The narrow aisles of the Punjab Halal Meat and Grocery Store may not have the glamour of the Silk Road, but it has the culinary equivalent. This store has been terrific for years and now it has graduated to amazing.

Proprietor Sajawal Kahn, first owned a similar store in Atlantic City. In the spirit of adventure, he thought to move to Charlotte N.C. but didn’t find it feasible. Lucky for Baltimore, Kahn stopped here to visit friends and decided to stay.

The grocery inventory is a paean to Indian and Pakistani cooking. Everything is shelved in great variety and abundance.  Fresh and frozen bread including Pita, Roti, Nan, Chapattis, and  Puris; a dozen brands of Basmati rice in decorative cloth packaging are stacked alongside, fava beans, dhal, couscous, vermicelli, rice sticks and legumes that wait to be sampled.

Bottles of mango, plum, tamarind, coriander and mint chutneys, share shelf space with lemon and lime pickles, and hot varietal chili sauces. Pungent garlic and ginger paste, pomegranate mayonnaise and rose water, will enhance any dish. Blends of curry and masala powders, as well as more conventional spices, are packed in generous amounts at reasonable prices.

There are various brands and sizes of ghee and aromatic oils to cook with. And, of course, there are fresh and frozen Halal meat and frozen fish. Fresh and frozen vegetables are equally available. Some are staples and some, such as the small bitter gourds, are just waiting for an inventive soup pot.

There are frozen main dishes, such as Masala Dosai, vegetable filled crepes, Aloo Mattar a seasoned potato dish, as well as Seekh Kabobs. The most fun is looking and learning, Punjab’s distributor is from New York and almost all packaging has information written in English. There are yogurts, and yogurt drinks, in addition to various coconut beverages that seem to be so popular this summer.

For dessert there is a wonderful array of dried fruit, Medjoul dates, figs, apricots and apricot paste, as well as nuts, raw or sweet or savory. Mango, banana, almond and pistachio ice cream in various sizes sit in the freezer. There are many cookies, crisp and sweet, as well as freshly made Gulab Jamun — little semolina dumplings in sweet rosewater syrup.

Enough!  I have made myself hungry and hopefully you as well. The shop is easy to find, near Waverly Market, Punjab Halal Meat and Groceries is at 345 East 33^rd Street and is open 10 AM until 9 PM seven days a week.

PS: On most days there are freshly made Samosas, little fried pockets filled with savory minced vegetables or meat. Try One.

Buy them on the Saturday morning before a low-key dinner party and they are a perfect answer to that age-old question: ‘What to serve as an appetizer?!”