Momos

Being stuck at home did not prevent me from taking my tastebuds on a culinary journey to the faraway lands of Nepal, Tibet or Northern India where these steamed dumplings come from.Typically they are eaten with hands, often as street food, dipped in a spicy chili chutney.

You'll need:
round wrappers
pork mince
spring onion
red onion, finely chopped
fresh cilantro
garam masala
chili powder
turmeric
garlic, finely chopped
ginger, finely chopped
salt
For the chutney:
dried red chili(s)
1 tomato
garlic paste
rice vinegar
a pinch of sugar

1. Mix the ingredients for the filling all together. Make the dumplings by putting a tea spoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper, wetting with water the edges of the wrapper and then closing it like a little pouch. You hold the dumpling in your hand and with the support of your thumb close the pouch by adding more and more of the wrapper with your index finger going round.

2. Prepare the chutney, by putting the tomato and the dried chilis in boling water for a few minutes. Remove from the water, deskin the tomato, and blend together with the chillies and some garlic paste. Add rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar and some water if need be.

3. Boil some water in a pot and steam the momos in a bamboo basket over the boiling water. To prevent sticking, put some cooking paper in first. Your momos should be ready withing 3-4 minutes.

Buon appetito!

Brunch alla messicana

I took this spicy idea for lunch from la Cucina Italiana magazine and adapted it so that it can be served as a dish for one and be a bit less hefty than the original one. I wanted the potato pancake on which the egg rests to be a bit softer than in my standard recipe for potato pancakes.

You'll need:

One medium potato

1/2 a shallot

one clove of garlic

1 egg

a spoonfull of sour cream

a few slices of avocado

fresh coriander

lime juice

sriracha sauce 

hot smoked paprika 

chili flakes

salt

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and add them to a bowl. Peel the potato and gratehalf of it using a cheese grater and half of it on a finer grater. Add it to the bowl. Sprinkle some hot smoked paprika and salt over it and mix it all together. 

2. Break the egg and pour it into a small container being careful not to break the yolk. Transfer a tiny bit of the white into the potato mix so that it sticks better.

3. Transfer the contents of the bowl into a hot pan with some oil on it and spread to form a thin pancake. Fry on one side and turn (it will be ready to turn once it starts turning golden on the edges).

4. Pour the egg over the pancake, sprinkle some chili flakes on top, put the lid on the pan and fry for around 2 minutes depending on pan's temperature.

5. Delicately transfer the contents of the pan into a plate and garnish with a spoonful of sour cream, sriracha, fresh coriander and avocado slices previously covered in lime juice, et voila! 

Buon appetito!