And they’re back! Student Biryani Cart in Jackson Heights, Queens
Student Biryani Food Cart
Btw 37th Road & 74th Street (right across from Gourmet Restaurant)
Jackson Heights, Queens 11372
When I was informed by one of my readers, Sasha, that the Student Biryani cart was no longer there, I was devastated. Please see my previous post by clicking on this link: Infamous Taste of Pakistan – Student Biryani Food Cart. My friend and I went over there to confirm if that was the case and it was. Honest to god in my humble opinion, this man whips one of of the best chicken biryani I have ever tasted. The flavors from that biryani is so diverse and intense (from saltiness to sweetness and spiciness) that makes it hard to resist. Not all biryani’s are created equal and you will definitely know when you have tried this. To know that it was my last time tasting something so unique and flavorful was of great sadness to me. But I can say with full confidence that the Student Biryani Food Cart is back with a fresh new look and attracting more customers than ever.
The question my friend and I always wanted to be answered was, where in the world did the food cart disappeared to for all those months?? That biryani chief was going to be drilled by both of us like a cop interrogating an unsuspecting suspect.
Infamous Taste of Pakistan – Student Biryani Food Cart
*Second Update*
Great news! The Student Biryani truck is back but with a different look! They took off the red poster on the side of their truck and replaced it with LED neon light animated sign! Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo for your viewing pleasure, but I will next time! My friend and I have spoke with the person there that night and apparently the Student Biryani truck was always there, but only during the day time. Since it was just one person working there, it was hard to take the night shift as well. Fortunately, this new guy is hired and he is working the night shift. Now, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, check him out! You can’t go wrong with $5 plus in my opinion you will have a damn good delicious meal!!
Until next time,
<3 FCG
*Update*
I was advised by my loyal readers that this Student Biryani cart is no longer there. I took a trip over there, not once but twice, just to see if this was the case, and unfortunately he’s no longer there. How disappointing.
If you happen to see this cart, hit me up!!
-FCG
Student Biryani Food Cart
Btw 37th Road & 74th Street (right outside of Kabab King)
Jackson Heights, Queens 11372
Student Biryani Truck, Jackson Heights, NY
For those of you who doesn’t know, I am a HUGE fan of biryani! HUGE! My Pakistani friend Tahsin and Indian friend Leena was ever so generous to share with me their mother’s home cooked version of chicken biryani which I will share you pictures of. Both have obvious and similar ingredients like rice and the usage of chicken, but the seasonings and other spices is what separates them in taste and style. This is what I love about ethnic food. Check out my post on the Pakistani take on biryani.
I did not make a post on the Indian version of biryani but I will post you up a picture for you to see:
Sabri Nehari Pakistani Cuisine
Sabri Nehari
2502 West Devon Avenue (between Campbell & Maplewood Avenue)
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 743-6200
*Reservations not necessary
Sabri Nehari Pakistani Restaurant
Front and side view of Sabri Nehari Pakistani Restaurant
Chicago is home to some of the largest communities of Pakistani and Indian people. Yes there are other South Asians here and there, but nothing like the two groups that I mentioned above. A trip to Chicago is not without its charm if you do not visit Devon Avenue. Devon Avenue stretches blocks after blocks of predominately Pakistani and Indian businesses. Never have I ever seen so many restaurants, clothing shops, mosques, cash & carry stores (aka supermarkets), and bakeries/dessert shops. Definitely will put New York’s Jackson Heights to utter shame. Oh there are so many delicious bakeries which is paradise for me because I love dessert and there is one in particular that is very famous called Tahoora which I will feature in my next post.
Sabri Nehari is a must try and it is highly recommended. There are so many positive reviews on this restaurant and also my friend recommends this spot too. I am open to almost every and any cuisine, as long as it doesn’t make me vomit, because that is what Finechinagirl enjoys the most. Scouring the city for delicious, unique, and scrumptious food is my mission and I am always very eager to try new cuisines.
To be very mindful, Pakistani cuisine and Indian cuisine may look very similar, but they are very different by taste! So don’t get the two confused. From what I noticed, and I can be very wrong, Pakistani food infuse a lot of meat in their dishes while their Indian counterpart predominately use vegetables in their dishes due to their religion. Also, Indian dishes use a lot of their own homegrown spices like chili pepper, black mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and maybe paprika. Pakistani dishes incorporates brown and green cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, black peppers, jalepenos, cumin, bay leaves, coriander, caraway seeds, and fennel. Curry of course is curry and will look the same anywhere, but the tastes is vastly different because of the usage or non-usage of meat and their seasonings.
So that’s the background! I’m always mindful about the differences in cuisines because there are times where my friends or co-worker says Chinese and Taiwanese food are the same thing. While there are many similar elements in their dishes, it is not politically correct to say that they are the same when they’re not. Think about that!
Let’s move on to the food!
Mid-Autumn Festival: Mooncakes
The annual Mid-Autumn Festival is on Saturday October 3rd and my mother has already received a few boxes of mooncakes. Click on the above link to Wikipedia to read all about this holiday. I will write all about it on the day of the holiday. Right now I want to share a few pictures of the different kinds of mooncakes that are my personal fan favorites!
Malaysian Lotus Seed Mooncake w/one yolk: KLT Mooncake
Inside of the Malaysian Kuih Bulan Lotus Seed Mooncake
Choopan Kabab House in Flushing, NY
Choopan Kabab House
43-27 Main Street
Flushing, NY
718-539-3180
Take out: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Credit Card Accepted: Yes
Opened until 11PM on Saturdays
Flushing is an ethnically diverse neighborhood with many different restaurants to choose from. I have always thought that Flushing is predominately home to East Asians, in particularly Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. But that is only one part of one the neighborhood. The other side is home to a lot of South Asians like the Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, and Aghanis. I am sure when you are driving into Flushing, you’ll notice a lot of South Asian stores. I have never really been to the stores there nor have eaten in the restaurants because I’m not familiar with their culture. I have eaten at Indian restaurants, and that’s probably it for South Asian cuisine, but slowly and very surely with the help and encouragement from my friend, I will get more exposure to that cuisine!
My friend introduced me to this Afghani restaurant called Choopan Kabab House. Like many South Asian restaurants that I have personally encountered, like Ali Baba (Turkish Cuisine) by the Horace Harding Expressway in Flushing, there are neon lights flashing right outside the restaurant! I guess that’s a good way of attracting customers, but in a very old and tacky kind of way which is cute in my opinion. Moving forward, I believe the only time I’ve had Afghani food is really the chicken and rice platter by the vendor on 53rd and 6th avenue in Manhattan. Scratch that. I have been informed that the chicken and rice halal cart on 53rd and 6th is Arabic! I really need to eat Afghani and Arabic food one after the other so I can distinguish the two cuisines!
Now, unfortunately I did not take a photo of the outside of the restaurant because it was raining really hard. But rest assure that I do have photos for your enjoyment, so make the jump to the next page to see!
Interior of Choopan Kabab House in Flushing, NY
