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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 3, 2007

TAMPA PALMS - India is half a world away, but the foods and, more importantly, the spices of that region of Asia are close at hand.

From soup to nuts, the Spices of India Grocery carries everything for a quick-fix microwavable lunch or a made-from-scratch, full-course meal.

"I've had very good response," said New Tampa resident Hinal Shingala, owner of the grocery marking its first anniversary this month.

"As a business owner, I feel very proud to live in a community where everybody supports each other," she said. "We have a big Indian community," but "loyal customers" of all races include vegetarians and others who have discovered Indian cuisine.

It's common for a customer to arrive, recipe in hand, seeking help finding ingredients and, perhaps, advice from the proprietor, a native of Gujarat, India, and a trained dietitian.

"Thanks to the Internet, everyone comes up with recipes" for Indian dishes they have sampled at a restaurant or otherwise think they would enjoy, Shingala said. Even if some ingredients sound, well, a little foreign, no problem. "They can come here and get it," Shingala said.

The store even sells Indian DVDs and CDs, and Shingala plans to add a line of traditional clothing she has created.

Food is king. The grocery stocks a variety of dried, fresh and frozen foods. The large line of unprocessed beans from India is especially popular among vegetarians who find them a great source of protein, Shingala said.

The store sells 10 varieties of aged Indian basmati rice - each with a different aroma - in 10- and 20-pound sacks.

For those who prefer the regional diet of northern India - where Shingala was born - the store stocks an equal number of varieties of wheat flour. "In India, we use the wheat bread every day," she said.

The store carries foods for every level of experience - or enthusiasm. If, for example, a customer wants to make nan, a popular Indian flatbread similar to pita, Spices of India Grocery provides three options.

Do-it-yourselfers can buy the flour, yeast and yogurt and bake it from scratch. A middle-ground approach would be to buy the bread mix. For a quick fix, the store offers frozen bread, ready to heat in the oven or toaster.

The store sells two lines of ready-to-cook mixes for popular Indian dishes such as butter chicken. Add a half-pound of chicken and follow the simple directions on the box.

Sam Ksun is among the regular customers happy to have an Indian grocery in the neighborhood. It's especially convenient for Ksun, owner and operator of Thai Ruby, one of four Asian restaurants that share the Shoppes of Amberly plaza with Spices of India.

"We get something here all the time," Ksun said as he bought fresh vegetables from the selection that includes such items as okra, chili peppers, curry leaves, Medjool dates and ginger. "Everything is nice here, and it's clean. They're really nice people, too."

Shingala and her husband, Mahesh, came to Richmond Place seven years ago from Carrollwood, where they moved after tiring of the winters in Albany, N.Y. They have a son, Kishan, 13, and a daughter, Janki, 11.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Spices of India Grocery

WHERE: 15343 Amberly Drive (Shoppes of Amberly)

WHEN: Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday

INFORMATION: Call (813) 971-9131 or e-mail spices _of_india@hotmail.com.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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