Tibetan momos

With today’s recipe we are travelling halfway around the world to the heart of Asia, to try a specialty that will certainly not leave you unmoved. Momos are a Tibetan dish, in origin quite similar to Italian ravioli. They are the national dish of Tibet, and if you ever have a chance to make a trip to this evocative and beautiful land, you should definitely not pass up the opportunity to try them in their homeland. Meanwhile, if you’re looking forward to making something a little different at home, and can’t wait to travel to Tibet, we will show you how to make the best-known version with a filling of cauliflower and other vegetables, combining them with a tasty and slightly spicy tomato sauce. They are cooked, not in boiling water as normal for Italian cookery, but by steaming. Try them!

Make a dough with flour and water and form into a tube about 4cm wide. Dice all the vegetables and boil them in salted water. Crumble up the tofu with your hands. Chop the red pepper, onion, garlic and grated ginger. Fry the garlic, onion, ginger and chilli in a wok with melted butter, then add the tofu and sprinkle with soy sauce. Prepare the kopan masala, grinding in a mortar the following spices: black pepper, cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Add the veg to the wok and season with a teaspoon of the kopan masala, then add a dash of vinegar and reduce. Add the diced, boiled potatoes. Prepare the momo sauce by frying the ginger, red pepper, onion and garlic. Add the tomato passata, salt and season with plenty of sugar and cook for 30 minutes. Prepare the momos by rolling out the individual pieces of dough to form little circles. Place a pastry circle in the palm of your hand and fill with the spicy veg mixture. Turn over the pastry to form a half-moon pasty shape, using a particular movement of your hand to form the characteristic ripples. Steam the momos. Serve with the tomato sauce.