Where to Find Real Momos in Charlotte, NC

Curry Gate serves momos made fresh daily at three Charlotte locations: Graham Street near NoDa, South Blvd, and Uptown inside Monarch Market Several smaller Nepali kitchens around east Charlotte serve them too.

Momos are Nepali dumplings, a thin wheat wrapper folded around spiced minced meat or vegetables, steamed, and eaten by hand with a tomato-and-sesame sauce called achar.

Fresh momos have a wrapper that's slightly thicker in the middle, uneven hand-made pleats, and a filling that releases juice when you bite it. Frozen ones tend to have a slack, slightly gluey wrapper that tears easily and a drier filling.

The dumpling itself usually isn't. The heat comes from the achar, so you decide how much you use. Chilli momo and jhol momo are spicier because the sauce is part of the dish.

Jhol momos is steamed momos served in a thin, warm tomato-and-sesame broth rather than with sauce on the side. It has to be made in-house, so it's a good sign when a restaurant offers it.

Yes. Vegetable and paneer momos are widely available. Vegans should ask about egg in the wrapper dough and yogurt in the sauce, since some recipes include them.