The Tandoori Momo Stars at Indian-Nepali Kitchen


In July I was in "The Paris of North America" experiencing a whole lot of awe and wonder. Yes, Montreal truly captures the charm of European cities with its French influence, and the views from Mount Royal are stunning. But what kept turning my head over and over was the number of international strip mall food options in every neighborhood we drove through. 

Our last night involved a small Nepalese 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, back in Seattle a week later, three people told me about Indian-Nepali Kitchen--and 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 guess what...they have momos. Tandoori 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. 

Here's my 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.

Today's Homework:

Try one of the above plans and report back, or create your own and report back!


They've moved! They are now in the space formerly occupied by Indo Cafe: 

Indian-Nepali Kitchen
13754 Aurora Ave N
Suite D
Seattle, WA 98133
(206) 397-3211



Open every day from 10 am to 10 pm

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