You already know momos — soft, steamed, dangerously easy to eat by the dozen. Now picture that same juicy dumpling wrapped in a crust so crunchy you can hear it across the table. That's the Kurkure Momo, and it just landed on our menu at Bells Corners in three flavours: Chicken, Vegetable, and Cheese Corn.
If you've spent any time around Indian street food in the last few years, you've watched this dish take over. It started in the momo stalls of Delhi and quickly became the thing everyone queued for — a steamed momo coated in a spiced, crackly crust inspired by India's most famous crunchy snack, then fried until golden. The name says it all: kurkure literally means "crunchy" in Hindi.
The genius of it is the contrast. A regular fried momo is crispy, sure. But a kurkure momo is a different category of crunch — the coating shatters like a chip, and then you hit the soft wrapper and the hot, juicy filling underneath. Three textures in one bite. It's the kind of food that makes people go quiet at the table for a minute.
How We Make Them
Every kurkure momo starts the same way as our steamed ones: a hand-folded dumpling with a generous filling. From there, it gets dipped in a seasoned batter and rolled in a crushed, spiced coating — that's where the signature craggy, golden texture comes from. Then it's fried hot and fast, so the crust sets crisp while the inside stays steamy and juicy.
They come out of the kitchen finished with a sprinkle of chilli flakes and fresh coriander, alongside our house spicy red chutney — the same one momo lovers in Delhi would demand. The chutney matters: it's sharp, garlicky, and hot enough to cut through the fried crust. Dip, bite, repeat.
Pick Your Filling — Three Ways to Crunch
- Kurkure Chicken Momos: Juicy, seasoned chicken filling inside the crunchiest shell we make. The bestseller of the three — savoury, meaty, and built for the red chutney.
- Kurkure Vegetable Momos: A spiced vegetable filling that stays light under all that crunch. Fully vegetarian, and the one to order for a mixed table.
- Kurkure Cheese Corn Momos: Gooey cheese and sweet corn — the indulgent one. The cheese pull is real. If you're ordering for kids (or for Instagram), start here.
Where Kurkure Momos Come From
Momos travelled from Tibet and Nepal into India decades ago and became one of Delhi's defining street foods. Every momo stall competes on something — the chutney, the filling, the size. Somewhere in the last few years, one of those competitions produced the kurkure momo: take the dumpling everyone already loves and give it the texture of India's favourite crunchy snack.
It spread the way the best street food does — phone cameras first, queues second. The crunch is genuinely loud, the golden craggy coating looks unreal on video, and the first bite delivers exactly what the video promised. From Delhi it jumped to every momo menu in North India, then to Indian restaurants worldwide. And now it's in Bells Corners.
"The coating shatters like a chip, then you hit the soft wrapper and the hot, juicy filling underneath. Three textures in one bite."
— Desi Tadka KitchenHow to Order Them
Kurkure Momos are live now on the menu at Desi Tadka in Bells Corners — dine-in, takeout, or online ordering. They sit in the Momo's section alongside our steamed, chilli, and tandoori versions, so if you're a momo regular you'll find them exactly where you'd expect.
A serving order if you're new to them: start with the chicken or vegetable for the classic experience, and add a cheese corn for the table — it disappears first every time. They're best eaten hot, within minutes of arriving, while the crust is at maximum crunch. This is not a dish that waits politely.
"It's the kind of food that makes people go quiet at the table for a minute."
— Desi Tadka KitchenIf you try them, tag us — we repost the best crunch videos. And if you have a flavour you want us to do next, tell us at the counter. The momo menu at Desi Tadka has a habit of growing.
Try Them for $15.99
Chicken, Vegetable, or Cheese Corn — new at Desi Tadka, Bells Corners. Order online or come in while they're hot.