What we’ve been loving in March…
In the spirit of marching on this month, we’ve settled into the New Year with the determination to grow as a team and try new things. One of the delicious things we’ve tried in the office are Momos! And what are they you ask? Momos are irresistibly tasty Nepalese dumplings, packed with incredible flavour and spices that we just can’t get enough of. Luckily for us, Ramesh’s wife made a whole bunch for us to feast upon and she’s even been kind enough to share the recipe with us!
Nepali Momo Recipe
Ingredients:
Dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon oil
Water (as needed)
Pinch of salt
Filling
1 kilogram of lean ground meat (half lamb/chicken and half pork)
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1 cup tomato, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder, or momo masala
3 fresh red chilies, minced (or to taste)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
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For the dough, combine flour, oil, salt and water in a large bowl. Mix well and knead the dough until even, which takes about 8-10 minutes. Let it stand for at least 30 minutes. Give it another good knead before making the wrappers.
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For the filling, combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour for all the great flavours to soak in.
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Now time to assemble! Knead the dough one last time and roll them into 1 inch balls. It helps to sprinkle flour over your surface. Then flatten the balls in your palms into a 2 inch circle.
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Make a few semi-flattened circles and cover with a bowl. Grab a rolling pin and roll out the circles into a wrapper. Keep the centre of the wrapper a bit thicker than the edges to help when steaming.
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With one hand, hold the edges of the dough and with the the other, start to roll and swirl the dough out. Keep going until you get to 3 inches in diameter. Repeat with the rest of the dough circles. Cover the bowl so they don’t get dry.
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Now the fun part! Keep a wrapper in your pal and put one tablespoon of filling into the middle, then bring all the edges into the middle, making little creases. Pinch and twist to make sure the dumpling is fully closed.
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Start to heat up a steamer and oil the rack well to stop any sticking. Steam the dumplings for about 10 minutes.
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Serve hot and with a heaping side of hot tomato achar or other chutneys of choice.
What Akhilesh loves this month…
I’m a big fan of rap music and I recently had the chance to see Eminem perform in concert. I arrived at the gates around 4pm on the day, only to see the lines backed up as far as the eye could see. The hours passed as we waited for Eminem to arrive, and finally, the lights blacked out and he entered to a deafening roar. The excitement reminded me of being in a theatre in India, where before the main character was introduced, the crowd went wild.
As each song was played, it was clear that he [Eminem] was still as enthusiastic as someone half his age. He managed to play all of his hits, and while he was busy rhyming and rapping away, I noticed that the 10000 plus strong crowd were all singing along with him. A highlight for me was the performance of the track Rap God. After the adrenaline fueled fast section of the song was finished, a silence came over the crowd as we all listened intently to the music. When it was over, a loud cheer filled the room, which reminded me of the time John Aloisi scored the penalty for Australia to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
It was a memorable night, being able to enjoy one of the most important figures in modern hip hop do what he does best, entertain.
What Tamar is loving this month…
Being so close to the beach, it’s always good to get active and try new things. Romy and I have been heading down to Maroubra for Mums and Bubs Surfing. It’s a great way to meet new people, keep fit and have fun! I also get to meet other Mums along the way and get out in the sunshine. Romy loves splashing in the water and it’s a great bonding experience for both of us. Even though it’s only early days, we may just have a little pro-surfer on our hands here.
