Heena Chopra has been on a nonstop mission to bring her brand of Northern Indian fare to enthusiastic fans.
Earlier this fall, she opened Maaji’s Street Kitchen for pickup during the week. Chopra’s also canvassed area grocery stores to allow customers to sample her cuisine. And she is proceeding with plans for a food truck, which she hopes to have operational soon.
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The restaurant is tucked away in a strip mall beneath a large sign that reads “Water Center” on North Lindbergh. Don’t go looking for it in the next space in the mall, which hosts a Spanish-language Evangelical service. And don’t go after 6:30 p.m.—this is primarily a lunchtime destination or a place to pick up dinner on the way home.
The menu’s short. If you have any experience with Indian cuisine, you’ll recognize most, if not all, of what Chopra offers. Dal masala is a rich stew of lentils, chopped onions, and tomatoes that’s brought to spicy life with cumin, coriander, and a mélange of other magic ingredients with beguiling aromas. Curry leaves, garlic, and chiles flavor an aloo potato masala. Gobi masala (pictured at right) features cauliflower.
Muter paneer (lead photo above) is another familiar dish, with the tofu-like cheese cubes in a sauce with peas. Chicken curry uses shredded meat, exactly like a pulled chicken dish, steeped in a curry sauce with enough heat to get your attention but far from overwhelming.
Chopra, who’s originally from New Delhi, learned to cook from her mother. (“Maaji” is the Hindi word for mother.) The fare is almost entirely Northern Indian with the notable exception of a Southern Indian specialty, thayir sadam, or curd rice. It’s rice cooked with extra water to make it soft, then yogurt added to provide a smooth creaminess. Regular long grain basmati rice is another side. You should also order the parantha bread‚ the most popular flatbread all over not only Northern India but also over much of Asia. Maaji’s version is particularly wonderful.
And while the restaurant specializes in Northern Indian cuisine, it’s prepared with the palates of Westerners in mind. The spice level is toned down—the aforementioned dal masala packs the most punch. Chopra’s version, incidentally, includes a mixture of both yellow and red lentils.
“My mother made it with either but never with both,” Chopra says, “except on those days when she ran short. Then she mixed them.” As a child, Chopra was partial to the combination, and that’s the way she makes it now. Ever have a chicken curry dish where the chicken was shredded? Didn’t think so. It’s good, extremely flavorful, but the texture will surprise you.
Often, paratha in local restaurants is indistinguishable from roti bread, which is soft and chewy. Here, though, there’s a crispiness and a tender, elastic crumb that elevates Maaji’s bread. It tastes as if the kitchen is using sooji (semolina flour) and ghee, adding a smoky luster to the bread. A couple of these big rounds (there are plain and onion-flavored versions) and a tub of Maaji’s mint chutney for dipping are absolute musts.
Combinations of all the curries and masalas are available, along with rice and paratha. Desserts are some of the usual, sweet balls of gulab jamon in rosewater; rasgula spheres of dough made with whey and soaked in a sugary syrup; and slender diamond squares of kaju katli, a dessert made of ground cashews with cardamom and sugar that melts in your mouth.
For what appears to be a nearly one-woman operation, service is smooth and efficient, and the food is nicely packed in heavy paper cups. It’s a good place to call in your order, particularly if it’s a big one.
Chopra notes that she eventually intends to make this location a commissary for her food truck. After a visit here, you’ll hope that she’ll not only keep the place open for takeout but also consider opening a sit-down restaurant. She could call it Maaji’s Water Center.
