The Most Underrated Momo Spot in Delhi : The Oriental Deck in Khirki Extension, Malviya Nagar

Out of all foods that Dilli has adopted as its own, my favourite has to be the now-ubiquitous momo - steamed dumplings with a thin outer covering of maida and a filling of either chicken, cabbage and vegetables or paneer, served with a spicy chutney made of red chillies and tomatoes and mayonnaise, it was popularised by Tibetan migrants in the mid-1990s, and is now available in every nook and cranny of the city, popular as a cheap and quick evening snack that is incredibly stimulating to the senses. The momo is adaptable, and rarer varieties of it have a filling of buffalo, pork, mushroom or mutton. These are not readily available, mainly due to the relative cost of mushroom and mutton making it infeasible to snack on daily, and religious restrictions of the Hindus and Muslims mean that buffalo and pork momos are largely limited to colonies such as Humayunpur or Majnu Ka Tilla populated by migrants from the Himalayan regions of Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim the seven sister states of India and so on. An even rarer variety is when some stalls replace the outer covering of maida for that of wheat instead. And I’ll leave the story of the “Punjabification” of the Momo, with fried, Kurkure, tandoori and various gravy varieties being invented, for another day.

The Oriental Deck in Khirki is a tiny shop in Malviya Nagar’s Khirki Village that opened some time last year. They sell a variety of momos - available in chicken, paneer and vegetable fillings, with an option to deep fry them, either normally or with an outer coating of cornflakes (known as Kurkure Momos), or with a butter gravy, which I would not recommend. Their menu also consists of noodles, chilli potato and fried rice, but for now, I’ll focus on their mouthwatering steamed chicken momo.

Chicken Steamed Momos. They have mixed both chutneys in the same plate.

In my opinion, these are some of the best steamed chicken momos you can have in the city. The momos are massive, and the maida covering is thin and well-cooked, which allows the taste of the filling to shine through. The portions of the fillings are sizable, with the chicken being juicy and well-seasoned with garlic, ginger and other herbs. The momo itself tastes fantastic - the delectable combination of the meat juices and the herbs means that I can possibly consume an entire plate without any dips on the side, which is rare for me, as someone who has a penchant for scorchingly spicy food and tends to avoid items on the blander side of the spectrum (which most momos usually are). While their steamed momo is a standalone masterclass in itself, do note that they serve it with two chutneys and mayonnaise (which I always skip), one of tomatoes and garlic and the other having chillies in greater quantity, resulting in a blazing chutney that is sure to release smoke out of your ears. It ticks all boxes that quantify a good momo. I cannot recommend this spot enough to the reader, for this is one gem I am proud to have discovered over the past couple of months in my stay in Dilli.

Recommendations : Chicken Steamed Momos (9.5/10), Noodles (8.25/10), Chicken Fried Momos (8.5/10), Chicken Kurkure Momos (8.75/10)

I generally avoid their vegetarian fare due to a personal preference for Chicken Momos, but if their quality is anything to go by, I’m sure their Paneer and Veg Momos would be superb as well.

Location : 163A, Khirki Extension, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110017