Curry take-out in a hurry
Gas station serves up Indian food
By IZZI BENDALL
Managing Editor

I love Indian food, but I have never been able to make it. I’ve attempted to make naan (a fluffy bread) in a George Foreman grill (don’t ask), and no matter which recipe I follow or how many times I try it, my versions of aloo gobi (a potato and cauliflower curry) always turn into yellow mush.

When I told this to Sukesh Arora, the owner of the BP gas station next to I-94 on Eaton Street, he wasn’t too surprised.

“A lot of practice is required for that one,” Arora said. “For anything, you need practice.”

Arora, who moved from New Delhi, India, to the United States about eight years ago, recently remodeled his gas station to include not only a branch of Chester’s Fried Chicken, but also an Indian restaurant called Punjabi (Punjabi is also language spoken in the state of Punjab, where, according to Arora, his grandparents are from).

Until Arora opened Punjabi, the nearest Indian restaurant was a 49-minute drive to Saffron Indian Cuisine in Kalamazoo.

“Basically, I wanted to do something different,” Arora said. “There (were no Indian restaurants) in Albion.”

Three months since its opening, Punjabi has a rotating menu. Arora, who also prepares the food, said that there are always two options for vegetarian main dishes and two options for non-vegetarian. A platter consisting of rice, one main course, salad and dessert costs $5.99 for the vegetarian and $6.99 for the non-vegetarian.

According to Arora, one of the non-vegetarian courses is usually spicy. In fact, Arora uses about 12 to 15 different spices to make one dish, from salt to red chili to garam marsala.

“Indian food is a combination of so many different spices,” Arora said. “(But) some people don’t want spicy...we work with that.”

 Jim Gage, Novi senior, encourages people to try Punjabi. Gage ate at Punjabi the first week during the fall semester, after he and his friends saw the Punjabi sign when coming off the expressway.

“It’s pretty good,” said Gage. “(Indian food) might seem a little strange at first, but it’s worth trying.”

According to Arora, once more people are familiar with Punjabi, he plans to expand the restaurant so that they will do delivery orders.

Currently, the combination gas station, convenience store and restaurant has two double-seating tables.

If the restaurant gets a good response, Arora said he will consider increasing the seating capacity.