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Think of Aama’s Kitchen as a place to savor intriguing twists on popular food from both India and China. You can taste the Nepali versions of Indian curries and tandoori clay oven specialties and discover momos, an alternative to Chinese dim sum dumplings.
Bordering India to the south, Nepal is separated from the Tibet Autonomous Region of China by the natural boundary of Mount Everest and the Himalayan mountain range. Though similar in geographic area to sparsely populated Montana, Nepal has 30 million people with a strong food culture.
The décor of Aama’s Kitchen brings the culture of Nepal home to Livermore. Prints line the restaurant’s sunny orange walls, depicting scenes of Nepali life: A street vendor selling momos, a village like the owner’s birthplace, the city of Katmandu nestled below mighty Mount Everest, famous temples, a mother preparing a meal in her kitchen.
Owner Dhananjaya N. KC, aka KC, named the restaurant “aama” after the Nepali and common Indian word for mother. KC worked as a government official, then came to the U.S. in 2007 with his wife who attended university in Oakland and now works in IT.
After working as a restaurant manager, KC opened the first Aama’s on a major Hayward thoroughfare in 2001. The Livermore location opened in January 2026 on East Ave. “When I came to the U.S., I wanted to share our culture with people. Most people know about Indian food and not Nepali,” said KC.
Influenced by their neighbors, the Nepali people developed their own spice palate and cooking techniques. KC, with a proud nod to his Nepali culinary heritage, told me that momos make up about 90 percent of orders at both locations.
Momo dumplings are similar to Chinese dim sum dumplings, but there are significant differences. Chicken or vegetable momos are smaller than many Chinese dumplings, served in a pleated wheat wrapper with a topknot, and served with a tomato-sesame sauce. Chinese dim sum dumpling are made into many shapes and sizes with more diverse fillings in a variety of wrappers. The dipping sauces are often soy-based vinegars or chili oil.
KC offers 10 versions of momos with 10 on each plate. We had steamed chicken momos and enjoyed every bite. These momos are stuffed with lightly spiced potato, chicken, herbs, garlic, and cilantro.
Aama’s Chicken Chili momos are the most popular. Nepali food is generally less spicy than various regional, fiery-hot cuisines of Indian and Chinese cuisine. KC told me the primary spices in his kitchens are turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Other typical Nepali spices include fenugreek seeds, timur (Nepali Sichuan pepper), mustard oil and seeds, garlic and ginger.
Since Aama’s dishes are cooked to order, the kitchen can prepare them with mild spice except for Chicken Chili momos, tossed with bell peppers and onions in a special house chili sauce before cooking, and Aama’s Spicy Herbs Chicken, marinated in spicy seasoning.
Another Himalayan specialty is Kathmandu Sekuwa. Chicken or lamb is marinated with mint, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, and cilantro and cooked in a tandoori clay oven with Nepali seasoning. Fork tender, this recipe from KC’s personal kitchen offered mild and savory flavors.
Aama’s version of goat curry, served with bone, features the meat served in a tomato and onion sauce. The Nepali Choila dishes with chicken or lamb have delicate flavors. The Nepali version of chowmein differs in spelling and in the stir frying of the noodles with less oil.
Our first starter was pani puri. Normally a mix of potato and spices, Aama’s version was notably enhanced with the added textural pop of the crunchy, round boondi. Like miniature gnocchi, thin gram-flour (besan) batter is pressed through a perforated ladle and then lightly fried into tiny, crispy balls.
With the name “pani puri” that translates to “water” and “crispy, hollow shell,” the appetizer is topped with “tangy water,” an inhouse blend of mint, tamarind, lemon and chaat masala, their unique mix of tangy and salty spices.
My favorite starter at Indian restaurants are papadums or crisply, lentil wafers. If stale or cooked in too much oil, papadum quickly loses its crunch and my interest. My take home portion of Aama’s papadums remained crisp for two days. Familiar Indian specialties include samosa fried dumplings with spiced potato and meat, pakora fritters, and house made coconut tomato and yellow lentil soups.
Aama’s menu sections labeled Chicken, Meat, and Seafood feature Nepali versions of additional Indian dishes. The tender butter chicken had a creamy onion and tomato sauce that was not overly rich. The curry entrées were prepared in traditional styles such as tikka masala, vindaloo, korma, saag (with spinach), and kadai (with bell peppers). There are salmon options for curry and tikka masala.
Aama’s thali platter is listed under “Himalayan Specialties” due to the unique Nepali spices and preparation of the items. The thali lunch special is a hearty, good-value meal with vegetarian, chicken, lamb, and goat options priced from $12.99 to $15.99.
Chicken and lamb dishes cooked in the tandoor oven such as tikka kebabs are menued. An extensive biryani list is available. KC noted that Nepali biryani is less oily and less rich and more flavorful than Indian versions with the addition of mustard oil and timur spice. A broad array of Indian naan breads and whole wheat paratha are served. Freshly made garlic cilantro and cheese naan caught our attention.
Desserts such as rasmalai, paneer cheese balls in chilled creamy milk, and kheer rice pudding looked inviting. The highlights of the beverage list are the house made mango lassi and two Nepali beers. KC plans to add several Livermore Valley options to the wine list.
KC is a gracious host, eager to explain his culinary heritage and the people and places that grace the restaurant’s walls. After sampling several dishes, we had many leftovers to share at home and introduce others to Nepali cuisine.
