Editor’s note: This story is one in a series the Star is doing on ethnic grocery stores in the Old Pueblo.
Idli batter, Baingan bharta, Punjabi Khadi, Chatpate Chole, Mopleez Kaju Katli, Uncooked Phulka, Deep Paneer Makhani, Chappli Kabab, Haldiram Rasmalai, Aloo Puri — the names of ready-to-eat foods alone could intimidate someone uninitiated in the art of Indian cooking.
But spend just a few minutes chatting with Sukanya Bhat, owner of India Dukaan, a midtown specialty market, and she will convince even culinary cowards they can prepare exotic Indian delicacies from scratch with no trouble at all. The key to Indian cooking is simple: “when they say fry the onions to golden brown, you need to fry them to golden brown or else you get the raw onion smell. And fry the spices until you get the aroma. It is time consuming, but healthy for you.”
For members of Tucson’s Indian community and others familiar with the country’s aromatic cuisine, India Dukaan is more than a well-stocked market, it serves as a community center where shoppers can connect to find housing, child care, health care practitioners and other services, including Ayurveda, the traditional Hindu system of medicine, which is based on the idea of balancing bodily systems through diet, herbal treatment and breathing exercises.
“We have a very small Indian community in Tucson and I wanted to connect people here, help people,” Sukanya said. “I wanted people to have healthy food. That was my main goal. I think the food brings people together. Most people who come here are friendly, so it’s easy to work here.”
She opened her market in 2004. Most days she can be found greeting shoppers, recommending recipes and stocking shelves. On the weekends, her husband, Ravi Bhat, a computer professional, helps out. The couple doubled the size of their small store two years ago to keep up with customer demand.
“We try our best to get it in all the popular brands in India,” Ravi said.
India Dukaan offers staples of Indian cooking, including grains, spices and dairy products such as paneer. Fresh produce is available Wednesdays through Saturdays. Spice mixtures, called masalas, are available for a variety of Indian dishes. There are snack foods and refrigerated and frozen entrees and side dishes, as well.
For easy shopping, the Bhats’ store is divided into three categories: lentils and whole spices from scratch, spice mixes and foods ready to eat.
Customer service is a hallmark of the Bhats’ business. Sukanya’s grandfather and great-grandfather were grocers in India. Her great-grandfather started his store in Mangalore, India, in the early 1900s. When World War I broke out, many customers did not have the money to buy more than a day’s worth of food at a time. Each day, Sukanya’s great-grandfather measured the same small portions of rice and lentils and spices for the same customers so they could eat for one more day.
“He was known for his customer service. He had the patience to measure everything,” she said.
Sukanya’s other role model, her grandfather, went into the wholesale food business.
“He was an honest guy, hard working. He took care of his family,” she said.
Her family still runs a grocery business in India.
