Food & Dining: Delicious Desi Food on Wheels
If you are in the mood for some bold flavor at a college campus or an event in metro Atlanta, and you happen to spot this orange food truck with a big circular logo depicting a bearded chef, rush over to it.
[Left] We have come a long way from having hardly any choice for quality Indian restaurants in town to now having yummy Indian food parading around town on wheels.
I first came across the Spicy Desi food truck promising “yummy food on the go” while attending a Diwali Mela in Marietta. After walking around the festivities, the fragrance of hot chai and samosa drew me toward the truck on a crisp fall evening. Though I am generally wary of food truck cooking, on this particular occasion, I decided to give it a try. The samosa was quite fresh, with a flaky, crisp dough, and the stuffing of potatoes and peas had just the right level of masala. It paired well with the desi masala chai.
It was getting to be about dinner time, so I decided to try a few other things. I know I was stretching my appetite, but how often do I see an Indian food truck in my neighborhood? My gluttony was well rewarded. The chicken tikka kathi roll had tender shreds of peppery chicken wrapped in flaky, warm paratha.
It was topped with sliced onions and came with a side of homemade mint chutney. The Gobi 65 was a bit fiery though the pieces of cauliflower florets, dipped in flour and fried crisp, made for a nice shareable snack. Fried bright-red chicken 65 nuggets were also hot and spicy.
[Right] Prathivind Bejgum, a software architect by profession and a restaurateur by passion, wanted to open an Indian eatery with low investment, which was also mobile and easily expandable.
The chili chicken momos reminded me of my time as a student. We often went to watch Bollywood movies at the theaters and ended up gathering around the street vendors outside to eat fresh and affordable momos, chatting for hours. The ones at Spicy Desi had soft dumplings stuffed with fiery minced chicken and more chili sauce to top it off. All of the dishes at Spicy Desi are, in fact, “spicy”—which makes them stand out from other eateries that often tone down original recipes.
Just like I was, many students, corporate executives, shoppers, and passersby have been gripped by Spicy Desi’s attractive displays and delightful scents. The first Spicy Desi food truck opened in 2023. It now has three trucks around Atlanta, and more are on their way: at UGA in Athens, Georgia, as well as in Dallas, Chicago, and Louisiana.
The food was fresh and tasty. Seen here is a rice and paneer bowl (below) and tandoori chicken (left)
Food trucks are on the rise for tacos, burgers, BBQ, and so much more. I have seen Indian food trucks in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Houston, and Boston, but it’s still hard to spot one in the Atlanta area.
Low wait times and budget-friendly prices make food trucks a more attractive lunch option when you are on the go. Sit-down restaurants can be expensive for students and many others, especially when you add the service charges. It is also hard to find good Indian food at most university cafeterias. Indian street foods and snacks like tikka and pulao bowls, kathi rolls, momos, and beverages like Indian chai and mango lassi are gaining popularity among mainstream diners. Americans think of Indian food as spicy, so why not capitalize on it?
Modern Day Hawker
Spicy Desi is the brainchild of Prathivind Bejgum, a software architect by profession and a restaurateur by passion. The Hyderabad native studied computer science and started his career by working in call centers and IT consulting, but his heart had always been in business. He has been working since childhood, helping with invoicing and customer care in companies owned by his cousins and uncles. Having dreamt of starting a restaurant or coffee shop someday, his full-time job and family responsibilities did not prevent him from volunteering at a friend’s rest-aurant to understand how the business works.
Once Bejgum felt that he had aced his restauranter skills, he opened a franchise of Godavari South Indian restaurant in Alpharetta in 2017. Even though the restaurant did not survive the Covid pandemic, he was still eager to continue in the food business. That’s when his partner, Prasad Renati, approached him with an idea tocollaborate on a food truck. They designed the logo—a chef with a tikka and a bowl—and created an innovative business plan that could survive the next pandemic. The idea was to open an Indian eatery with low investment, which was also mobile and easily expandable.
[Left] Long lines at the Spicy Desi Food Truck.
Unlike a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant, managing a food truck involves only a few aspects. Spicy Desi keeps the operations minimal by prepping the food in a central kitchen, marinating three to four base proteins that are offered in multiple forms. For example, the same chicken tikka can be served as an appetizer, diced in a rice bowl, or shredded to stuff a roll. Similarly, chhole are used in samosa chaat, pani puri, and chhole parantha. Everything is still fresh and flavorful, but the streamlined operations make it quick and easy to serve as many as 1,000 people in a day from each truck.
Mobile Indian Gastronomy
Spicy Desi trucks go anywhere requested. They are at schools, birthday parties, neighborhood gatherings, and private events. To order a Spicy Desi truck for a private event, you need to commit to a minimum of $1,000 in food purchases. The truck serves guests for 4-5 hours, and menus can be customized. Most recently, they have been spotted at Atlanta International School, Emory University, and Delta Air Lines campuses. They are also always at the Kismet Lounge in Johns Creek. To find out where to visit a Spicy Desi food truck near you, simply visit their website or social media pages, as the schedule changes constantly.
Sucheta Rawal is an award-winning food and travel writer who has traveled to over 120 countries across seven continents, experiencing the world through her palate. She inspires people to travel more meaningfully and sustainably through her nonprofit, Go Eat Give, and her books, Beato Goes To. Find her on social @SuchetaRawal.
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