Darjeeling (Tibetan / Nepali-Style) Vegetable Momo

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1. 1Step 1: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the red onion and green chilis and sauté another 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrot, salt and peppercorns. Continue cooking until the vegetables have softened and reduced in volume, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside until ready to use or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator overnight for filling momos the next day.
2. 2Step 2: Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together. Add 1 cup of the water, mix, then add the remaining water, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix until the dough comes together into a ball. Transfer onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth but somewhat firm. Clean the bowl and return the dough. Set aside to rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, for at least 30 minutes but ideally 3-4 hours.
3. 3Step 3: Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with flour. Place one sheet on the edge of your workstation and the other in the freezer. On the opposite corner of your workstation, lay out a damp kitchen towel and your bowl of filling. Lightly flour the center of your workstation and set out: a rolling pin, measuring spoons, a regular spoon and a small bowl or ramekin filled with water.
4. 4Step 4: Divide the dough into 4 even pieces. Working one piece at a time, use the palms of your hands to roll the dough into a log about 1” around. Cut the log into equally sized pieces about 1” wide. Each quarter of the dough should make about 10 wrappers. Turn each piece onto its cut side and use the palm of your hand to flatten into a disk. Transfer each disk underneath a damp kitchen towel at the edge of your workspace as you go.
5. 5Step 5: Using a small wooden rolling pin, roll each flattened disk of dough to about a 3” round (see above for rolling technique), returning each round underneath the damp towel as you work. Then, take each round, starting with the first one you rolled, and roll again into a 3 ½-4” round. Aim to have the wrapper thicker in the middle and thinner on the edges.
6. 6Step 6: Working one at a time, place each dough round into the palm of your non-dominant hand. With your dominant hand, wet the edges of the wrapper and add about 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of the filling to the center, use a spoon to press the filling down into a neat dome. Fold the momo into your desired shape and transfer onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. When you have finished shaping all the rounds from each quarter of dough, transfer the shaped momos from the cookie sheet on your workspace to the cookie sheet in your freezer and start again with the next quarter of the dough.
7. 7Step 7: Momos can be cooked from either fresh or frozen. Set a saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add just enough oil to coat the bottom in a thin layer. When a drop of water splashed into the oil causes it to sputter, add the momos to the pan, leaving a bit of space between for them to expand. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown, then add about ½ - ⅔ cup of hot water, depending on the size of your pan. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Steam for 5-7 minutes if working with fresh momos, 15-20 minutes if the momos are frozen. Remove the lid and continue cooking until any remaining water evaporates.
8. 8Step 8: Remove the momos from the pan and serve them immediately. To maintain the crunchy texture of the fried bottoms, make sure to plate the momos with the fried side up, and either sit them on top of the momo sauce, or serve the momo sauce on the side.