Dhamaka: NYC’s culinary gateway to India’s hidden regional delicacies

Indian cuisine, especially the Gujarati and Bengali variety, is not unknown in NYC. But if you're craving a taste of non- 'mainstream' dishes, like those from Meghalaya, Dhamaka is the place to be. Run by restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef-partner Chintan Pandya, this classy eatery offers a culinary journey through India that goes beyond the usual fare.

Located in the newly revamped Essex Market on the Lower East Side, Dhamaka's menu showcases the diversity of Indian cuisine. Pandya brings regional specialities to the table, including rare dishes like gurda kapoora (spicy goat kidneys and testicles), Kashmiri gosht champ, lasooni lobster, and a Rajasthani shikaar (hunting) feast featuring whole rabbit. Or go northeast and try Naga pork and Misa Mach Poora (grilled shrimp wrapped in banana leaf, a delicacy from Mizoram). And, of course, there is India's favourite dish, Biriyani, and, more importantly, goat biriyani.

Turn on the nostalgia tap further with India's vibrant street food: try beguni (eggplant fritters) or paplet fry - whole, small pomfret whose skins have been fused in hot oil to a wildly crunchy semolina shell, brick-red with spices. No Indian dining experience ends abruptly, there gotta be something sweet. At Dhamaka, the sign-off dish is Chhena poda from Odisha, one that's warm, sweet and melts in your mouth. Yummm...