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  • - [Narrator] On the surface,the Ganesha Temple in Queens

  • seems like just a place of worship for Hindus.

  • - Hi.

  • - [Narrator] But, if you take the side entrance,

  • down the hall with all the lights,

  • follow the signs, down the stairs,

  • follow more signs, down more stairs,

  • you'll find the temple canteen.

  • A restaurant serving food to rival anything

  • you would find in India.

  • This is Dr. Uma Mysorekar,

  • - Namaste.

  • I'm the President of the Hindu Temple Society

  • of North America in Flushing, New York.

  • The temple came into existence in 1977.

  • - [Narrator] And as one of the first of its kind

  • in North America, the temple has become a cultural hub

  • for Hindus throughout the US.

  • - This is a place like home.

  • People who come to the temple spend their whole day here.

  • They have their worshiping services in the morning,

  • and they very often have cultural programs.

  • But also, they come here to eat.

  • - [Narrator] They come to the temple to eat?

  • - Yes, they do come here to eat.

  • Some of them come just only to eat,

  • not even to come inside the temple.

  • - [Narrator] So, in addition to a place of worship,

  • a community center and a wedding venue,

  • the Ganesha Temple serves cuisine authentic to South India

  • and is open to the public.

  • And the food is pretty fantastic.

  • Just ask the New York Times, or New York Magazine,

  • or Anthony Bourdain.

  • - [Anthony] This is delicious.

  • - [Uma] It's not easy to find our Indian food everywhere

  • around the corners, so people come

  • to find authentic Indian food.

  • - [Narrator] Okay, so if you don't know anything

  • about South Indian food, here are some of the must-haves.

  • There's vada.

  • - [Uma] I always called it salty donuts.

  • - [Narrator] Idli.

  • - [Uma] It is nothing but puffed rice.

  • - [Narrator] Sambar.

  • - [Uma] It is made of lentils.

  • Very healthy.

  • - [Narrator] And most notably, dosas.

  • - [Uma] There are at least about eight or nine

  • kinds of dosas.

  • It consists of dough, and there is a filling inside.

  • We have authentic Indian cooks.

  • In our Hinduism we strongly believe,

  • without the offering of food to the deities

  • our prayer is incomplete, and that's how it really started.

  • But I think when you go to a canteen or a restaurant,

  • you want to enjoy your food.

  • We want to make sure that whether it is a Hindu

  • or a non-Hindu, should be able to enjoy the food.

  • Who cares really whether it is

  • an Indian restaurant or a non-Indian restaurant,

  • you just want to go and eat food.

  • - [Narrator] So the next time you're hungry in Queens,

  • try the temple.

- [Narrator] On the surface,the Ganesha Temple in Queens

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