Whenever people ask, “What is your favorite neighborhood for food in NYC?” My answer is always Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights embodies everything I love about the city. It has communities of people from Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Tibet, Nepal, and Pakistan, just to name a few. And each group has blessed the area with their cuisines, giving you a chance to experience the taste of all these countries without needing to get on a plane.
Jackson Heights is also home to a large community of people from a country I admittedly know very little about: Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the 8th most populous country in the world with a population of 177 million people. All those people live across a landmass a bit larger than Iowa, making it the most densely populated country in the world (when you exclude microstates like Monaco and Hong Kong). Here are a few rapid fire facts about the country that I found interesting
- Bangladesh is a country defined by ever-changing rivers that form the world’s largest delta.
- It’s also home to the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.
- On the southeastern side of the country is the second longest uninterrupted beach in the world, Cox’s Bazar.
- The capital, Dhaka, has over 500,000 rickshaws.
- Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of clothes in the world for major brands.
I currently don’t have the time to make the 19 hour trip over to Dhaka. But I do have the time to hop on the 7 train and head to Jackson Heights to get a little taste of Bangladesh in just one afternoon.
Let’s dive into Jackson Heights Bangladeshi street food crawl!
Nestled on 37th Avenue in between 73rd and 74th street, there’s a strip of Bangladeshi food carts. They all serve the same items and they all have the same prices (which luckily are all under $10!) We decided that we’d try 3 different things across 3 different trucks. So let’s dive in!
Stop 1: Fuska House for Dahi Fuchka, $7
Fuska House opened in 2019, and I couldn’t find too much info on it’s origin story. The person running the cart assured us his food was the best, and was very kind and helpful as we clearly had no idea what we were ordering.
We opted for the dahi fuska for $7.00. Dahi fuchka starts with a crispy hollow puff pastry shell that’s filled with a savory spiced potato and chickpea mix. It’s topped with a tangy yogurt and served with tamarind water to pour into the middle.
The flavor journey is a roller coaster. Your palate is hit with a flow of sour, salty, sweet, and spicy. And each bite starts with a satisfying crunch that’s followed by two versions of “smooth” from the filling and the yogurt. This was my first time trying the dish, so I have no clue where it ranks in the world of dahi fuckha. But I can say it was absolutely delicious and I will certainly be trying it again.
Stop 2: Star Fuska for Bhel Puri, $7
We continued our Jackson Heights Bangladeshi street food crawl with a stop at Star Fuska.
We ordered the bhel puri, which reminded me of a Bangladeshi tostada. The base was a crispy, fried puri that was topped with a liberal layer of a smashed chickpea mixture. Cilantro, onion, and a “green salad masala” were sprinkled on top, and a sweet tamarind water tied is all together. The combination of textures was a treat for the palate, and I’m convinced tamarind water makes everything taste better. A Google search has led me to believe that this “tostada” style isn’t typical for bhel puri– usually it’s served in a bowl. However, it was delicious nevertheless.
Stop 3: Tong-NYC for Jhal Muri, $6
To wrap up our Jackson Heights Bangladeshi street food crawl, we stopped at the OG food cart: Tong NYC. Naeem Khandaker opened up Tong in 2018 with the mission of bringing Bangladeshi street food to NYC. Not only did he kick off the whole block of food carts, but he has also opened a bring and mortar restaurant in Jamaica Queens.
While Tong is known for it’s fuchka, we wanted to continue the theme of trying new things so we went with the jhal muri. Jhal muri translates to “spicy puffed rice”, and it consists of puffed rice mixed with all types of chopped veggies, herbs, and spices. I asked for medium heat, which was admittedly quite spicy for a hot summers day. But I loved the texture of the puffed rice and the deluge of various levels of heat was an exciting journey. (Although, sweat was admittedly dripping down my face by the end….)
The person running the cart also offered us a free sample of Chai, which was top tier.
This Jackson Heights Bangladeshi street food crawl was a wild success!
Three stop with 3 delicious dishes for just $20. Not THAT’S a frugal foodie adventure if you ask me!
