Cold winter evenings call for hot steamy dumplings and fresh vegetable soup. Dumplings aka momos are one of the most loved street snacks. They come in steamed, fried, and even grilled forms, served with spicy chutneys.
Dumplings are made of refined flour filled with vegetables or meat. However, they can add to one’s calorie count when trying to maintain weight.
Worry not as we have got a healthy version that you can gorge guilt-free: a spinach-whole wheat dumpling that makes for a wholesome snack.
“This recipe can also be given to children as an after-school snack or as an alternative when they are bored of the regular meals,” says Shraddha Bane, senior dietician at British Biologicals, Mumbai. It is a healthy option as it contains iron, sodium, potassium, and vitamin C.
Bane adds that substituting whole wheat flour with finger millet flour (ragi) can be beneficial for people with diabetes.
Cooking time – 45 minutes
Serves – 1-2
Quantity – 12 pieces
Difficulty level – medium
Ingredients
For the dough
- Whole wheat flour – one and a half cups
- Spinach puree (palak) – half cup
- Water
- Salt to taste
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup chopped capsicum
- ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup chopped carrot
- ½ cup chopped cabbage
- ¼ cup sweet corn kernels, boiled and crushed
- 1-inch grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon red chilli sauce
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 2-3 chopped tablespoon spring onion
Directions
For the dough
- Put the whole wheat flour in a bowl and add salt to taste. Add spinach puree and mix it well
- Now add water, making sure that the dough remains firm and not soft. Soft dough makes it difficult to create the shape
- Cover it with a muslin cloth and keep it aside for 10-20 minutes
For the filling
- Add grated ginger in a pan and sauté for 30 seconds
- Now add the chopped green capsicum, red bell pepper, carrot, cabbage, and spring onion. Add salt
- Sauté the vegetables for 4 minutes
- Add red chilli sauce, soy sauce and black pepper and crushed sweet corn kernels
- Mix everything well and turn off the flame
Making the dumplings
- Roll out the dough and cut into medium-circled disks using a small bowl or a round cutter
- Place a spoonful of the filling in a disc and pleat it into a dumpling shape
- Place the dumplings on a greased plate
- Steam it for 8-10 minutes until they look translucent and shiny. It should not be sticky
- Take it out and serve it with mayonnaise or chutney
Nutritional value per piece
Calorie: 107.57g
Carb: 12.17g
Fat: 5.65g
Protein: 2.422g
Fibre: 2.12g
Iron: 0.49mg
Sodium: 9.84mg
Potassium: 812.12mg
Nutritional values provided by in-house nutritionist Shohini Basu.
