Go green with dosa batter in a steel dabba

Brooklyn Curry Project featuring South Indian dishes is fast gaining a fan following in New York

Swetha and her husband Venkat Raju’s story in the US began like that of most immigrants. When they first came to Brooklyn from Bangalore, India, they didn’t have many friends and missed their comfort food.

The husband and the wife duo who moved to the US for work and pursued their careers as a lawyer and software engineer respectively started cooking as a means to keep themselves busy in the new city and to invite neighbors and to make new friends over food.

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Soon, their stellar cooking skills became the star of the show and they noted an interest in South Indian food which is full of vegan choices among a lot of locals in New York.

The duo started a food stall in Brooklyn that is rapidly growing in popularity and if locals are to be believed is fast becoming a comfort food hot spot come snow or rain.

Talking to the American Bazaar, Swetha Raju says, “Me and my husband started the Brooklyn Curry Project in 2021. Both of us are foodies, love to travel, meet people and cook. We wanted to introduce South Indian food to the community here. Venkat owned a restaurant back in India, with prior experience in this field and a passion for food we started the Brooklyn Curry Project.”

The food stall sets up shop every Saturday at Washington Park Avenue from 10 am to 2.00 pm. During the ongoing winter, it was not unusual to see families and kids lining up in snow to get their fix of warm, crackling dosas.

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“It is really humbling to get all this popularity. It is also so fulfilling to see many kids trying out ad relishing dosas and idlis,” Swetha says. Talking about how, the word spread and the love of food brought together people who began frequenting the stall, she says, “Food definitely brings people together.”

It was obvious for the couple to start in their neighborhood as they loved everything about their new home here in the US.

“We liked Fort Greene a lot. Our kids went to school here, we spent most of the time outdoors in the park here and we loved visiting Farmers’ Market. Slowly what started as home cooking has moved on to a commercial venture,” Swetha says.

The couple have kept their menu very affordable with almost everything under $10. The reason a growing number of Americans and other immigrants too are trying their food, says Swetha, is because, “People love Indian food and anything that is tasty and healthy. Dosas are naturally vegan and gluten free. Gluten free, if you see is very expensive in the US.”

Read: AUTHENTIC FOOD AND A CONVIVIAL ATMOSPHERE AT THE BROOKLYN CURRY PROJECT (February 20, 2023)

Encouraged by the response, the couple are trying out newer innovations that are already a hit. Recently they introduced a community program for dosa batter and to reduce plastic waste.

All you need to do is become a member, sign up for a steel dabba or box and get your organic dosa batter in the steel box only to return next week to pick next week’s supply.

Interestingly, many non-Indians are a part of the program and are adding their own touch to dosa batter and experimenting at home.

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Read: Women chefs from US, Canada, India to create Indian heritage cuisine (October 1, 2022)