Mung Dal and Spinach Momo

Method

1. Rinse the mung dal until the water stops clouding, then simmer it in three times its volume of water until the grains collapse and the mixture is thick enough to hold a furrow, about 22 minutes.
2. While the dal cooks, work the atta with warm water a spoonful at a time until it comes together into a stiff dough, then cover it and leave it to relax for twenty minutes — unrested atta springs back and will not roll thin.
3. Warm the oil in a pan, drop in the cumin and let it crackle for a few seconds, then add the grated ginger and the sliced chilli. Stir in the turmeric and the spinach and cook until the leaves collapse and the water they release has gone.
4. Fold the cooked dal through the spinach with the chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon, then spread it out to cool — a hot filling steams the dough soft and tears it as you pleat.
5. Roll the dough into small rounds, thinner at the rim than the centre. Sit a spoon of filling on each and pleat the edge up and around into a closed purse.
6. Set them in an oiled steamer basket with a gap between each and steam over a rolling boil for ten minutes, until the wrappers turn glossy and stop looking floury.
7. Lift them straight onto the plate — left in the basket they sweat and the bases go slack.