Indira Shelat: The Guru of Indian Cuisine

Deborah Phelps is a seeker. She has heard that Indira Shelat knows culinary secrets that could help solve her digestive woes, so she's come from Merrimack to Shelat's place, Food & Fashion of India on Amherst Street – part market, part take-out eatery, part mecca.

"All my life I've had problems. I just want to eat without pain," says Phelps, as she lists her ailments for Shelat, whose innate wisdom feels part sage, part maternal, part Yoda.

She recommends ajwain seeds, for starters, and brewing a ginger root tea.

"You don't want to do anything too drastic," says Shelat. "Start gradually by introducing one thing at a time and see how your body reacts."

Phelps is willing to try, and grateful. She spends less than $5 on the things she's picked up, and says she'll be back.

Shelat gets that a lot.

"People come here looking for ways to improve their health through diet after they get tired of trying all the pills and prescriptions their doctors give them for their aches and pains," Shelat says.

Keith Mayson Sarasin says he's switched to Indian cuisine almost exclusively after a recent bout of diverticulitis, discovering the joy of soaking his own black chick peas, which are full of fiber, and relying on standard Indian spices like turmeric and methi for their healthful – and flavorful– properties. He swears by Shelat's chana masala, or chickpea curry, and has learned to recreate it at home.

Kathy Costa has been a regular for lunch for several years. She works in Academic Affairs at Nashua Community College, which is just across the street from the shop's new location.

"I like it because it's vegetarian and it's healthy," says Costa, who is partial to okra on Thursdays, and the fact that Shelat makes every dish fresh, daily.

Shelat is India, but was raised in Uganda. Her family fled there for London when Idi Amin rose to power in 1972. Shelat came to the United States in 1984, looking to make a better life for her two sons. 

"We traveled all over the U.S. but settled on New Hampshire – it was the place I liked the most," she says. Her style of cooking is more sumptuous and Earth Mother than fussy, or haute cuisine. She cooks strictly vegetarian, and modifies some traditional Indian recipes to avoid deep frying.

She knows the health benefits of every ingredient, and often takes her regular customers up and down the aisles of her compact but abundant grocery store helping them select foods that will nurture their good health.

On this Tuesday she's serving an eggplant and spinach dish for the lunch special, seasoned with the usual onion, garlic, ginger, green chili and turmeric.

"Look up the benefits of turmeric and you will get tired of reading it before you finish," she says of the vivid deep yellow spice that is related to ginger and also comes in root form, but is most often sold as a powder.

For all the healthy options, Shelat does have one vat of indulgence, gulab jamun - which she describes as "sweet balls." They are sort of like Munchkins drenched in syrup, made from mava "milk powder."

"The kids love these," she says. "I have to make them every day."

In addition to take-out meals, Shelat also caters and cooks to order; works one-on-one to help you develop an individual eating plan; tailors authentic Indian garb and does henna body art, known as mehndi. 

She also conducts cooking classes on Saturdays, but classes are full right now, through June.

Her philosophy of food is simple. People should eat to live better, and be conscious of the nutrients they're taking in. If they are suffering from digestive issues, arthritis, aches and pains, headaches or migraines, she can usually recommend some dietary adjustments that help, and keep her customers coming back for more.

"I truly believe we wouldn't need drugs if we would just eat better," Shelat says. 

For a link to the menu or for more information, go to Food & Fashion of India.