Momo Stop Indian dumpling food truck moves to Hicksville

Momos are having a moment. The tasty Himalayan dumplings have long been a staple food in Jackson Heights, Queens, but are now easier than ever to find on Long Island. 

You can get the most traditional momos at While in Kathmandu in Glen Cove, which plops them in tangy tomato broth called jhol and even has momos made with water buffalo meat. But the epicenter of Long Island momos continues to be Hicksville, where you can find them at many Indian restaurants and even PYO Chai Shop.

And now, there's a momo food truck. Momo Stop got its start this May in East Meadow and recently moved to a small lot on Woodbury Road in Hicksville. It's owned by New Delhi native Sarabjot Singh, who works with his girlfriend, Prabdeep Pabla, and his entire immediate family to prepare everything inside their truck. They make three varieties of momos — steamed, fried and tandoori — rolling their own dough from scratch every morning. 

"It's basically like a whole family cooking show inside. Everyone has their own part of what they do," Pabla said. "In Delhi, there's no such real thing as, 'We're gonna go to that restaurant to eat our momos.' It's more of like, 'We're gonna go to that cart in the middle of the street and we're gonna eat our momos.' " 

These New Delhi-style momos are slightly different from the Nepalese versions you can find elsewhere. If you get them steamed, they'll arrive in half-moon shapes that look similar to a Chinese dumpling. But the spices in the chicken filling are stronger and taste distinctly Indian. The fried momos are rounded into a little pinwheel on the top, and are more compact than the puffy Nepalese style. And the tandoori momos are tossed in a spice mix that tastes like, well, tandoori chicken. (Momos range between $10 and $13 a box, depending on which filling and preparation method you choose.) 

Momos aren't fancy — this is straightforward, comforting fare. Bite for bite, the steamed chicken momos shine the brightest. But the tandoori momos stuffed with paneer cheese are a close second. Really though, half the flavor comes from the fiery green chutney on the side. Hot tip: Order some chow mein ($10) and spread the chutney and chili oil on top for a flavor explosion. Wash it down with a masala soda, which is sweet, limey, and minty, and made in-house. When it's hot outside, it really hits the spot.

So far, business has been good, the couple said, and they're glad to have moved from East Meadow to Hicksville.

"It's a mixture of the whole world in Hicksville," Singh said. "Indian, Bangladesh, Pakistan, England, everywhere ... people from China, Nepal. Anywhere in the world you go. Every country has a different food. But over here, you're going to see the whole mixture of people eating this food." 

Momo Stop, 88 Woodbury Rd., Hicksville, 347-495-3785, instagram.com/momostop. Open noon to 10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday.