New4You inspired by Modern India

Inspired by Modern India

New4You

One of the hottest emerging cuisines in the UK at the moment is modern, contemporary Indian, whilst traditional Indian curry houses are established but showing signs of decline. There is now a growing demand for authentic and regional Indian cuisine including fresh, bold and colourful flavours.*

But what is contemporary or modern Indian cuisine and how can you add it to your menus?

Contemporary Indian food incorporates all the bold, fresh and colourful flavours that you see in regional and authentic Indian cuisine. But this does not mean you need to start making traditional authentic Indian curries from scratch. It’s all about adding a modern twist to traditional Indian cuisine. This can be done by simply incorporating Indian flavours into your existing menus. Using authentic Indian flavours to embellish your sandwich menu for example, or using a naan as the base of your pizza. Throughout this guide we’ve put together a range of products and recipes that will help you incorporate this exciting trend onto your menu in different ways, whether you are looking to spice up your breakfast offering, add a point of difference to your mains or a touch of Indian spice to your desserts and cake range. Looking for even more inspiration? Take a look at our key products here.

 

*Source: MCA – Branded Indian Cuisine Analysis – October 2017

 

Key insights into the Modern India trend

Indian is the fourth most popular takeaway/home delivery cuisine, with 25% of consumers having bought it in the three months to December 2017*. And whilst the broader Indian cuisine is an established trend there is an increasing focus on the emerging modern Indian trend which is a rapidly growing segment of the eating out market.

 

  • MCA research indicates contemporary Indian cuisine as one of the top 5 expected fastest growing cuisines within the eating out sector in the next 3-5 years. (Source: MCA Industry research, Q1 2018)
  • The branded Indian restaurant market is expected to grow by 21% this year, to £150 million. (Source: MCA – Branded Indian cuisine analysis – October 2017)
  • South Asian restaurants are the second best performers, with 24% of British consumers having ordered takeaways from South Asian eateries in the three months to October 2017. (Mintel – Ethnic Restaurants and Takeaways – UK – January 2018)

 

*Source: Mintel – Attitudes Towards Home Delivery and Takeaway – UK – March 2018

 

Breakfast

On average Brits spend £13 billion a year on dining out at breakfast, making it the fastest growing day-part in the total eating out market* and breakfast-inspired menus and brunches are predicted to be a key food trend in 2018 by Discover Global,** so there is plenty of opportunity out there for foodservice operators.

 

Using the modern Indian trend on your breakfast menu can add a touch of fusion to excite your customers. Taking traditional British breakfast options and adding modern Indian flavours and ingredients is a nod to the new but ensures your menu is still recognisable for your customers. This is what the likes of Dishoom (the popular London based Indian restaurant) have done so well and what is driving the growth in contemporary Indian cuisine within the eating out market.

 

We’ve got some great, simple recipes for you to use, combining traditional British breakfast favourites and modern Indian flavours creating that fusion of cuisines that intrigues and tempts your foodie customers.

 

*Source: Mintel Cakes and Cake Bars – UK – March 2017
**Source: http://www.discoverglobal.co.uk/food-trends-for-2018/

Eggs kejriwal recipe

A perfect alternative to traditional eggs on toast

Bacon naan recipe

Who doesn’t love a bacon sarnie in the morning?

Masala chai recipe

A warming alternative to traditional tea and coffee

 

Buffet and small plates

With the trend of all day dining continuing to become mainstream, smaller plates that can be used for grazing throughout the day, starters, sharers and within a buffet selection are all important to take into consideration. Here, traditional Indian options such as samosas and bhajis are still a popular choice as well as more innovative products such as the chicken tikka kofta, which is a fantastic modern fusion of Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines.

 

Talking of fusion, we’ve also taken the popular British burger and given it an Indian twist in the lamb Mughlai slider burger which is an ideal bite-sized dish for buffets. We’ve got a great small plate recipe option, the Bahrwan grilled paneer. A great little vegetarian cocktail stick option.

