ISA hosts Street Food Festival

The Indian Student Association (ISA) shared some popular Indian street food dishes with campus.  

ISA held a street food festival Tuesday, Sept. 24 to fundraise some of their big events coming up. Yashvi Limbasiya, sophomore in biology is ISA’s secretary and said the event gave campus a chance to taste some of India’s authentic street cuisine.  

For $2, students could purchase any one of the four items and for $5, a student could get their choice of any 4 items. Students had the option between phall, samosas, strawberry lassi, and panipuri. Phall was one of the dishes that was made in front of students to see the making of the dish that consisted of onions, fried beans, and tomatoes. The strawberry lassi is an indian drink that went with the students’ food. The panipuri dish was another dish that was put together live and students got four of them and would have to eat them immediately after they received the. In English, the name of the dish translates to “water balls.” Limbasiya said the dish consisted of potatoes with  two different flavors for the water inside. 

“…Two waters, one made of tamron and sugar, the other of mint coriander (cilantro), and green chilis,” Limbasuya said.  

Limbasuya also said the last dish they had were samosas, a dish she said was similar to an eggroll.  

“Samosas are technically egg roll wraps stuffed with potatoes, peas, and then we fry it,” Limbasuya said. 

Limbasiya said the foods served at the festival were all vegetarian because most of the snacks in Indian cuisine are free of meat. Limbasiya said the snacks were still  packed with tons of flavor, regardless of the lack of meat.  

“People think it is only about the spice but this food is absolutely not about the spice,” Limbasuya said. “It’s about the mind-blowing it gives us.”  

Limbasiya also said that preparing the food took quite a bit of time for ISA.  

“We have been preparing for this fundraiser for one week,” Limbasuya said. “For the food, we spent the entire weekend preparing for cooking and yesterday, I started cooking at 3 p.m. and I finished at 1 a.m.” 

Limbasiya said this event would help fund the organization Diwali festival to celebrate lights. She said it was an event that everyone is always excited for and asks about each year to get a chance to celebrate with food and music.  

“It is one of the main events we’ll ever have and there will be a lot of Indian food. Actual Indian meals and dances for that event,” Limbasuya said. 

Some other events going on for ISA is a henna station that students can go to and have henna done. A follow up henna workshop will come next semester to demonstrate how students can put henna on themselves or on their friends. There will also be a dancing event called Nevathre.