The latest articles on DEV Community by Ujjwal Kumar (@uxzwal). https://dev.to/uxzwal https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1322214%2F50d4e5b3-a521-4d53-a16a-2ef96501af18.png https://dev.to/uxzwal en Ujjwal Kumar Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:40:17 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/menu-sahayak-instant-allergen-insights-for-indian-restaurant-menus-powered-by-llama-33-3mla https://dev.to/uxzwal/menu-sahayak-instant-allergen-insights-for-indian-restaurant-menus-powered-by-llama-33-3mla <p><em>This is a submission for the <a href="https://dev.to/challenges/hacktoberfest-week2-2026-10-12">Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 2: Side Hustle</a></em></p> <h2> What I Built </h2> <p><strong>Menu-Sahayak</strong> is a lightweight web app that analyzes Indian restaurant menus and flags likely allergens per dish. </p> <p>Tourists with food allergies often struggle to read Hindi or regional-language menus. Generic translation tools will tell you what "Chole Bhature" means, but they won't tell you it contains gluten and dairy. Menu-Sahayak bridges that gap. Paste a menu, and instantly get dish names alongside clear allergen tags (dairy, nuts, gluten, eggs, soy) and a practical safety note for each item.</p> <p>It solves a very real, high-stakes problem for travelers and locals alike, making dining out safer and stress-free.</p> <h2> Demo </h2> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F4243yfk5nts2dc0fw4j0.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F4243yfk5nts2dc0fw4j0.png" alt=" " width="800" height="533"></a></p> <p>Here is a quick look at the interface:<br> <em>(Apna screenshot yahan upload karein — DEV editor mein image icon par click karke)</em></p> <h2> Code </h2> <div class="ltag-github-readme-tag"> <div class="readme-overview"> <h2> <img src="https://assets.dev.to/assets/github-logo-5a155e1f9a670af7944dd5e12375bc76ed542ea80224905ecaf878b9157cdefc.svg" alt="GitHub logo"> <a href="https://github.com/uxzwal" rel="noopener noreferrer"> uxzwal </a> / <a href="https://github.com/uxzwal/Menu-Sahayak" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Menu-Sahayak </a> </h2> <h3> </h3> </div> <div class="ltag-github-body"> <div id="readme" class="md"><div class="markdown-heading"> <h1 class="heading-element">Allergen Lens — Menu Allergen Checker for Indian Restaurants</h1> </div> <p>A lightweight Gradio app that analyzes Indian restaurant menu items and flags <strong>likely allergens</strong> per dish.</p> <p>Powered by <strong>Llama 3.3 70B (open-weight)</strong> via <a href="https://groq.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Groq</a>.</p> <div class="markdown-heading"> <h2 class="heading-element">What it does</h2> </div> <p>Paste menu items (one dish per line), and the app returns a numbered list with:</p> <ul> <li>dish name</li> <li>likely allergens from: dairy, nuts, gluten, eggs, soy</li> <li>one concise safety note</li> </ul> <p>The model is instructed to avoid unsupported certainty: allergens are marked as likely/possible based on common preparation, and users should verify with restaurant staff for severe allergies.</p> <div class="markdown-heading"> <h2 class="heading-element">Why this is useful</h2> </div> <p>Tourists with allergies may struggle to read Hindi or regional-language menus. This tool provides quick, practical allergen guidance dish-by-dish.</p> <div class="markdown-heading"> <h2 class="heading-element">Setup</h2> </div> <ol> <li>Clone this repository.</li> <li>Install dependencies: <div class="highlight highlight-source-shell notranslate position-relative overflow-auto js-code-highlight"> <pre>pip install -r menu-sahayak/requirements.txt</pre> </div> </li> <li>Create env file: <div class="highlight highlight-source-shell notranslate position-relative overflow-auto js-code-highlight"> <pre>cp menu-sahayak/.env.example menu-sahayak/.env</pre> </div> </li> <li>Add your Groq API key in <code>menu-sahayak/.env</code>: <div class="highlight highlight-source-shell notranslate position-relative overflow-auto js-code-highlight"> <pre>GROQ_API_KEY=your_key_here</pre> </div> </li> <li>Run: <div class="highlight highlight-source-shell notranslate position-relative overflow-auto js-code-highlight"> <pre><span class="pl-c1">cd</span> menu-sahayak python app.py</pre> </div> </li> </ol> <p>Get a free Groq…</p></div> </div> <div class="gh-btn-container"><a class="gh-btn" href="https://github.com/uxzwal/Menu-Sahayak" rel="noopener noreferrer">View on GitHub</a></div> </div> <h2> How I Built It </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Model:</strong> Llama 3.3 70B (open-weight) served via Groq's fast inference API.