Tandoori Momos at Indian-Nepali Kitchen


In July I was in "The Paris of North America" experiencing a whole lot of food envy. Yes, Montreal truly captures the charm of European cities with its French influence, and the views from Mount Royal are stunning. But what really turned my head over and over was the number of strip mall food options in every neighborhood we drove through. One row offered Malaysian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Chinese -- all in one strip. What heaven looks like. 

Our last night there involved a Nepalese strip mall restaurant where the selection of momos triggered me. "Why can't Seattle have tandoori momos?" I whined, because I can get really burdened with food envy. 

Well, the most amazing thing happened the next week when I returned home. Three people -- people who don't know each other -- told me about an Indian-Nepali place on Hwy 99. One of them isn't even a foodie. All three mentioned it being a very unlikely place, a place you might drive right past because the sign and the name of the restaurant are both very unassuming, and so good that it probably wouldn't last long in its current location (on a very rough stretch of the highway, next to the Crown Hotel). 

And guess what...they have momos. Tandoori momos. 



I live for tips and synchronicities like this. 

But before we dive into all things momo and beyond, a general pronouncement on Indian-Nepali Kitchen: it doesn't get much better than this. I've eaten a lot of Indian food. I have mango powder, mustard seeds, cardamom, fenugreek, and Kashmiri chili powder in my spice cupboard, and I have followed enough Indian recipes to understand that order is important when it comes to the chemistry of frying these spices. I have used a mortar and pestle to make my own garlic ginger pastes. So take note when I say that after two visits here, it's going to be difficult to think of any other restaurant when I'm craving Indian food because of the soulful depths of flavor coming out of this kitchen.

Okay, back to the momos. Dumplings that win the "best name" award, momos are found in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and parts of India. They are made from wheat dough, stuffed, and the traditional ones are steamed and served with a curry dipping sauce. 

Here are Indian-Nepali Kitchen's perfectly steamed chicken momos, 10 for $12.99:


Their momo game is big. In addition to steamed, you can get them pan fried, marinated in Himalayan herbs, cooked in butter masala, tikka masala or chili sauce, filled with creamy chicken, or in soup. Momos for days.

But the real momo stars are the tandoori ones. Here's the menu description: "Chicken momo tandoori is a fusion delight, blending Nepali momos with Indian tandoori cooking. Marinated in yogurt and spices, skewered and cooked in a tandoori oven, they offer a smoky, flavorful experience."

Smoky, spicy, chewy, crispy. They are worth the 25-minute wait to cook in the tandoori oven, and a steal at the highest momo price of $19.99 for 12. 

Because this menu is vast and interesting and a bit overwhelming, today's homework is a group project aimed at building confidence with it by coming up with a number of suggested "Eating Plans." Here are three examples of what your assignment(s) might look like:

Plan #1: Momo Fun for Three

Grab two of your dumpling-loving friends (you have them, right?) so you can 1) share the combo momo plate, which comes with three of each of the following: steamed, fried, chilli, and sadheko (marinated Nepali chicken), for a total of 12 ($15.99). Get a full order of tandoori momos (of course), then decide on a wild card momo plate (or bowl of soup) from there.

This may sound like too many momos. It's not. 

Plan #2: Samosa Chaat for One ($7.95)

I mean, sure, you can take others with you, but just remember...boundaries. Because you're not sharing. Vegetarian samosas sit in a chickpea curry sauce topped with sweet yogurt, mint chutney, tamarind sauce, and sev (little crunchy noodles). Savory, sweet, sour, salty and crunchy, this dish hits every part of your tastebuds--which, I believe, is the most satisfying kind of eating experience for a human being. You could try making this at home if you want (there's a great chaat recipe in the Indian cookbook Dishoom), or you could hope it shows up at a booth at the Edmonds Winter Market again this year. But I suggest you just treat yourself to Indian-Nepali Kitchen's version of it, because it's unmatched (and very hard to capture in a photograph):

Plan #3: Tasting Menu for Four

Appetizer: 
Samosa Chaat (you're allowed to share on this plan)
Bread:
Garlic Basil Naan ($4.95)
Side:
Raita (homemade, spiced yogurt that you'll eat with everything below, $2.50)
Two Indian dishes:
1) Paneer Mango Curry ($15.95), a dish of pure, delicious joy.
2) Biryani Lamb (basmati rice cooked with onions, tomatoes, cashews, almonds and tender lamb pieces, $21.50).
Two Nepalese dishes:
1) Sekuwa Chicken (cubed and marinated chunks perfectly baked in a tandoori oven, with a spicy puffed rice/pea/tomato mix, $17.99, pictured below). We ordered two stars, which was pretty spicy. I might go with one star next time.
2) Aloo Rayo Ko Saag (potatoes and mustard greens, $14.50), a dish that made my Nepal-traveling friend and dinner companion nostalgic for Nepal. "That is what Nepal tastes like," she said dreamily. And it's really not possible to cook mustard greens any better than this:













Dessert-ish:
Add a mango lassi ($4.50) to any of the above because of its smoothness and fragrant mango flavor -- the best I've ever tasted. 

What else? Well, the vegetarian/vegan selection here is huge; they even have "(vegan)" next to vegan menu items, which is thoughtful. Bollywood movies play in the middle of three overhead TV screens. The tables are enormously square. The service is gracious; our waiter approached our table each time with a smiling, deferential head bow, and he showed true joy when we expressed appreciation for the food of his homeland. 

Yes, the restaurant is on a very sad strip of the highway. It's hard to witness the effects of the exploitation taking place here, especially when you feel helpless to do anything about it. But, as my friend pointed out, it's here whether or not we witness it. Reading the following Seattle Times article (August 1, 2024) explaining some current proposals aimed at addressing this issue--and protecting the victims involved--helped me a little, so I'll share it here:


Today's Homework, either:

a. Try one of the above plans and report back, or 

b. Create "Eating Plan #4-5-6 or 7" and leave it in the comments.*

*(You have to create a Google account to comment, but that's not hard!)

Indian-Nepali Kitchen
9525 Aurora Ave. N #3218
Seattle, WA 98103
206-397-3211



Open every day from 10 am to 10 pm

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