New Jersey has no shortage of incredible Indian food. India Square in Jersey City and Little India in Middlesex County are overflowing with delicious restaurants and Montclair’s Brick Lane Curry House is a destination for foodies around the state and beyond. It’s no surprise considering New Jersey’s South Asian population was the third-highest in the country according to the 2010 census.

The Garden State also is home to 68 Chipotle locations, the wildly popular fast-casual Mexican restaurant that allows customers to pick from a smorgasbord of toppings to make their own burritos and bowls.

Why not combine the two, asks Anita Amin owner of Masala Bay, a restaurant in Somerset that offers a similar build-your-own buffet, but with fresh Indian and Mediterranean ingredients. And she’s doing it almost all by herself.

“We don’t open cans, we don’t open bags, every single thing is made here,” Amin said. “Believe it or not, it’s made by my two hands.”

Amin was looking to make the leap from caterer to restauranteur four years ago, and she knew how much people loved Chipotle. She also knew that many major cities had Indian restaurants in the same style but couldn’t find one in New Jersey. So she opened one herself, swapping tortillas for naan, cilantro lime rice for basmati rice with cumin and carnitas for clay oven chicken tikka.

Customers go down the line at Masala Bay just like at Chipotle, selecting their naan wraps (essentially Indian burritos) and bowls with greens, grains or both. Rice, quinoa and couscous are all grain options with varying spices. Countless veggies, spices and sauces are at your disposal, too, not to mention the fresh proteins: lemon chicken and chicken tikka, Moroccan tofu, French lentils, chickpeas, paneer and Amin’s favorite: falafel.

Anita Amin, the owner of Masala Bay in Somerset, poses with a bowl of her falafel mixture before frying it. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Amin was born in Kenya before her family returned to their native India and then immigrated to America in 1980. She worked as a flight attendant and traveled the world, falling in love with falafel along the way and working to perfect her recipe and technique. Travels to Israel and Egypt shaped her recipe, as well as time living in Chicago where she visited the renowned Mediterranean restaurant Pita Inn.

“I still think my falafels are the best,” Amin boasts.

Falafel with hot sauce atop salad from Masala Bay in Somerset. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

They are indeed a delectable balance of crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, fried to a gorgeous golden brown, and Amin’s years of meticulousness have created a balanced bite of cumin, coriander, cilantro and parsley.

The way Masala Bay’s myriad flavors and textures mix in a naan wrap is remarkable — from the hot, fluffy naan to the spicy, tender chicken and crisp veggies, with creamy raita (think Indian tzatziki), sweet tamarind date sauce and green harissa hot sauce — all combining to make a flavor that is unique depending on the the sauces and toppings you picked.

Not into spice? Go heavy on the sweet and creamy sauces. Looking for heat? Hit the harissa hard. Amin walks every customer through creating their dish and offers advice.

Fusing Indian and Mediterranean is her focus, but there’s a uniquely Jersey spin on her cuisine. Among the naans, Masala Bay’s specialty is an everything bagel naan, which could be the start of a Jersey Indian trend — how about some pork roll curry?

Everything bagel naan from Masala Bay in Somerset. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

It’s hard work running essentially a one-person show for Amin, but she has developed a small but loyal customer base that just keeps growing.

“I’m here from 10 o’clock in the morning till 10 at night,” Amin said. “I know all of my customers by name, they come in there look for me in the kitchen. So I just I love the way everything’s happening.”

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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