My brief stay in Kolkata for my under graduation has me awfully drawn towards Bhutanese Tibetan and Nepalese food. From Tiretta Bazar near Lalbazar to Tibetan Delight in Elgin, I have grown this kind of weakness towards soulful, light and the bursting flavors of herbs. One rainy day at home, I was so bored and felt this urge of cooking something warm and hearty with whatever ingredients I had left in the fridge. Suddenly I remembered reading about the famous Tingmo of Blue Poppy Thakali, which is right opposite to my college in Park Street, and immediately started to crave some warm buns. So here is my little take on Tingmo with Chicken Shapta which is best paired with Ema Datshi (everything made from readily available stuff!), which serves two people.
TINGMO
INGREDIENTS
Maida (flour) 250g
Salt 5g
Sugar 10g
Instant Dry Yeast 3g
Warm Water 1 cup
Salted butter (melted)
Coriander leaves
PREPARATION
Mix all the dry ingredients first and slowly start pouring the warm water and kneading the dough.
Make sure that the dough is not too dry, it must be slightly sticky.
Once the kneading is done, set it aside in a bowl and cover it with a wet cloth.
Let it rest for 1 and a half hours for the yeast to rise.
Once the dough has risen, give it a one good knead and pour flour lightly on to a big surface.
Start rolling the entire do into one big rectangular piece.
Fold the rectangle three times along the length.
Now, cut the dough with a knife three times, in order to form 4 mini rectangles (this will give us 4 ting momo)
Cut each mini rectangle into 6 thin strips and stack three strips on the other three. This will give us in total 12 doubly stacked strips.
Take the first three double stacked strips, stretch them as much as you can, twist them and then swirl them around your fingers to form a flower shape.
Once all the strips are used, it will give you 4 swirled momo.
Now, steam the buns for 15 mins.
Once done, brush some salted butter and coriander leaves all over the buns and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds for flavor.
SHAPTA
EMA DATSHI
The specialty of Bhutanese food is that everything is cooked in high flame. So, you must keep in mind to work as fast as you can. Serve all the dishes hot, however Ema Datshi can be served warm. My suggestion would be to serve this platter with a warm cup of lemon tea. This was my attempted at simplifying the recipe with items easily available anywhere and I tried my best to maximize the authentic experience. If you do try this recipe, do let me know how you liked it! Or if you have any suggestions, you are more than welcome. Happy cooking!
Was intricately done. Enjoyed it .Longing for more.