• the217
• Food + Drink
• Annapoorna offers mouthwatering Indian items and more

Related Media

Shots of the Indian Grocery Store, located at Neil and Healey Photo by Tanmay Chowdhary

• See Slideshow (4 images)

Owner Rekesh Handa stands apart from many business owners. He greets every customer in the same way — with a smiling face and an eagerness to help his customers learn to love Indian cuisine. Handa is the proud owner of Annapoorna Stores, an Indian grocery store located at 505 S. Neil St., Champaign. This ethnic grocery store goes beyond traditional Indian groceries; it offers video rentals in regional Indian languages as well as a fresh vegetable delivery from Chicago every Thursday.

Handa explained, “You do not need to buy all the spices from A to Z to be able to enjoy and cook Indian food.”

He advises customers to start with the section of frozen and pre-pared meals.

“Then, when you get into Indian cooking, buy our spice mixes,” he said.

One kind of boxed meal is Haldiram’s Minute Khana, which sells for an average of two dollars. If you mix this pre-prepared meal with instant rice, you can cook some Indian cuisine in less than five minutes. Also, Handa’s store carries over 60 different kinds of ready-to-eat meals, which, after doing some math, is over two months’ worth of dinners, without leftovers.

“Ready-to-eat meals are most popular with students and families, and people that are visiting the Champaign-Urbana area,” said Handa.

I decided to sample one of these boxed meals, a delicious blend of spices filled my senses, and it tasted better than most boxed meals I have purchased at traditional grocery stores. Guy Grant, an Annapoorna customer, said, “You use taste buds you didn’t even know you had.” Many frozen breads are available, which you simply heat up and enjoy as a side to any dish. The bread is similar to a pita. If you try the pre-prepared meals and enjoy them Handa recommends buying the spice mixes, around $1.49 per box. You can add these spice mixes to meat or vegetables, and every box has a recipe on the back.

Annaporna also receives a shipment of fresh produce weekly. Every Thursday evening, perfectly ripe popular Indian vegetables arrive at the store, including okra, bitter guard and Indian eggplant.

“The vegetables are delivered from Chicago, and they come from all over the world,” said Handa. The produce is usually sold by Saturday and Sunday. However, Annapoorna also carries frozen produce which are available throughout the week.

When you shop, don’t forget your video rental. It is $20 to set up an account, which is eventually refunded when you close the account. DVD rentals are $2.00 a week and if you spend $10 or more on groceries, your DVD rental is free. Videos and DVDs are available in four different Indian Languages.

Annapoorna offers a wide selection of teas, pickles, noodles, rice, lentils, Indian cookies, snacks and much more. An entire section of the traditional Indian spices are available as well. The aisles are endless, and you do not need to be familiar with Indian cuisine to venture inside and try something new.

“The prices are reasonable, the food is fresh and always good,” said Grant.