Hanging below the cash register at Singh’s Kitchen is a sign reading: Faith-Family-Friends.
Those three words guide everything that happens in this small eatery on Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road.
Originating in 2021 as a consequence of a side gig, Singh’s Kitchen is a joint venture of married owners Gurpreed Singh and Harjeet Kaur, who managed to open and nurture a new restaurant business during the pandemic that continues to thrive. The two credit their success to their religious faith, their nuclear and extended families, and the new friends they have made locally.
Singh and Kaur were both born in India. He grew up in the State of Punjab, in northwestern India; Kaur lived in Delhi, India’s largest city. This fall, they will celebrate 27 years of marriage. They have three children whom they preferred not to name: an elder daughter who is 19; a daughter who is a high school senior, and a son in 8th grade. Six years ago, “we all moved to this wonderful country,” Singh said.
In India, Singh worked in the world of textiles. He was employed by Hong Kong based Li & Fung doing quality and planning. In 2018, the family moved to East Windsor, where they currently reside. Singh hoped to continue his career in textiles in the U.S., but that didn’t happen.
Instead, he took whatever jobs he could find. He pumped gas. He worked for Amazon. To supplement his income, Singh added a side job. “I posted signs in laundromats offering home-cooked Indian food,” Singh said. Some of his first orders came from single Indian men who worked in finance, or for international firms. Bolstered by the response, Singh decided to hone his culinary skills by taking part-time jobs at restaurants.
“I couldn’t find a job,” Singh said, “so, I took the alternate route to cooking.”
He worked four days at Amazon; and two days a week found him working and learning at restaurants: one in New York City, and one in Maple Shade.
While working at Amazon, he learned that the property at 2611 Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road — the site of the former Square Deli, and, once the site of The Smoke-N-Grill — was available. And, in 2021, Singh’s Kitchen moved in.
The location has a small kitchen. It lacks a commercial refrigerator and commercial dishwashing equipment. So, Singh’s Kitchen packs customer orders in to-go containers for people to carry out; or, patrons can take their food to one of seven tables, or to a counter to eat in. Singh’s provides plastic utensils, plates and napkins.
“I didn’t come to America thinking I would open a restaurant,” Singh said during an interview. “It was a big risk opening during the pandemic.”
But Singh said he found support and encouragement from the small business owners that line Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road. “They all came to congratulate us,” Singh recounted. “They gave us orders to boost our business. I feel lucky to be surrounded by such nice people.”
Singh also credits a tenet of his religion for the success of his business. He said, “I believe in destiny. I believe in karma.”
Singh and his wife are practicing Sikhs. The word Sikh translates to “a learner.” Karma in the Sikh religion is about personal responsibility. “The deeds we do,” Singh said, “create karma.”
It’s a belief that follows the idea that you reap what you sow. Sikhs, Singh said, are also taught: “Be humble, be soft, be kind and down to earth. The only time to raise one’s voice in the Sikh religion is when it is raised against injustice.”
One can witness Singh and his wife, Kaur, practicing those teachings as they patiently explain menu items to curious, or confused, diners. Or, when a young man didn’t have enough money for a meal he had ordered, Singh waved his hand, telling the young man to sit down and eat. The appreciative customer said he would return to finish paying the next day.
The lack of fine dining at the location deters some people, Singh noted; but, fans of the restaurant come for the taste of traditional Punjabi food so lovingly prepared by Singh, Kaur and two assistants.
The Punjab region of India is rich with traditions both agricultural and cultural. Culturally, the area was under the control of what was known as the British Raj until 1947, when India was granted independence. The British Raj was split in two, with one part of the region becoming part of Pakistan, and another portion incorporated into India.
According to India’s government website, “the mostly Muslim western part of the province became Pakistan’s Punjab Province; the mostly Sikh eastern part became India’s Punjab state.”
The name Punjab derives from two words Punj (Five) and Aab (Waters). Five rivers flowed within the Raj before being divided in two. Now, three of the rivers run through India, and two through Pakistan. Those rivers infuse the area’s fertile agricultural lands. That agricultural richness infuses the food of Punjab providing meat, vegetables and wheat to make bread.
Further south, the cuisine tends more toward vegetarian offerings and rice–with rice flour being used to create crispier, more cracker-like offerings at meals instead of breads.
At Singh’s, one can try traditional offerings like baingan bhartha — a dish of pureed Indian eggplant, peas and tomatoes with spices — or Rajmah, a curried kidney bean dish. There are also a variety of curry offerings, and traditional dishes using paneer, a cheese made using a food-acid, like lemon juice, to separate the curds from the whey. The whey is then wrapped in cloth and pressed under a weight to remove excess water.
Singh sources ingredients from local Indian grocery stores and other suppliers. He prepares Halal meats, knowing some of his customers require it. “When it’s slow,” Singh said, “we keep busy with prep work.”
All in all, life and work are good for the husband and wife team. Often, their children help at the restaurant as well. Their elder daughter created the traditional Indian artwork which hangs from a wall.
While he acknowledged apprenticing in restaurants, Singh also credited his mother as a teacher. “She was an excellent cook,” Singh said with a smile. She is still his guiding light each day as he prepares meals and homemade naan in a tandoor—a clay oven that can reach 900°F.
“My motto for the restaurant,” Singh said, “is to sell the same food my mom used to serve us.”
Singh’s Kitchen, 2611 Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road. Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday from 3 to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8:30 p.m. Closed Tuesday.
Gurpreed Singh and Harjeet Kaur, the married couple behind Singh’s Kitchen in Hamilton Square. (Photo by EMH Studios.),
