South Asian Sanjha Bazaar opens in Commack

There was a time, 20 years ago, when Long Islanders looking for kala chana (black chickpeas), ghee (clarified butter), namkeen (savory snack foods) or fresh curry leaves would have to travel to a South Asian grocer in Jackson Heights, Queens — with all its attendant parking challenges. The opening of the Hicksville branch of Patel Brothers in 2006 (followed by Apna Bazar, Maharaja and Badshah Farmers Markets) meant that, in the words of Mohinder Pal Singh: "You didn’t have to drive to Queens anymore."

Now Singh is expanding the South Asian supermarket zone even farther east. Last month he opened the soaring 19,500-square-foot Sanjha Bazaar in Commack so that Suffolk County shoppers "don’t have to drive to Hicksville anymore."

His first goal "is to attract shoppers who live around [LIE] Exit 52 and beyond," he said. "For them, we are closer than Hicksville." But he also hopes to compete for folks who live around Exits 48 and 49 — equidistant from Commack and Hicksville — and that, he knows, is going to require work.

The owner of multiple Dunkin’ Donuts and Pizza Hut franchises, Singh had a lifelong dream of opening a South Asian supermarket that would sell the foods of his native India as well as Pakistan, Bangladesh — plus American staples. While this is his first grocery store, he believes that the principles of successful retailing are immutable and transferable: "You must have great products, great customer service — shoppers should be greeted with a warm smile — and the store must be clean."

Singh is joined in the business by his son, Gurnoor Singh, and nephew, Gurmehar Singh. The three scoured the subcontinent for the best spices, beans and pulses and flours, importing them under their proprietary Sajni brand. You’ll find nutmegs as big as walnuts, furled cinnamon sticks the size of Persian cucumbers, jewel-toned lentils and split peas, all manner (and Scoville units) of chili peppers, flours from every known grain. And, remember, you needn’t cook Indian food to benefit from this quality.

There are dozens of types of rice — basmati and more — and freezer cases containing everything from Indian breads (paratha and roti freeze particularly well) plus ready-to-eat curries and desserts. There’s a small selection of cooking implements, serving pieces and housewares. And there are more sweet and savory snack foods than you could shake a cricket bat at. (There are a few cricket bats for sale.)

The produce section, Singh said, had not reached its full flower, but you’ll find those curry leaves and karela (bitter gourd) mixing it up with parsley, apples and bananas. Already open along the back of the store is a halal butcher and, in the coming months, Singh will add a bakery and a tea-coffee shop along with a selection of prepared foods to takeout, common in American supermarkets but rare among South Asian ones.

For Singh, providing prepared meals bestows on his customers the gift of time — which is why he wanted to open in Suffolk in the first place. "My customer from Coram will save an hour of time shopping here rather than driving to Hicksville. It is said that only God can give time, but perhaps we can help."

2160 Jericho Tpke., Commack, 516-509-2250, Instagram: @sanjhabazaar. Open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.