The best momos at Nepali Momo Kitchen, ranked

Dumplings are usually the first act of a meal. But at the new Nepali Momo Kitchen, dumplings are the main event from start to finish, a tribute to the momo culture from chef-owner Bharat Bist’s Himalayan homeland, where you can eat these bundles of stuffed dough in a dizzying variety of flavorful preparations, including dessert.

“In Kathmandu, everybody eats momos twice a day,” says Bharat, 34, who opened this tidy corner space in October in the Spring Garden neighborhood as a dumpling-focused follow-up to Mount Masala, the more expansive Nepalese kitchen in Voorhees owned by his wife, Gigi Giri, that I reviewed enthusiastically in September. Despite having 28 seats, this fast-paced kitchen has been serving up to 600 momos a day.

There are five kinds of stuffings to choose from, and some are more exciting than others. The chicken and goat fillings seasoned with house-blended spices imported from Nepal were my favorites, with the vegetable variety close behind (its softer center best showcased when dumplings are fried). The cheese filling (mostly melted out) and shrimp variet (an odd half-ground texture) remain works in progress. But the overall appeal of these momos is really defined by how they’re finished, with at least seven varieties of sauces and preparations that showcase the range of the Nepali kitchen, from spicy-sweet Himalayan chilly sauce to the gingery bite of Choya. There’s also a dessert momo filled with sweet potatoes, chocolate and honey. In all, there are nearly 40 different combinations. But these were my top six favorites, ranked in order.

6. Choyal Momo: I love the choyal because it is the most unapologetically Nepalese sauce here, a vivid yellow puree of fresh ginger, garlic and coriander that takes on extra bite from mustard oil. It can be too bold for first-timers, but sits well in a group of momos with other sweeter, richer sauce profiles to balance it out.

5. Jimboo le Janeko: If you want momos with drama, you want them Jimboo-style, where they arrive on a sizzle platter bubbling and steaming in a well-spiced sweet and sour tomato sauce scattered with crunchy Nepalese noodles on top.

4. Goat Tikka Momo: Bist doesn’t have access to water buffalo, a common meat for Nepali momo. But he does have access to another red meat: goat, a wonderfully flavorful stuffing I could eat inside all my dumplings. It’s a notch earthier than lamb, mixed with buttery onions to enrich the cuminy masala spice of turmeric, cloves and chilies, and is especially flavorful in richer sauces. None is more luxurious here than the tikka sauce, a well-spiced tomato sauce that is both creamed and thickened with almonds and cashews.

3. Tandoori Chicken Momo: The vivid red color comes from the paprika and chilies in the complex spice blend that glazes these dumplings, which are traditionally wood-grilled or roasted in the tandoor in Nepal. Bist’s space is limited, so he cooks these in a cast iron grill pan, which lends them a toasty crisp that’s distinct from a deeper fryer and also accentuates other aromatic spices, like cumin and coriander, that make the tandoori dumplings unique.

2. Jhol Goat Momo: Dumplings, but in a soup! The broth for Jhol is lightly thickened with ground peanuts and boosted with masala curry spice, fresh cilantro, garlic, fenugreek and Timur peppercorns, a citrusy cousin to the Szechuan variety. Any dumplings will taste good in this bowl, but I especially love the deeper flavor of the momos filled with ground goat.

1. Himalayan Chilly Chicken Momo: This is the restaurant’s signature sauce for a reason:It shows the dynamic power of Nepali seasoning. Its tomato base is amped with bold heat from ghost chilies and garlic, plus a numbing whiff of Szechuan peppercorns. It takes a tangy left turn with vinegar then comes full circle with a kiss of honey, which may not be traditional, but adds a sweet finish Bist knows, correctly, that his largely American audience will love.

Nepali Momo Kitchen, 532 N. 15th St., 445-223-4030; nepalimomokitchenmenu.com