Tashi delek. A Tibetan expression that means many things like “Welcome” or “Good Luck,” might now become synonymous with “pass the dumplings.” Momo, the popular Asian dumpling from the streets of Nepal and Tibet, has many diners, especially in Beacon, more than happy to wait for yet another bite-sized cloud of doughy deliciousness. In a region already so rich with foods from around the globe, Momo Valley, will satisfy more than the craving for tasty dumplings since its menu is loaded with many signature snacks, soups, platters, and drinks found in Himalayan cuisine.
The restaurant’s entrance to the Hudson Valley culinary scene did not happen overnight. Originally from Nepal, the Lama family’s restaurant experience actually stems from the base of Mt. Everest. “My parents were in the hospitality industry at a very early age,” says Jyoti Lama, daughter and point person for Momo Valley. “They followed their family business which is a lodge with a restaurant in Namche Bazaar, considered the gateway to Mt. Everest.” She continues, “Thawa Lodge [the business] still exists today. Interestingly, [because of the tourists] the food is mostly American and European with lots of baked eats, including apple pie.”
From Nepal, the Lama family moved to Queens in the early `90's then to the Hudson Valley several years ago. They made their way at food stands and fairs all over the city before really finding the enthusiastic welcome they were looking for in Beacon in 2018. More recently they set up pop-ups at the kitchen in Hudson Valley Brewery, then just a few blocks from their new restaurant, at the Hudson Valley Food Hall where they were regularly greeted with long lines.
“In Nepal, the majority of adolescents are taught to cook and help in the kitchen for the family meals,” Jyoti says. For the restaurant, the dynamic is still the same. “My parents are the executive chefs and I am their sous chef, and, especially when momo is on the menu,” she continues, “it becomes a family affair.”
When the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, for example, the bulk of the time is spent prepping everything together. Jyoti and her mom, Yangji, make the [momo] dumplings by hand, and dad, Karma, focusses on the curries and sauces. “Last Tuesday we made 700 vegan dumplings; we opened again on Thursday, and they were gone by Saturday.” Their other flavored dumplings triple that number and consist mostly of beef, chicken, spinach, and cheese (wrapped in a matcha-infused dough), and sometimes yak, a staple of Himalayan cuisine.
The round momo, which have a gathered twist at the center, are considered Nepali whereas the crescent-shaped momo with the pinched edges are Tibetan. Momo Valley serves both, and are definitely considered their most popular item. Even still, despite how fast they go, those little pockets of dough take two full days of rolling, pressing, filling, twisting, and pinching before they hit the plates.
“There’s nothing else like it around,” a diner at a nearby table mentioned. “As a vegan, I have found nothing else that resembles that as full of flavor, with a homemade taste.” The menu has numerous vegan/vegetarian options, from rich and hearty soups, to vegetable croquettes, stir-fry, and of course, momo.
Momo Valley uses family recipes taught by Jyoti’s late grandmother. As an homage to her and to getting back to their roots, the food is as authentic as it gets. Jyoti says she is incredibly proud to not only bring this special food of her culture to the community that has been so welcoming but to be able to use and support local purveyors.
They are especially proud of their collaboration with local businesses that were instrumental in giving Momo Valley its start. Beacon Natural Market, which sells the family’s frozen momo, gave them an opportunity to serve them as samples in front of the store. “It was actually Kitty and LT of the market who led us to finding the space in the food hall, and the Hudson Valley Brewery gave us a start with pop-ups in their kitchens on the weekends,” Jyoti notes. The restaurant’s protein, especially the chicken and grass-fed beef, come from Marbled Meat Shop out of Cold Spring, another collaboration the family is proud to have in keeping with serving locally, and thoughtfully sourced products.
Let’s Eat
Of course, the momo are the draw as any doughy bite from around the globe seems to be from pierogies or gyoza to ravioli and wontons. Momo Valley’s are substantial inside and out with an exterior that is chewy with serious bite and an inside that’s generous and very juicy.
Served both pan-seared and steamed, momo at Momo Valley surprisingly hold together unlike dumplings that may be delicious but fall apart. To try something even more expansive, there’s the vegan Dal Bhat Tarkari ($19) or the chicken Dal Bhat ($19), known as the Everest Platter. As Nepal’s national dish, each order is served on a round, gold platter, with the vegetable of the day, like garlicky greens; a cold relish, like the achar, which is a carrot or daikon radish relish with sesame and lemon; then lentil soup; and a mound of jasmine or brown rice, topped with a few delicate strands of saffron.
Cooking slow and low is often the sign of deep flavor in a dish as in their gundruk ko johl ($14), a fermented, leafy green soup. “It takes many days out in the sun,” says Karma Lama, the father of the family, referring to the mustard green leaves they dry themselves. Using bamboo poles to hang the leaves after they are washed, the leaves dry outside for several days (depending on the weather) before being pickled for their many soups.
Other popular soups on the menu are the thukpa, grass-fed beef bone broth noodle soup ($16), and phing sha, a beef stew with glass noodle and black mushroom ($16). In addition to running the kitchen or manning the curries and sauces, Karma runs the front of the house and shepherds the many to-go orders the restaurant gets, while his wife Yangji focuses on the momo, vegetables, and rice. Their son, Jigme, often comes in from Queens to help on the weekends.
There’s also a variety of Nepalese drinks like chiya, a spiced milk tea ($3) or Po Cha, a butter tea, made with Himalayan smoked tea, salt, and butter ($2). A distinctive twist on your daily English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea, the milky, salty beverage is more akin to a warm soup, traditionally made with yak butter and a staple in regions of high altitude.
As a nod to Thailand, where Karma and Yangji once lived and worked together, they’ve added some popular Thai street food dishes like pad krakow gai, made with ground chicken and egg over jasmine or brown rice ($16) or khao pad khai, a vegetable fried rice with egg ($14).
In terms of decor, the Lamas opted for minimalism, wanting the mostly white space to represent the snow of Mt. Everest.The plants in the windows not only add a welcomed bit of color but, as Jyoti reminds us, “are an air-purifying element found in most Nepali homes.” Walking along the hall in the back of the restaurant, diners are greeted by a long strand of Buddhist peace flags, a signature of the family’s culture, and a place to peek inside while they cook your meal.
Momo Valley is a new casual place to eat. But make no mistake, it is not fast casual. As the saying goes, “Good food takes time.”
Momo Valley, tashi delek.
Momo Valley
455 Main Street, Beacon
(845) 536-4934
