You know what, some dishes are born to steal your heart. Jhol momo aka spicy momo soup is certainly one of them. It is a Nepalese dish which you may find in every lane and by-lanes of Nepal. The term jhol means liquid gravy, which you may consider as soup. The heart of the dish is Triphal and Lapsi (powdered hog plum) which are quite tough to find. I added lemon juice instead of Lapsi. The taste received a great impact for that. But what to do? Not everyone has access to the local ingredients. A substitute is needed. In this blog, I have shared the recipe for Jhol (the soup) you must serve with your regular momo.
Let’s see how you too can make the Jhol Momo in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
White soybean – 2 Tablespoons
White sesame seeds – 2 Tablespoons
Peanut – ¼ Cup
Tomatoes – 3 Nos. (roughly chopped)
Onion – 1 No. (sliced)
Ginger – 3 inches (roughly cut)
Garlic cloves – 12 Nos. (whole)
Coriander stems – A few
Coriander leaves – A few (chopped)
Green chilies – 3 Nos.
Red chilies – 2 Nos.
Triphal – 10 Nos. (a type of Sichuan pepper)
Cumin seeds – 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ¼ Teaspoon
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon (substitute for powdered hog plum)
Oil – 2 Tablespoons
Salt – To taste
Sugar – A pinch
Procedure:
The flavor preparation:
Take a pan and heat it on the medium to low flame.
Add the white soybeans and dry roast it until the skin cracks.
Now add the white sesame seeds.
Roast these until the sesame seeds start crackling. Keep the flame low.
Transfer it to a bowl.
Now in the same hot pan dry roast the peanuts.
Once it is done transfer it too to the same soybean-sesame bowl.
Bring them to room temperature.
Prepare the masala:
Take a separate pan.
Heat oil.
Add cumin seeds, triphal peels (not seeds), garlic, ginger, green chilies, and red chilies.
Cook this all for around one minute.
Now add the onion slices and cook it until it becomes soft. Put the flame on high in this stage.
Now lower the flame and add turmeric powder.
Stir well and cook it for some seconds.
Now add the tomatoes, coriander stems, and salt.
Bring the flame on high.
Stir and cook for 5 minutes on high flame.
Once the tomatoes start softening, add hot water.
Stir well.
Bring the flame to low.
Lid it and cook for around 10 to 12 minutes.
Once all the ingredients are cooked well, turn off the flame and bring it to room temperature.
Blend:
Take a blender.
Add the tomato mixture followed by the soybean-sesame-peanut mix.
Add a few coriander leaves.
Add some water if needed.
Now blend.
(you may blend the tomato mix and the dry roasted seed mix separately and then combine them. I preferred blending it together)
Make a fine puree.
Cooking Jhol:
Now take a different pan.
Pour the pureed mix into it.
It must be thick at this stage.
Add water to give it a running liquid consistency.
Add coriander leaves and lemon juice.
Adjust the salt.
Mix them well.
Now turn on the flame.
Add a pinch of sugar. This is to balance the taste, not to add any sweetness.
Give it a boil.
Adjust the salt again if required.
Your jhol is ready.
Place the regular steamed momos on a serving plate.
Pour the jhol (the soup) on top of it.
Serve.
Conclusion:
Add the jhol to your regular momo and serve as jhol momo. I assure you the taste you will receive is out of the world. Make jhol momo in your own kitchen and let me know how it came out.
Enjoy!
Read other Recipes here.