Takeaway kitchen in Borivli offers flavours of East Indian cuisine

We saunter out of Borivali West station and step into an auto A hefty aunty forces herself into the vehicle and ransacks our ride Beta please pair mein bahut dard hai she cajoles We can see that obesity has got the better of the middleaged womans joints and autos refuse short distances So despite the flagrant invasion we caveAnd soon it dawns on us that Indian aunties have a way of getting things done albeit sometimes with an overbearing approach The truth is together they are a real force to reckon with And not too far from where this episode transpired in IC Colony architect Audrey DSouza is putting that force to usePork vindalooTwo weeks ago a few East Indian women from the neighbourhood some of who belonged to the same parish or knew each other as neighbours or via Whatsapp groups the equivalent of Instagram for older folks met under the auspices of DSouzaA loquacious Samaritan for the community her qualms with the lack of enterprising and entrepreneurial ladies from the clique found substance in that gettogether where eight of them decided to collectively start a weekend food takeaway and named it rather prosaically EastIndian CuisineAndbreads and right fugiasA casual chat between Annette Fernandes mdash who has been running a catering business for three years mdash and DSouza about a lugra traditional East Indian dress activity that the latter organises led to an epiphanyHomemakers from the community have a passion for cooking and they do it at home but they dont have an outlet to showcase their talent or the means to earn money out of it While speaking with Annette it struck me that she has a space I asked her if it would be okay if other ladies served food out of her joint as well and she enthusiastically agreed recalls DSouzaStuffed chicken roast PicsSatej ShindeIn the weekly meetings that followed the group decided to take baby steps and operate on weekends only to begin withResponsibilities were divided based on expertise with Fernandes Evone Patel Rufina Misquita Fatima Rodriques and Thelma Pereira helming the kitchen DSouza spearheading operations and Royallta Pereira the youngest member of the clan managing the design printing and distribution of fliers and postersCelebration rice The reasons spurring these women vary mdash for Rufina its a break from daily chores for Fatima the materialisation of her passion for food for Evone its an antidote to domesticityinduced boredom for Royaltta a means to support her mother Rufina and for Annette its revisiting her rootsBut the cohesion is of singleorigin and driven by a common interest mdash to resuscitate the communitys culinary heritage I joined this initiative to take my hobby cooking to the next level but more importantly to revive East Indian culture Thelma Pereira sharesLetriAnd so the menu features authentic grub like spongy fugias and soft handbreads potato chops with an indulgent curried mutton mince spicy and tangy chicken moile and a resplendent stuffed chicken roast Sweet treats like letri rice vermicelli served with fresh jaggery and coconut and decadent pancakes that smell like roses are on offer tooSpeaking of packaging Royaltta Pereira tells us We are going green and saying no to plastic so the orders will be packed in silver foil containers The business model however is offthecuff with each member being assigned dishesPrep in the kitchenThey bear the cost and take home the margins individually so the economics is segregated in a fair manner When we inquire about future plans we are told everything from weeklong menus to a standalone are on the wishlist but perhaps its too soon to tell We havent figured most things out and are taking each day as it comes Fernandes says And that brings us back to aunties getting things done in their crazybutefficient waysThelma Pereira Fatima Rodrigues seated left to right Rufina Misquitta Audrey DSouza Royaltta Pereira and Evone PatelOpens March 2 Time Saturday and Friday 6 pm to 9 pm Sunday 8 am to 12 pmAt East Indian Cuisine near IC Church Borivali WestCall 9821372466 Cost Rs 300 to Rs 350for a meal approximatelyCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates