Drive North Belt Line Road in Irving and you can count the momo signs from a stoplight. MoMo Express, MoMo Spot, Himalayan Aroma and Cafemandu all sit within about a mile of each other, and that’s before you get to the strip centers in Euless and Bedford.
The momo is Nepal’s dumpling. In Kathmandu it plays the part a taco plays in Dallas, sold from street stalls, ordered after work and eaten standing up.
The momo came to Nepal from Tibet, carried over the mountains by Newar merchants who traded in Lhasa. The Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley made it their own, and from there it spread across Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Darjeeling. Every family that makes them has opinions about the fold.
The dough is plain flour and water, rolled thin. The filling is usually ground chicken, pork, goat or water buffalo, known on Nepali menus as buff, mixed with onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro and spices. Vegetable versions use cabbage, potato, paneer or soy. The edges get pleated by hand into a little purse or a crescent, and then the momo is steamed.
The sauce matters as much as the dumpling. Momo almost always comes with achar, a dipping sauce usually built from roasted tomatoes, sesame and chilies. Many kitchens add timur, a Himalayan relative of Sichuan peppercorn that leaves a light, citrusy tingle on the lips.
Once you know the basic momo, the menu opens up.
Steamed momo is the original, served in a tray with achar on the side. Start here.
Kothey momo is steamed and then pan-fried on one side, so the bottom is crisp and the top stays soft. It’s the same idea as a potsticker.
Jhol momo sits in a bowl of thin, spiced broth, usually tomato-based and fragrant with sesame and timur. In the winter this is the one Nepali families reach for, and it’s the best order on a cold night.
Chili momo, often written C-momo, gets tossed in a hot, glossy sauce with onions and peppers. It’s a Nepali-Chinese street food creation and the version that wins over people who like heat.
Plenty of DFW kitchens go further with tandoori momo, butter chicken momo and even sweet dessert momo, which tells you how far the dumpling has traveled from Lhasa.
Here’s where to try them.
Cafemandu – Flavors of Nepal is the momo specialist of the Belt Line cluster and the easiest place to start if you’ve never had one. The menu is built around the dumpling, with jhol momo, C-momo and the very spicy Jyanmara momo alongside the steamed version. It’s at 3711 N. Belt Line Road in Irving and stays open late, until midnight early in the week and 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. 469-647-5067.
Everest Momo in Euless is a small counter spot near DFW Airport. It makes momo in several styles alongside chowmein and fried rice. It’s at 699 E. Harwood Road, Suite 100, and is open daily from noon to 10 p.m. 817-554-2001.
Momo Circle is a small momo shop in an older Bedford shopping center, a few minutes west of Everest Momo. It’s at 209 Bedford Road, Suite 120. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed Monday. 682-461-6789.
Himalayan Corner is the pick for the Dallas side of the Metroplex. The Richardson restaurant serves Nepali and Indian dishes, so a table can split a plate of momo and still order curry. It’s at 4251 E. Renner Road, Suite 106, and is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It’s closed Monday. 214-258-6138.
Wherever you go, order a plate of steamed momo first, then a bowl of jhol.
