The South Portlander: Dining

The Indian Association of Maine has watched its membership grow from a few dozen members to a few hundred.
That increase inspired 38-year-old Mamta Punjabi to open the first and only Indian grocery store in southern Maine: Masala Mahal.
The retail shop, which offers spices, oils, lentils, mango drinks and more, began operating in June at 798 Main St., in the Southside Plaza. “We specialize in Indian spices, Indian lentils and different flours,” said Punjabi. “These are the foods that we grew up with. It feels like home to have them.”
Shoppers can find an abundance of traditional Indian spices—from curry to coriander—but there also are Indian foods with a modern twist—like packaged mango cream cookies, bottled guava juice, fruit lassis (yogurt drinks) and frozen, ready-to-heat breads and meals. The shop attracts Indian customers from as far away as Lewiston and Augusta, but also has many local converts.
Before Masala Mahal opened, the Punjabis were among the Maine customers who drove to Massachusetts for supplies of Indian ingredients to cook traditional meals. An organizer with the Indian Association of Maine said that many families from India move to Maine for jobs in high-tech as computer software engineers. Some of the posts are temporary jobs that may last several months or a couple years.

Comments