Saucy beginnings

A larger part of 2020 was about living the DIY life Most of us had discovered a newfound interest in whipping up elaborate menus from scratch As time passed we felt the need to seek help without having to try too hard Through the lockdown chefs bottled up their best ideas for gravies and sauces in a readytocook avatar that led to dishes being created in minutes Pinky Danani a marketing and communications professional who lost her job during the pandemic launched The Dipping Sauces in September It focusses on hummus inspired by her travels to the Middle East but her pasta and pizza sauces are becoming a rage too ldquoPeople like that it is freshlyprepared homecooked and saves timerdquoJewellery designer Minal Punjabirsquos story is similar ldquoThe lockdown gave me time to work on my first passion mdash cooking Having interned with Moshe Shek years ago it was fulfilling to launch Peach amp Melon which bottles artisanal sauces and rolls out handmade pastasrdquo Her menu includes pesto cream black bean sauce five spice chilli garlic and drizzles for aglio olioThe lockdown also inspired tweaking of businesses and Megha Poddar of White Light Food who catered handchurned readymade cooking sauces gravies and pastes to restaurants among other products has now turned her attention to direct customers with the promise of cooking dishes in less than four minutes The menu celebrates Asian bestsellers like black bean sauce garlic pepper sauce khow suey and laksa curry pastesMinal PunjabiMakhani to pomodoroMayuree Rao decided to make biryani during the lockdown The tedious process got the better of her she stopped at the masala and left it for the next day ldquoWhen I got back to the preparation I realised all I had to do was layer the rice and meat and set it on the stove to cookrdquo says Rao This experience inspired her to launch Wonder Foods and Farms She uses pink salt instead of white and jaggery instead of sugar in all her recipes she plans to grow some of the ingredients on her Karjat farm called NivaantMayuree RaoLast week the exjournalist and marketing professional hosted a brunch table for an small group where we got a taste of her pomodoro sauce spiked with a few South Indian masalas to craft a desi dip with the fried prawns her Malvani sauce was a standout in the mushroom curry Created in a central kitchen in Mulund a lineup of curries and sauces are expected soonMegha PoddarIn our home kitchen we gave two of her sauces a go The makhani and alfredo Each 300 gm jar comes with a recipe that requires mixing of the content into sauteacuteed veggies or cooked meat with a cooking time of two minutes In what can be called the shortest cooking stint ever we had a makhani dish that was a perfect symphony of tomato onions ginger garlic cashew nuts and masalas Our second dish was with the alfredo sauce Letrsquos just say it took us more time to chill the wine than rustling up a cheesy mushroom pasta Both dishes served fourAsheesh DubashItrsquos time for AfricaConsultant chef Asheesh Dubash found 2020 to be the ideal year to revive Antohito Foods A section of her menu includes marinades pastes ranging from African curry paste Indonesian goreng and Asian marinades Dubash has studied at Le Cordon Bleu London and came back to work in India ldquoI started Antohito seven years ago but it was always more on the back burner while I did various consulting projects The venture which is the literal pronunciation of the Mexican word lsquoantojitorsquo offers products made in small batches made with zero preservatives and are pure vegetarianAll orders come with a recipe card and Dubash mentions they are a guideline and offer room for encouragement and experimentation When we tried the African curry we cut the coconut milk by halfAfrican curryServes 2 to 3RecipePour 1 tsp of vegetable oil in a pan When hot add 75 gm of African curry paste and stir for 12 minutes Add 1frac12 cups of chopped tomatoes cover and simmer for 5 minutes Now add 250 gm of protein or vegetables Cook for 45 minutes Add 400 ml coconut milk and let the curry simmer till the proteinvegetables are cooked Add more water if required Taste for seasoning Sprinkle with fresh coriander before serving Serve with hot rice or rotiOrder ingtgt The Dipping SauceCall 9820340277Log on to thedippingsauces on Instagramgtgt White Light FoodCall 9819336323Log on to whitelightfoodgtgt Peach amp MelonCall 9820146002Log on to peachampmelongtgt AntohitoCall 9867188779Log on toAntohito_foodsgtgt Wonder Foods and FarmsCall 9967660179Log on to wonderfoodsandfarms