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`Made in India' meals for Westerners

Continental food cooked in Kochi, eaten in American homes. Hard to believe? Listen to what Priyadarsshini Sharma has found out

FOR WESTERN PALATES Workers with diced vegetables for the meal kits. PHOTO: MAHESH HARILAL

As Molly dices red and yellow bell peppers into perfect cubes, washes broccoli florets and peels yellow zucchini at a factory in Palluruthy she is happy. Happy with the knowledge that these exotic cooked vegetables are to be served on dining tables in America. She is not alone in this. With 250 others helping her, authentic Spanish paella (a rice with shrimps preparation), Italian pasta with farm-raised shrimps and primavera style vegetables, shrimp and Asian style vegetables with a Chinese oyster soy sauce, all cooked right here in Kochi, are tickling taste buds in USA.

Good response

These meal kits, as they are called, are also flying off the shelves from the supermarkets there. Produced by Kochi based, Choice Canning Co., and launched in September last year, `Tastee Choice' food pouches have already seen 30x40 containers of the product shipped to USA and a fantastic retail response.

Not too long ago, the West looked askance at even uncooked foodstuff shipped from India. Today, India is giving the international foodie, continental food cooked in a Kochi kitchen and not Indian cuisine as is being commonly done.

Zucchini

From farm raised and ocean caught Indian shrimps, `English' vegetables from farms in Ooty and Bangalore, the famed Basmati rice together with imported pastas and sauces from the country of the cuisine, this assembled new line of gourmet frozen skillet meals, in bright stand-up pouches, also packs in it the story of innovation, and business in these global times.

Says Jose Thomas, President of the Choice Group, "Our objective is very global on this. Right now we have tested the US markets and come out successful. I see no reason why we should not globalise it further, which means India as well. Our aim is to have a million meals consumed by 2007."

Imported pastas

And with a rising need for easy preparation, a growing sense of culinary adventure, fun cooking from freezer to table in a mere 10 minutes, this concept is sure to be devoured. Explains Salim David, CEO, Processed Foods and New Ventures Division of Choice group, "We create the quality difference by importing the pastas and the sauces. This makes the products completely international. We mention the country of business on the pack and that gives the customer confidence. The idea of course is to use the best quality of raw materials at the best competitive prices." And so the Chinese sauces are sourced from Malaysia, pasta from Italy, shrimps from India and vegetables from farmers in Ooty and Bangalore.

"In this venture we are really supporting farmers. You will notice that the market in Kochi has a lot of European vegetables nowadays. We directly approached farmers in Bangalore and Ooty to grow for us bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, bush beans, carrots and baby corn. Initially they were apprehensive about storage and buy-back but now they are providing us with all this. Another six months and the farmers will understand the strength and potential of the enterprise," says Mr. Thomas, whose venture has resulted in the creation of 250 jobs in the city alone, especially among women, chopping and dicing the vegetables. Twice as many jobs are on the anvil, he informs.

Cleaned prawns

Retailed at $6.99 with instructions, nutritional facts and even wine pairing suggestions, the meal kits are providing fine dining experience for two, bringing us back to the day in the not so distant past when shrimp was exported to America block frozen and that too in an atmosphere of misgiving. Today, one has come a long way from that icy shrimp block to the

value added shrimps done delightfully in sauces Mediterranean or Asian style to tickle and satiate taste buds abroad.

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