Catering to brick-and-mortar store is a common trajectory for chefs, one that Shalini Vaswani followed this year. She grew up in Flushing, Queens, and now has a shop in Industry City, Brooklyn, where she sells her inventive Indian home cooking, mostly to take away. A best seller is gently spiced Masala mac and cheese. Other specialties on her menu include tofu buji, in which tofu replaces cheese; butter chicken (rich but not oily); and saag paneer, made with whatever greens are fresh in the market. For summer she’s adding flattened, ground-lamb chapli kebabs and refreshing tonic drinks. Chutneys and pickles are ready garnishes.
Taza MKT, Building 2, Industry City, 254 36th Street, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, tazamkt.com.
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