How New York City led me to embrace vegetarianism

Jackson Heights in Queens is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the world, with over 160 languages spoken. Photo / NYC Tourism + Conventions
New York is home to myriad celebrated neighbourhoods, but a lesser-known suburb named Jackson Heights is a must-visit for its culinary diversity; to such an extent, its biryani converted Queenie Shaikh into a vegetarian
When you think of New York City, certain foods come to mind: New York-style pizza, bagels, cheesecake. Pop culture has solidified this, with Gossip Girl leading me to Sarabeth’s and Sex and the City introducing me to Magnolia Bakery. But there’s one thing few associate with New York: South Asian cuisine, or dare I say, a “New York-style” biryani.
Manhattan and Brooklyn often steal the spotlight from Queens. Fewer tourists make their way to Jackson Heights, a Queens neighbourhood with over 180,000 residents and more than 160 languages spoken, making it one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world.
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After a week in the Big Apple, I longed for the familiar flavours of home. Walking past street carts offering “home-made biryani” only intensified my cravings. However, with my husband’s vegetarian diet, we often ended up at plant-based restaurants.
Traditional South Asian biryani, known for its Mughal traditions, is often prepared via the dum pukht method — slow-cooked in a sealed pot to tenderise meat and infuse rice with spiced flavours. Though I love biryani, I had been contemplating a switch to vegetarianism. But biryani without meat felt like rice with vegetables — a concept that didn’t sit well with my South Asian roots.
So, when I heard Jackson Heights served the best vegetarian biryani in NYC, I scoffed. As a Londoner, I’d experienced many subpar attempts at this dish — why would New York be different? But curiosity got the better of me, and soon I was on the subway from Grand Central heading to Jackson Heights.
Jackson Heights’ Roosevelt Ave offers a global experience in only 20 blocks. Strolling from Little Colombia to Little India, the sounds of Bollywood music brought back memories of Karachi’s Zainab Market. Elderly women in shalwar kameez haggled over vegetables, while a paan maker prepared betel leaf mouth fresheners.
South Asians settled in Jackson Heights by the 70s, giving birth to “Little India”. Today, it’s celebrated for its culinary diversity. For me, this meant heading to Angel Indian Restaurant for NYC’s famed vegetable biryani.
Since opening in 2019, Angel has become a beloved part of Jackson Heights’ family-run restaurant scene. Chef Amrit Pal Singh named it after his daughter, with the goal of offering high-quality halal Indian vegetarian dishes. Angel is small, with wooden chairs and steel water tumblers complementing the sight of Singh preparing parathas.
“When Covid restrictions were lifted, only five customers were allowed inside at a time,” Singh explained over the roaring kitchen fire. “It was challenging, but once restrictions eased, there was no looking back.”
Although the menu now includes meat-based dishes, I wanted to test its vegetarian appeal. Initially, I complained about the lack of meat, but my husband stepped in and ordered two vegetable dum biryanis.
The biryani arrived in a clay pot sealed with naan dough. Inside, carrots, potatoes, peas, cauliflower, onions and fresh paneer were mixed with saffron and large ginger chunks. The paneer, prepared in house, was soft and crumbly.
Singh explained he had to be “particularly careful” when creating his vegetable biryani, knowing many believed meat-based biryani was better. “I stuck to the basics of traditional dum biryani and applied the same technique to a vegetarian version,” he said.
Expecting the usual vegetable pulao flavours, I was instead greeted by distinct hints of cardamom, fried onions and crushed spices. Each mouthful reminded me of the best biryanis I’ve had at Friday lunches, Eid celebrations and wedding buffets.
“As an Indian, it’s important to preserve my ancestors’ traditions when representing my homeland abroad,” Singh said. “Using the dum method is key to making the perfect vegetable biryani.”
Despite the generous portion size, I licked the pot clean.
“This was … excellent,” I admitted.
“As good as meat?” my husband asked.
“Better,” I confessed. “It’s like eating home-cooked biryani.”
Chef Amrit laughed, saying his customers often shared the same sentiment. “It’s how their mamas would cook.”
What makes biryani authentic, he says, isn’t the meat, but the skill, fresh ingredients and advance preparation. At Angel, everything from the naan dough to the paneer is made in house by expert South Asian chefs. Surrounded by those who truly understand biryani, I found even a vegetarian version can be as satisfying as its meat counterpart.
While many visitors flock to Manhattan’s Michelin-starred South Asian restaurants, Jackson Heights offers the desi experience that many of us grew up with in our kitchens. Back in London, I now seek out South Asian restaurants where chefs create vegetarian biryanis true to their roots ― no preservatives, no boxed masalas and slow-cooked to perfection.
Singh says Angel treats its guests with the same reverence they would show to God. “Atithi devo bhava — that’s how we say it in Sanskrit,” he said as we parted ways. “It means ‘the guest is God’.”
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