Served from a small kitchen shared with two sister operations, Bombay Spice and Desi Wok, this Gujarati mini thali (lunch special, $5.99) offered good value if not the most elaborate preparation or accompaniments. Compare, for example, the pale yellow rice-and-lentil kichdi with the khichuri (one of many spellings) at Neerob, in the Bronx.
Also shown: a potato-heavy subzi, or vegetable curry; mixed pickles and raw onion; kadhi, a thin, sweet-and-sour buttermilk soup; raita; puri; and a reminder of a long-ago school lunch.
Desi Dhaba
Inside Desi Galaxy, 1396 Oak Tree Rd., Iselin, New Jersey
732-283-1097
