10/31/17 11:14pm

The most amazing guo tie have returned to Flushing.

For the longest time my Flushing Chinatown food tours included two shatteringly crunchy specialties: the paper dosa from the Ganesh Temple Canteen and otherwordly pork and leek dumplings bound by a crisp sheet of dough from a Henanese stall in New World Mall. And then one day, the guo tie vanished much like the UFO they resembled might. It’s been so long since I’d had these  potstickers that I’ve begun to question whether I had imagined the radial pattern of dumplings beneath a lacy sheet of dough in a foodie fever dream.  (more…)

02/20/17 10:07am

ganeshbday

The Ganesh Temple of the Hindu Temple Society of North America, known by its devotees as Šri Mahã Vallabha Ganapati Devasthãnam, is a cultural and spiritual center for Hindus residing in Queens and beyond. Thanks to a canteen serving some of the best South Indian vegetarian fare in New York City the temple is also a destination for culinary pilgrims. That’s why my pals from Queens Dinner Club and I chose it for this month’s feast. To score a ticket to this culinary passage to South India please click here. (more…)

08/26/13 9:49am
HindiHomeFry

Think of them as Hindi home fries.

For many years, my go-to spot for South Indian cuisine was Dosa Hutt the restaurant next to the Ganesh Temple in Flushing. After a walk through the park I’d reward myself with a crisp, buttery dosa ,a crepe of sorts made from fermented rice and lentils. Lately I’ve been hitting the Temple Canteen more than the Hutt, as it dovetails nicely with my food tours. The other day though I popped into Dosa Hutt and I’m glad I did. For I discovered the awesome snack that is fried iddly ($4.50). (more…)

02/18/13 10:02am
At first glance it looks like most any other dosa.

At first glance it looks like most any other dosa.

Dosai, the gigantic South Indian rice and lentil crêpes take many forms. Lacy crisp paper dosai flavored with little more than ghee are great for dipping into spicy vegetable-loaded samber broth. Their more substantial cousins are filled with potato and other veggies. And for spice freaks like me there are fiery varieties with chili worked right into the batter. Some even resemble flapjacks. Until I paid a visit to Dosa Delight, though I never encountered a dessert dosa.

Inside, find chocolate and cashews.

Inside, find chocolate and cashews.

At first glance the chocolate dosa ($7.99) looks like most any other, save for its brown freckles. It’s even served with the traditional coconut chutney and samber. Closer inspection—and a taste—reveals that those brown spots are chocolate. Between the chocolate-enriched  folds of this dessert dosa find a delectable mixture of melted chocolate and cashews. Think of it as a South Indian brownie.

The crunchy chocolate dosa is a fine indulgence with a cup of strong Madras coffee ($2). It’s even kind of tasty dipped into the coconut chutney. I chose  not to try it with the samber. That would be just weird.

Dosa Delight, 35-66 73rd St., Jackson Heights,  718-397-1000