Masala Māya, the new Indian takeout concept by chef Vikram Garg, just launched about two weeks ago. It's a separate concept from Umi by Vikram Garg, the restaurant located at Halepuna Waikīkī; dishes featured on Masala Māya's menu cannot be ordered at Umi.
“We don’t want to mix Umi and Masala Māya together; this (the Masala Māya menu) is something that you take to your home,” explains Vikram Garg, chef and founder of Masala Māya. “You have really fine food in the privacy (of your home).
“I cook Indian food once in a blue moon; I decided to do it for takeout,” he adds.
Garg explains that ‘masala’ refers to the centuries-old art of blending spices, while ‘maya’ means ‘enigma,’ ‘mystical’ or ‘magic.’
“It’s the magic of spices; that’s what the concept is,” he says. “There are no set recipes; it’s tradition that families pass down. You learn from your grandfather or mother.”
The menu features a variety of main dishes, set meals, bread and rice, side dishes and beverages. Masala Māya's menu is available from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays.
Main dishes include chicken curry ($19.95), pork vindaloo ($19.95), Daal Makhani ($19.95), Keema Matar ($19.95), Goan shrimp curry ($24.95), and lamb rogan josh ($29.95). Vegan-friendly options like palak makai ($19.95) are also available.
The chicken curry — featuring organic chicken thighs in a tomato-onion gravy with Northern spices — and lamb rogan josh are expected to be customer favorites. The latter features a 12-ounce lamb shank with Kashmiri chili, yogurt and fennel.
“That’s a whole lamb shank which is braised with fennel,” Garg says. “Chicken curry is a very subjective term when it comes to India. When you drive around the country, there are little roadside stalls; these people have their own style of cooking, a very country style of making a dish. This chicken curry is what I put on the menu instead of butter chicken or chicken tikka masala. It’s very simply made, country style, and that’s one of my favorites, in terms of what I want to eat every day.”
Dal Makhani comprises black lentils with butter, fenugreek and ginger.
“The lentils are cooked for 48 hours minimum,” Garg says. “It’s got ginger and chilies; it’s very simple.”
He explains the history behind Dal Makhani.
“There used to be community kitchens,” he says. “When men would go for war, they would come back and they were hungry. There was a big oven pot in the middle of the village; they would have these lentils, stew it for days, and keep adding to it. They would have a bowl of lentils and they would crush onions with it. Dal Makhani is a warrior food — it’s high in protein, it’s nourishing and it’s pretty heavy. It takes about 48 hours minimum to cook that; it has tomatoes, lentils, ginger and chili powder.”
Goa, located on the southwestern coast of India, is known for its seafood. Masala Maya’s Goan shrimp curry includes coconut milk, mustard seeds and Goan spices. Meanwhile, Keema Matar features ground beef with caramelized onions, green peas and garam masala.
“Keema Matar is like the Indian version of chili; ‘Keema’ means minced meat,” Garg says.
He explains that Palak Makai is a vegetarian-friendly dish, comprising spinach and corn, along with cumin, ginger-garlic masala and desi ghee.
Customers can opt for butter naan ($3.95), premium basmati rice ($3.95) or saffron-raisin pilaf ($6.95) to pair with the main dishes.
“The saffron pilaf has raisins and fried onions,” Garg says. “We buy aged basmati rice, minimum seven years of age. For basmati rice, if you don’t age it, you will not see the grains.”
He recommends eating the pork vindaloo and shrimp curry with the white basmati rice, lentils and spinach dishes with naan and saffron pilaf, and lamb rogan josh with the saffron pilaf.
Side dishes range from pickled red onions ($3.95) and pineapple chutney ($3.95) to Aloo-mint raita ($4.95) and hot sauce ($3.95).
“In Indian cuisine, when we eat, we always have something citrusy, something fresh to squeeze on (our food), like lemon or calamansi,” Garg says. “It’s just a tradition; it helps you digest the food better. Normally, we have mango chutney, but we’re in Hawaiʻi, so why not make pineapple chutney? The hot sauce is my hot sauce (recipe); if you like it spicy, you can add that.”
Masala Māya also offers a variety of beverages. Choose from mango lassi ($7.95), Nimbu pani “lemonade” ($5.95), Madras filter Kappi ($5.95) or masala chai ($5.95).
The business’s mango lassi is made with Hayden mangoes, yogurt and honey. Its Nimbu Pani “lemonade” — comprising lemon juice, honey, Himalayan pink salt and mint — is a refreshing option, according to Garg.
“Nimbu Pani is like Indian lemonade; it’s a very common thing in India,” he says. “In summers, you go to Indian households and this is what you get. When you drink it, it replenishes your sugar and sodium. ‘Nimbu’ means lemon, ‘padi’ means water.”
The Madras filter Kappi ($5.95) features Arabica coffee with sweetened milk. The business’s Masala chai ($5.95) is a blend of milk tea, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and ginger.
“One of my favorite things is the Madras coffee,” Garg says. “We use condensed milk inside; it’s close to Vietnamese coffee.”
Whether customers pick up their orders at Umi by Vikram Garg or order for delivery, rest assured that every dish is packaged to travel and made with high-quality ingredients.
“All the food is either made with ghee or we’re using good oil,” Garg says. “It’s delivered in eco-friendly, reusable bags.”
Customers can look forward to Masala Māya’s subscription model, which will be launching soon. The program will be limited to 100 subscribers, who will have access to specialty dishes — like chicken tikka masala and tandoori chicken — that are not available on the business’s regular menu.
CONTACT
Masala Māya
masalamaya.com
Open from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays
Online ordering for pick-up at Umi by Vikram Garg (2233 Helumoa Road) or for delivery via Uber Eats or DoorDash
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
