3 to 4 inch (8 to 10cm) circle. Roll the edges thinner than the center so the pleated top does not become doughy, aiming for wrappers thin enough to look slightly translucent, about 1/16 inch (1.5mm) thick.

Place about 1 tablespoon of your chosen filling in the center of each wrapper, dab the edge with a little water, then pinch and fold pleats around the top to seal it into a purse or half-moon. Line an oiled steamer with parchment or cabbage leaves, arrange the momos with a finger-gap between them, and steam over rapidly boiling water for 10 to 12 minutes until the wrappers turn glossy and translucent. Rest the momos for 5 minutes before serving so the wrappers firm up and peel cleanly off the liner.