ST. ANN, MO.

Maaji’s Street Kitchen cooks up homestyle Northern Indian cuisine in St. Ann

Mabel Suen
May 5, 2022
May 5, 2022 Updated Jul 19, 2022

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A selection of dishes from Maaji’s Street Kitchen: gulab jamun, baked samosas, papdi chaat, aloo masala, matar paneer roll-up, chicken curry, kaju katli and parantha.

Mabel Suen

Aloo masala with potatoes and peppers, served with green chutney over rice.

Mabel Suen

Chicken curry made with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala, pictured here on a platter with parantha and kaju katli, a traditional Northern Indian sweet made with cashews and sugar.

Mabel Suen

Papdi chaat with chole (chickpeas), aloo (potatoes), sev (crunchy noodles), onion, tomato, chutney and yogurt.

Mabel Suen

Matar paneer roll-up on parantha with basmati rice, tomatoes, onion and cilantro chutney.

Mabel Suen

Spiced potato and pea samosas, served with cilantro chutney and date-tamarind chutney.

Mabel Suen

Gulab jamun – fried dough balls soaked in fragrant syrup.

Mabel Suen

Beverage options include soft drinks as well as organic strawberry and mango lassi.

Mabel Suen

Maaji’s Street Kitchen is primarily carryout, but a couple of tables in front of the building offer seating for guests wishing to dine on site.

Mabel Suen

Chef-owner Heena Chopra hopes to introduce her homestyle Indian cuisine to the St. Louis area.

Mabel Suen

Mabel Suen

For a taste of homestyle Northern Indian cuisine, look no further than Maaji’s Street Kitchen in St. Ann, Missouri. The traditional Indian takeout counter debuted last October and features entrées, roll-ups, sides, drinks and desserts made with organic ingredients.

The concept comes from chef-owner Heena Chopra, a native of New Delhi, India, who is on a mission to introduce people to the vibrant flavors of her hometown. After coming to the United States 18 years ago, Chopra has worked numerous serving jobs at area chain restaurants, where she enjoyed sharing her cooking with co-workers between long shifts. With Maaji’s Street Kitchen, she realizes her dream of serving the dishes she grew up with to a larger audience.

“It is so amazing when someone walks in for the first time,” Chopra says. “It’s a big responsibility to introduce people to a part of you and to give them a whole new world of spices. I just hope that everybody who walks in here will be able to find a dish that will become one of their favorites.”

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For Chopra, whose kids call “Maaji,” which translates to “mother,” opening the carryout location is just the first step of her professional culinary journey. The kitchen there will serve as a commissary for a food truck that will tentatively roll out this summer – a goal she has had for many years. Until then, diners can find Chopra’s menu five days a week at the Water Center Plaza in North County.

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Heena Chopra serves traditional Indian recipes.

“This is traditional Indian cuisine. Most of it is made from organic ingredients, a lot of the dishes are vegan and we also have a good selection of gluten-free dishes,” she says. “I wanted to make it the way I eat with my family, so the quality of the ingredients matters.”

From the menu, choose from staples such as baked samosas and a dal masala rice bowl with lentils, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and chutney. For meat eaters, Chopra offers an aromatic Indian chicken curry made with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala. Many dishes are also available in combination platters, as well as in roll-ups on parantha, an Indian flatbread.

Maaji’s Street Kitchen also offers a variety of beverages and desserts. Choose from drinks including mango or strawberry lassi and sweets such as gulab jamun – fried dough balls soaked in fragrant syrup.

Maaji’s Street Kitchen is open Monday through Friday from 11am to 6:30pm.

Maaji’s Street Kitchen, 3324 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Ann, Missouri, 314.395.7173, maajisstreetkitchen.com