A Thaipo appears to be a much larger version of the momo, usually stuffed with spiced meats and a boiled egg, sometimes halved. I’ve seen it made with both regular dough as well as leavened dough. The ones with leavened dough are similar to Chinese stuffed baos.
If you want to see the hot, freshly made Thaipo getting sliced in two, click here to see the video on Instagram.
I tend to use the same proportions and method for any recipe requiring leavened dough, unless I’m in a hurry.
Ingredients:
- For the wrapper
- All purpose flour / Maida, 3 cups
- Instant yeast, 2 tbsp
- Salt, 1 tsp
- Water, 1.5 cups
- For the stuffing
- Eggs, 6 – 7, boiled and shelled
- Pork, 400gm, finely diced
- Mushrooms, 1 pack / 250gm, finely chopped
- Garlic, 20 cloves (small), finely chopped
- Spring onion, whites, 10 medium
- Green chilies, 10, finely chopped
- Red chili powder, 1.5 tbsp
- Degi mirch powder, 1.5 tbsp (for colour)
- White vinegar
- Salt to taste
- Fish sauce, 1 tbsp
- Light soy sauce, 1 tbsp
- Oil for pan frying
Method:
- Combine the dry ingredients together, then add the water; mix with a spatula. No need to knead. Leave overnight or 8 – 10 hours, covered. Knock it back and knead a little to get it into shape for rolling just before use. Use wet fingers.
- Marinate the pork in the fish and soy sauce for an hour or so.
- Heat oil in a pan, add garlic. When it begins browning, add the onions, chili powders and green chilies. When the onions begin releasing back the oil, add the pork. Stirring every so often, cook the pork on high heat for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cook until the mixture is dry. Adjust seasoning. Let cool.
- Using a little extra flour, separate the dough into 6 – 7 pieces. Roll them out into circles of 6″ diameters.
- Put about 2 tbsp of filling plus an egg into each one; fold like a momo / dumpling as per your skill level and let them stand for a while, covered, to rise for a bit, say 15 minutes. Steam for 20 minutes.
- Serve with chili-garlic chutney or mutton/vegetable broth.
Notes
- I used pork shoulder; about 15-20% fat.
- You can stuff with anything you want, including vegetarian fillings. Just make sure the filling is dry, or your Thaipos could end up with soggy bottoms.
- Look up dumpling folding videos if you want to fold them properly; otherwise just make them into a little ‘bag’, pinching off excess dough at the top. They’ll taste just as good. As you can see, I’m a beginner at folding too.
- Great for chilly winter morning breakfasts with hot mutton broth. That’s how I first ate them many years ago in a tiny Tibetan shop, early one winter morning in McLeodganj.
- You can use the same dough to make tingmos.
