Hawaii resident and the creator of the cloud dhokla at LA’s Smorgasburg, Simran Jaising tells us about how the desi diaspora is finding ways to express themselves through Indian street food abroad.
My name is Simran, I’m a professional foodie from NYC who has built food startups across LA, New York, and India. My spirituality has served as a guiding compass for many moments of life and growing up I thought having a successful career meant tucking away my spirituality (because it didn’t fit the mould of society). But in 2018, the humble dhokla made me very unapologetic about my identity. Yes, it’s true! Indian street food became a vehicle for my expression and enabled me to come out of the conscious closet when I became the chef and owner of Golden Clouds — a higher vibe dhokla brand based out of Los Angeles, California.
Because of my own journey, I realise food is a language we chefs and makers can use to express our essence. It shows our community who we are, what we love, and how we see the world. From restaurants to pop-ups to consumer products, our food businesses are invitations to see the world through our magical looking glass, to take a journey into something beautiful, to taste love for the first time.
Now with third-culture cuisine on the rise, our culinary heritage can be expressed through our modern, intersectional identities. It’s a theme I’m most passionate about, not only at my cross-border food company Bijli, but also as an Indian-American who lives between India and Hawaii.
For this piece, I am excited to celebrate how fellow NRIs have expressed their identity through the vessel of Indian street food abroad.
I’ll start by sharing my own story of crafting Golden Clouds. Then we’ll take a journey into the compelling creations of three food entrepreneurs who interpret their identities, skills, and childhood memories with scrumptious Desi street treats.
For the Love of Dhokla
I grew up eating dhokla at Usha Foods, a locally adored farsan house in Queens, New York. At home, my mom would make decadent white khaata dhokla with fresh chutneys, and my fondness for dhokla only grew when I married into a Gujarati-American family and tasted nylon khaman for the first time.
Through my career in the food world, I noted how nothing compared to dhokla’s umami taste and spongy bite. Watching cornbread serve as the base for brisket and beans in the southern United States, I was convinced this Indian street food could form the base of a satisfying, gluten-free meal.
The Dhokla Download
The seed for Golden Clouds was planted during my stay at a yoga ashram in Rishikesh where each morning began with chanting Brahma’s hymns and breaking fast with a communal meal in silence. My vision for Golden Clouds occurred during a meditation at this ashram: within the silence of the mind, I saw a vision to create a light, water-steamed dish, to be crafted in a sanctified atmosphere, so to invite the teachings of the plant devas into the food. (Plant devas are the patron gods behind plants; such as how Tulsi Ma is venerated in India.)
The light, steamy, water-cooked dish became the base. This was created for the plant devas of turmeric, mustard seeds, and curry leaves to be enveloped with a sweetened water tadka. The prep of the batters took place in our sacred Pink Lotus Kitchen ( our kitchen walls were painted with giant pink petals from corner to corner so it almost felt like you were cooking inside a lotus). The food was prepared by our conscious sous chefs using mindful cooking techniques while devotional mantras played in the background. The final dhokla was steamed in the highest vibrational spring water at LA’s Smorgasburg.
Introducing Golden Clouds
Our Signature “Golden Cloud” Dhokla
Chickpea Clouds are steamed in Mountain Shasta Spring Water with Silver Varq, Edible Flowers, sitting on a bed of Coconut Cream, Sweet Corn Puree, and Tamarind Date Sauce. Topped with Cilantro Chutney, Pomegranate Arils, and Tadka of Curry Leaves, Haldi, & Mustard Seeds with Coconut Shavings.
Golden Clouds launched with this description to a great reception at the famed Smorgasburg Market in Los Angeles (known for having a 2 percent vendor acceptance rate after receiving over 800 applicants per season).
The Golden Cloud itself was served by our flight captain and maitre d’, Josh, whose sole job was to maintain a positive vibration during the food ordering and interacting with customers. A frequent meditator himself, Josh facilitated the guests’ journey into their food meditation of Golden Clouds, as a meditation teacher would before class.
Menu Items:
The Glacier
Butterfly-Pea Milk Topped with Creamy Saffron Sorbet, Beet Rose Syrup, Corn Vermicelli, Sprouted Basil Seeds, Edible Flowers, Sliced Almonds
“A moment to entrance you into a coolness, away from the monotony of city life. The glacier elevates ethereal Falooda with natural teas, aromatic ingredients, and tranquil preparation. The iciness of the Glacier equates to the pure Pahadi air: the exact feeling you get when you stare at the gushing white waters of Rishikesh or the snow-capped mountains near Mansarovar Lake”
Earth Cloud with Curry Royale
Chickpea Clouds infused with Spirulina, Chlorella, Fresh Spinach, Cilantro, & Basil. Topped with a classic Tikka Masala of Tender Jackfruit. Steamed in Mt. Shasta Spring Water and placed on a bed of Coconut Cream and Sweet Corn Puree. Topped with Cilantro + Tamarind Date Chutney. Pomegranate Arils, Curry Leaves, Haldi, & Mustard Seeds Tadka plus Coconut Shavings.
“An earthy expression of the steamed Dhokla to ground you into the present moment. Full of invigorating greens to strengthen your connection to nature within and around you.”
Iced Vegan Chai Sparkles with Homemade Coco Whip
Authentically brewed desi chai made with secret plant milk which allows boiling. Poured over ice and topped with homemade whipped cream and edible sparkles.
“Masala-rich, milky, and grounding yet uplifting with the sparkles of crystals taking one to etheric realms.”
Incorporating Spring Water from Mountain Shasta
I took monthly drives up to the enchanting pilgrimage site, Mt. Shasta, just nine hours north of Los Angeles. Mt. Shasta receives thousands of pilgrims every year and is also known in spiritual communities as the Earth’s root chakra.
I would collect gallons of healing drinking water from the natural springs to steam the dhokla. The blessed water contained elevated encoding that allowed the dhokla dish to go from a mere chai snack to fulfilling said Golden Clouds’ vision. In many ways, my biggest culinary inspiration is the Hindu food offering, prasadam.
Community Reception
It is no surprise that my most loyal, repeat customers were all spiritual, yoga practising, farm-owning foodies. When asked why they came back so consistently, they all shared a similar rationale: the ‘feeling’ they got after eating the meal. It was a feeling like no other meal, and they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.
As you see, dhokla became the vehicle for me to express a divine moment. It allowed me to share parts of my life experiences that are otherwise intangible. In the process, I found community, made new friends, and learned how to operate a professional kitchen while staying true to my roots.
BTS: A Peek At The Lotus Kitchen
The business and spiritual journey to launch Golden Clouds taught me so much. Here’s a personal video story I made called The End of an Era, the night before I closed our kitchen. It’s a tiny documentary and contains a tour of the Pink Lotus Kitchen where we prepared our Golden Clouds.
From Sweet Lime Puri to Elote Samosas with Flamin Hot Cheetos Podi, read about the other cool videshi thelas right here.