(upbeat, jazzy music)
- So, we're going to Raja Sweets in the heart
of the Mahatma Gandhi District here in Houston,
but, before that,
we're gonna go check out this super cool spot.
It's a mandir, the first one in the country.
Thirty-three thousand pieces that was first assembled
in India and then kind of built like a Lego set right
in the middle of Houston.
Look at that.
That's no joke, man.
Raja Sweets was the first Indian Restaurant to open here
in Houston, back in 1986, by the Gahunia family.
Today, Sharan is keeping her father's legacy alive,
alongside her mother, by bringing Indian flavors
of their homeland to the people of Texas.
- [Sharan] My dad's motto was bring the streets of India
to Hillcroft, so we make food the way you would find it
in India, you know?
You know you're in different country for, like,
a better life or for work purpose, but you wanna be able
to feel at home and, when people come here,
that's what they feel.
It's a feeling of, okay, we're home.
My parents migrated from London,
landed in the United States.
They picked Cleveland.
(Sheldon laughs)
And too cold there, as well.
He was like, oh my God, it snows and it's way too cold.
So, then, he was like, I'm just gonna go far south
as possible and he landed in Houston, Texas.
- Houston's pretty far south as you can get.
- Yeah, exactly.
Landed in Houston
and he realized there's not a big gathering place
where Indian people can go, like during Diwali and Ramadan.
So, he was like I want a place
where the community can get together.
We have a sari store and a jewelry store,
but no Indian restaurant.
You know, there's no other place here
that makes fresh sweets from scratch.
Everything's frozen, coming in from New York
or coming in from India.
So, that's where the idea came up
- That's amazing.
- for Raja Sweets.
- So, this area is called Hillcroft?
- It's called Little India.
The City of Houston gave us our own proclamation
and it officially got named as the Mahatma Gandhi District.
Three business were in the early 80s Indian
and Pakistani businesses.
Now, we have over 65.
So, jalebi is a very popular dessert back home.
They're literally like little funnel cake.
Flour, a little bit of baking soda.
Everything that they make, they make by hand and fresh.
(upbeat, funky music)
And then, the sugars in that are in the syrup.
On a daily basis, they make fifty pounds.
- A lot of flick of the wrist, ah?
Okay, just gather up like this?
- Yeah.
(Sharan and Sheldon laugh)
- I ain't got the flick of the wrist like you do.
I made those special, just for you.
(laughter)
- So, ras gulab is like a cheese- and milk-based dessert.
So, they actually boil the milk and then, once it's boiled,
they take it to get cooled and they add a little bit
of vinegar to it and then it makes this texture.
- [Sheldon] It has the feeling of, like, ricotta.
And then, each one by hand.
Unko, yeah, the feeling, ah?
- Yeah.
- No even need, no
- No, no, no. - No scale?
- No, no scale.
- That's for amateurs.
- Yeah.
(Sharan laughs)
- Little India feels like home?
- Oh, yeah.
- [Sharan] So, wives work in the front.
The uncles work in the back.
- [Sheldon] Family-operated restaurant.
(upbeat, jazzy music)
- [Sharan] Raja means king.
Raja Sweets is like King Sweets, you know?
- King Sweets.
Coming to the right spot then.
- So these are all made by hand
and they're different flavors.
Some have almond.
Some have pistachios.
This one's made from chickpeas flour and sugar.
One of my good favorites.
Actually tastes like peanut butter brittle.
- Mom, what's your favorite?
- Jooli.
- The jooli, yeah.
- And this one.
- I like the crunchiness of that.
You made it!
- I know, I made it!
Where's mine's one?
Let me see if it's in there.
That's like crunchy, sticky, and gooey.
It gets all over your fingers.
- That's very old traditional, like more than 500 years
in India.
- [Sharan] So, that's grinded chickpeas flour.
- Oh, man, that's delicious.
- We make a food, also, like, homemade food, you know?
One of our customer, he come everyday.
- [Sheldon] Every single day?
- Every single day.
- That's dedication.
How many years has he been coming?
- Last
- Last 10, 12 years.
(Sheldon laughs)
Yeah.
Every day.
- [Sharan] Because you always want to be able to connect
to your roots and your culture and where you're from.
- [Sheldon] What was your thought
when your husband said I'm going to America?
- Open, big country.
It's better life.
- When my parents did land here, they had literally,
I think my dad had $20,
'cause he had lost all his savings from London,
closing that restaurant and then opening it in Cleveland.
They saved up for six years?
- No, four years, four years.
- Four years.
She worked at Dunkin' Donuts.
- Yeah.
- That was her job. - For one year.
In the nighttime.
Because my children is small.
(Sheldon laughs)
- He worked at Burger King.
He was a manager at Burger King.
In their minds,
they were like we're gonna achieve the American dream,
which is being successful in America,
because there's so much opportunity
and then we were first, longest-running Indian restaurant
in Texas now.
- Thirty-one years.
- On April 20th, yeah.
- So back in 2002, your dad passed away.
- [Sharan] Yes.
It was hard.
But we wanted to keep his legacy alive.
- What type of man was he?
- He was very good.
He was very active in the community, you know.
- Very strict with you guys?
- Yeah, he was pretty strict. - Yeah, he was.
(Sheldon laughs)
And he's a very outgoing personality.
Very charming.
Everybody that would come in, he would just make friends
with them. - Yeah.
And you would say, sit down,
have tea. - Sit down, eat.
- You know, eat what you want.
- Let's feed them.
(laughs)
- He would give away so much free stuff.
Then, after he passed, he wasn't able
to see the city proclaim it is Mahatma Gandhi District,
but he came up with the idea.
Him and the other two, the one that owns the sari place
and the jewelry place. - [Sheldon] Yeah.
- [Sharan] It was their idea.
Like, let's make this home.
(upbeat music)
- Well, that's amazing what your father did.
- Yeah, he did.
- [Sheldon] He was kind of like the founding father of,
you know, Indian food here in Houston.
(Sheldon laughs)
(rock music)
- Welcome to Houston.
(Sheldon laughs)