I can’t believe I haven’t posted the simple, glorious recipe for these little momos! Now, momo is maybe not the right word for what these are. There’s this really great Himalayan restaurant I love going to (Cafe Kathmandu on the Drive) and they have these delectable little dumplings called momos that you can order steamed or deep fried. They are just the best. Kaylie and I thought we’d give making them at home a go, and the worked pretty well.

We used wonton wrappers for these. I have heard that others have had a hard time finding egg-free wonton wrappers – I get mine at Superstore where the selection is large enough that you can find eggless ones. You might consider using rice wraps as well – that way they’re gluten free as well. To use the rice wraps, simply hydrate them for about twenty seconds in water. They are much bigger than wonton wrappers so maybe tear or cut them into pieces after they’re hydrated. If you over-hydrate them they will dissolve so be careful.

The vegetable/tofu mix can change according to your tastes. Feel free to play with it. Try diced carrots, bell peppers, or water chestnuts. We combined:

1/4 block firm tofu, crumbled
2 tbsp soya sauce, tamari, or Braggs
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
Sprinkle Chinese five-spice mix or coriander (use chopped fresh leaves if available)
3 stalks green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 – 1 cup mushrooms (measure before dicing – any type of mushroom you like)
1 tsp sesame oil or other oil

Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and toss in a pan on medium-heat for about five minutes. Let the mixture cool.

Now, to wrap your momos, place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wonton wrapper. Wet your fingers in a bowl of water and bring the corners of the wrapper up, then twist. Seal with more water.

These can be frozen and then steamed. Steam them until the wonton wrappers become translucent – about eight minutes from frozen.

Momo dipping sauce

Mix sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soya sauce together until they’re tasty. I’d say about one part sesame oil, 4 parts soya sauce, and 2 parts vinegar.

I had never made pierogies before and gracefully accepted the challenge of making them. If I might say so, they were a hit for brunch so here is the recipe. I hope you make to many so that you will have to freeze them and have a stockpile for when you desperately need some flavour in your face.

Here’s a basic pierogie dough recipe that I found off of the interwebs! Click on the link to see the proper making instructions with pictures!

2 C White Flour

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/4 C Soy Margarine

3 Tbsp Water

For the method, check http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=768 – they’ve got pictures! But just in case that site goes down, here are the steps:

To prepare the dough, sift together the flour and salt.

Cut in the margarine with a pastry blender or two knives. Add water and mix well. If more water is needed, add a tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a ball. You don’t want it to be too wet.

Dust a clean surface with flour, and knead dough for 10 minutes. Place in an oiled, covered bowl in refrigerator for half an hour.

Prepare your filling.

Remove dough from refrigerator; divide into thirds. Roll each section into a ball. On a lightly-floured surface, roll one ball of dough out until it’s about 1/8? thick.

With a round cookie cutter or a glass, cut into 2½-3? circles of dough. (Keep the scraps–you can roll them out again later.)

Place a walnut-sized amount of filling in the center of each circle. Using your fingers and a small bowl of water, dampen the edges of the dough and fold dough in half, enclosing the filling.

Pinch edges with your fingers or a fork to seal.

Here’s the filling that I constructed to go inside of my pierogies

6 small yukon gold potatoes (about 4 cups diced)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 green onion finely sliced into rings

1 tsp Paprika

1/4 C Daiya (white or yellow)

2 Tbs Soy Margarine

1/2 C Nutritional Yeast

- Dice and boil the potatoes until they are soft enough to mash.

- Mash the potatoes together with all of the rest of the ingredients.

- Add about 1 Tbsp of filling to each pierogie.

 

When your pierogies have been completely folded and assembled make sure to let them cool in the fridge or freezer. After about an hour of cooling you must steam each pierogie in a medium saucepan or steamer for approximately 3 minutes. After this step I choose to pan-fry them in very hot oil to get a crispy crust on the outside.

(laksa with vegweb’s creamy peanut kale, the recipe of the day that day!)

Mal and I wanted to come home and have a dish that was easy, but also beautiful in presentation. Not to mention we had most of the ingredients already in our fridge. Here is our rendition of a classic laksa that is simple and fast.

Stuff you need:

Laksa For two

1 Pkg Rice Noodles or Vermicelli
1 Stk Lemon Grass
3 Stks Green onion
5 cloves of garlic
3 cm of diced or grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp chili paste or sambal
a pinch of salt (preferably sea salt)  and pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp coriander seed
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 veggie broth cube or 2 cups veggie broth
1 1/2 Cup coconut milk

For garnish:

1 Tomato
6 shiitake mushrooms
1/2 Green bell Pepper
1/2 small zucchini
Fresh cilantro
sesame seeds
1 lime
(crystallized Ginger)

Put two stalks green onion, lemon grass (slice only until you hit the green of the stalk), ginger, garlic, red curry paste, sambal, salt and pepper, tumeric, coriander (both), curry powder and cumin in a food processor and chop until you get a consistent paste.

In a soup pot, add paste and approx 4 tablespoons of oil. Sauté until fragrant and golden brown.

Add 1 Veggie bouillon cube and 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add coconut milk and kaffir lime leaf. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

While the laksa is simmering there are things you need to do to prepare your garnish. Here’s the list:

1.) Soak 1 pkg of rice or vermicelli noodle in hot water for about 6 minutes or until soft enough to eat.

2.) Slice your shittake mushrooms and pan-fry in a skillet with some braggs or soy sauce.

3.) Cut your zucchini into spears and your bell pepper into strips, roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.

4.) MAke 2 lime wedges

5.) Wedge or dice your tomato

6.) Chop your cilantro

Finalize:

Place finished, drained rice noodles in 2 separate bowls. Ladle laksa on top almost covering the noodles. Neatly arrange all of your garnish on top of your noodles (see photo). Impress someone with this easy, beautiful dish.