</li> <li> <strong>Frontend/UI:</strong> Python + Gradio (customized theme for a clean, mobile-friendly dashboard feel).</li> <li> <strong>The Core Logic:</strong> The app streams the response from the model and uses a highly specific system prompt to force the model into an "Allergen Analyst" persona. Instead of creative writing, it outputs structured, numbered allergen lists.</li> <li> <strong>Error Handling:</strong> Built-in graceful fallbacks for missing API keys, rate limits, and empty inputs.</li> </ul> <h2> Why Does Open Innovation Matter? </h2> <p>I chose <strong>Llama 3.3 70B (open-weight)</strong> over a closed API because:</p> <ol> <li> <strong>Cost-Effective for a Side Hustle:</strong> Groq's generous free tier makes this app <strong>₹0 to run</strong>. A closed model with similar reasoning capabilities would charge per token, eating into the thin margins of a side project.</li> <li> <strong>Model Swap Freedom:</strong> Because the logic is built around an open-weight model, I am not locked into one provider. If I want to swap Llama for Qwen or Gemma tomorrow to improve allergy detection, it's a one-line change.</li> <li> <strong>Transparency and Control:</strong> Open weights mean I know exactly what is processing the user's input. For an app dealing with <em>health and dietary safety</em>, this transparency is crucial.</li> </ol> <p>The open pieces aren't just a buzzword here — the entire product is built around an accessible, open-weight model that I can control, prompt, and eventually self-host if needed.</p> <h2> Prize Categories </h2> <p>Overall Side Hustle Challenge Entry.</p> <h2> #devchallenge #hf26challenge #opensource #ai #llama #python #sidehustle </h2> devchallenge hf26challenge opensource ai Ujjwal Kumar Wed, 27 May 2026 10:11:08 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/built-deployed-my-new-3d-devops-portfolio-tech-stack-react-vite-tailwind-css-15n8 https://dev.to/uxzwal/built-deployed-my-new-3d-devops-portfolio-tech-stack-react-vite-tailwind-css-15n8 devops frontend react showdev Ujjwal Kumar Tue, 19 Mar 2024 11:39:52 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/happy-holi-59p0 https://dev.to/uxzwal/happy-holi-59p0 <p>Check out this Pen I made!</p> <p><iframe height="600" src="https://codepen.io/you_jjwal/embed/poBRLNj?height=600&amp;default-tab=result&amp;embed-version=2"> </iframe> </p> codepen Ujjwal Kumar Mon, 18 Mar 2024 14:10:14 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/neon-name-tagline-1nal https://dev.to/uxzwal/neon-name-tagline-1nal <p>Check out this Pen I made!</p> <p><iframe height="600" src="https://codepen.io/you_jjwal/embed/PogWqKe?height=600&amp;default-tab=result&amp;embed-version=2"> </iframe> </p> codepen Ujjwal Kumar Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:57:10 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/my-pen-on-codepen-186 https://dev.to/uxzwal/my-pen-on-codepen-186 <p>Check out this Pen I made!</p> <p><iframe height="600" src="https://codepen.io/you_jjwal/embed/OJGWVyz?height=600&amp;default-tab=result&amp;embed-version=2"> </iframe> </p> codepen Ujjwal Kumar Tue, 05 Mar 2024 13:23:30 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/bad-panda-2dmj https://dev.to/uxzwal/bad-panda-2dmj <p>Check out this Pen I made!</p> <p><iframe height="600" src="https://codepen.io/you_jjwal/embed/poBJZaM?height=600&amp;default-tab=result&amp;embed-version=2"> </iframe> </p> codepen Ujjwal Kumar Tue, 05 Mar 2024 13:21:19 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/calculator-2pcd https://dev.to/uxzwal/calculator-2pcd <p>Check out this Pen I made!</p> <p><iframe height="600" src="https://codepen.io/you_jjwal/embed/bGJdjQJ?height=600&amp;default-tab=result&amp;embed-version=2"> </iframe> </p> codepen Ujjwal Kumar Sun, 03 Mar 2024 15:15:26 +0000 https://dev.to/uxzwal/battrey-animation-1k62 https://dev.to/uxzwal/battrey-animation-1k62 <p>Check out this Pen I made!</p> <p><iframe height="600" src="https://codepen.io/you_jjwal/embed/GRLgXOR?height=600&amp;default-tab=result&amp;embed-version=2"> </iframe> </p> codepen