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Dosa!!!!!

I love dosas, especially cheese dosas. Dosa (South Indian Food) is a thin crepe, made with fermented rice and lentils batter. You spread the batter out on a pan and swirl it around till it forms a circle. The nice sizzling sound as the dosa begins to stick together and harder, you throw the toppings you want in it so it all sticks together in the end. My mom loves them. We go to this place near me called Hillside Dosa. We have gone there so much that the owner knows us well too. They are super friendly and make the food amazing. I like how dosas can basically be used with any food. Once my mom made dosa waffles by putting the batter in a waffle maker. There are just so many different things you can do with dosas. Like I know this one place that sells chocolate dosas. 

Honestly though it’s super easy to make. A Lot of Indian stores sell pre-made batter. All you have to do is throw it on a pan and let it cook. Nice and simple. Did you know in India paper dosa comes 3 feet in size sometimes? Yes, that long. Dosa normally goes great with chutney or sambar. Both make the dosa tastier. If you're ever interested just type in dosa near me for a list of places closest to you and enjoy.

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Usha Foods!!!!

What is Usha Foods? It’s an Indian restaurant. A really good one too. They offer a variety of types of Indian food, from tasty dessert to delicious lunch and dinner items. They offer Punjabi, South Indian, and Gujarati food. I personally recommend the paneer pakora, which is cottage cheese fried with a green chutney sauce (green chillies, cumin, coriander, and mint leaves) and topped with chaat masala. I always like to get a bag of them to eat when I go. Don’t even get me started on the Indian snacks they have. Chukri, now that's a must. My family and I have a tradition of finishing the 1 pound bag before we even enter the house. That's how addicting and amazing the flavors are. Once you start, you can’t stop. 

On special holidays like Diwali the place is packed with customers flowing in and out. Out on the street you have cars double parking and standing in the middle of the road with people trying to buy food to celebrate. Considering the fact there's multiple Indian places similar to it in the area, Usha Foods is always more alive then the others areas. Their prices are super fair and decent for food they make in the kitchen in the back.

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Diwali - The Festival of Lights

Have you wondered what makes Diwali important? Well it is because public schools next year start getting Diwali off. This would be nice if I still went to a public school. Every Year for 5 days we celebrate by lighting up candles and putting up bright decorations. My mom has a paper lantern shaped star which we overload with color changing lights and hang it on our front door every year. I always wake up early at 8 am. We have to pray for 2 minutes before then my parents and brother run out to go to school and work, while I sit around till I have to go to class. We enjoy the day by eating classic Gujarati food and lots of lots of mithai. 

Diwali is the biggest and most important event for India. This is an event when families get together and have fun. Party till early in the morning. The biggest idea is to light up the world. How do we do this effectively? FIREWORKS!!! Sometimes when we get the chance we load up on fireworks and light them all up. Even others around light it up. Rockets, fountains, sparkles, all the light and smoke in the night sky. WOW, Diwali is the Sanskrit word for row of lights. 

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Mithai!!!!!

How tasty mithai can be? All the different colors and shapes staring us in the face. The sweet and calming scent flowing throughout the room. Barfi, Gulab Jamun, Kaju Kati, Laddu, Milk Cake and more. My favorites, yet they are all super yummy. All mithai are made of flour, sugar, nuts, legumes, and milk or khoya. Why does it taste good? The flavors are enhanced and made better with cardamon, rose water, or saffron. Most traditions in India rely on mithai. 

Where can you find mithai in New York? Basically, any Indian store sells them. Or you could find them at Usha Foods (the one I go to), or Rajbhog which is a major Indian food chain in the U.S and India. I would say Rajbhog is better to buy it from since they are bigger and well known, plus what they make is used more commonly in India making it more authentic to the traditions. I recommend trying it but also check to make sure you're not allergic to it at the same time. It’s commonly found around. I know I’m going to be stuffing my face with it this Diwali. Tu bi achi hai, I like you.