Premium Selection chicken pakora 1 x 1.4kg (18907)

Chicken breast pieces coated in a spicy pakora batter

NEW Amritsari MSC battered pollock goujons 5 x 1kg (61427)

Amritsari fish is a crispy battered fried fish recipe served across the streets of the city of Amritsar, flavoured with garlic,ginger, turmeric and cumin this vibrant versatile street food dish can be used as a twist on a modern Indian fish and chips, served in a burger with minted yoghurt or simply served with a lemon wedge as a starter

Lamb mughlai slider burger recipe

A fantastic fusion of Americana and modern Indian cuisines. Mughlai cuisine is the traditional cooking style of northern India and is heavily influenced from central Asian cuisine

Bharwan grilled paneer recipe

Great portioned into small pieces and skewered as a buffet option but also as a starter, light lunch with a selection of salads, or even put into a carrier such as a folded naan or paratha and eaten that way. The word Bharwan means stuffed so any dish with this in the title will generally be a stuffed snack or small dish. The medium heat in this dish is mellowed with the delicious paneer cheese and minty yoghurt

 

Street food

The street food culture within urban cities in the UK has introduced consumers to bolder, spicier flavours as a result of the exposure to a variety of cuisines from across the globe. But street food is more than vans in city centres and street food concepts are perfect for offering exciting, flavoursome food on-the-go in schools, the work place, leisure facilities, stadia and anywhere that has a food-to-go offering.

Chicken 65 recipe

Chicken 65 is dish that has many stories to how it was created. Some chefs say it took 65 days to develop, some say it took 65 chefs to develop it whilst others say it took 65 spices to create the dish. No one knows the truth but it is a dish usually served as a snack

Pachos recipe

A fun fusion of Mexican and Indian cuisine. ‘Pachos’ or poppadom nachos are something that we’ve seen on the London street food scene and loved the idea of. It’s a perfect way to layer textures with the bold flavours of Indian cuisine

Delhi paneer kati roll recipe

Although a traditional Indian dish this Kati roll is also reminiscent of the Mexican taco making it a great recognisable dish that is ideal on a street food inspired menu. This paneer version is a vegetarian option but you could also create a meat version with chicken

 

Lunch and mains

What you can do with your lunch and mains options is much the same as what we have discussed within breakfast and small plates. You don’t need to transform your menu to incorporate the bold flavours of modern Indian cuisine. Simple additions and small changes can be made to either your main menus or your specials menus. Mostly it is still about fusion and adding a contemporary twist to your customers favourite dishes.

Spiced Basmati lentil mango salad recipe

A wonderful eclectic mix of soft fluffy grains including white basmati rice, lentils and black rice. Finished with succulent mango, red peppers and spring onions. It is served with a rich and creamy burnt aubergine dressing enhanced with mint, aromatic cumin and cooling green chilli, great for grilled meats or a piece of spiced roasted fish

Roasted spiced cauliflower salad with coconut dressing recipe

This twisted Indian salad is vibrant and fresh and brings much loved vegetables roasted together. This salad is really versatile as it can also be used as a wrap or naan filling for a street food on-the-go product or a salad base topped with a protein

Vegan Keralan quorn curry recipe

 

Desserts and sweet bakery

Delicious desserts and cakes are all about fusion and adding the bold flavours from Indian cuisine to embellish British favourites. Within our desserts and bakery product range we have a fantastic selection of classic desserts like cheesecake and bread and butter pudding and given them a twist with Indian flavours like cardamom, ginger and mango. If you are looking to make your own desserts and sweet bakery range from scratch we’ve also created some simple recipes for you to try, including a delicious egg custard tart infused with cardamom and the fennel shortbread, perfect to go with a cup of tea or coffee.

 

NEW Premium Selection chai latte cake 1 x 14ptn (61160)

A multi-layered cake combining three different cakes – ginger, chai-spiced and lemon and earl grey, sandwiched together with caramel and buttercream

NEW Premium Selection jewelled carrot cake 1 x 14ptn (61161)

A spiced carrot cake, filled and topped with a saffron flavoured cream cheese frosting, decorated with pistachio, rose petals and cornflower petals

NEW chocolate, cardamom & pistachio tart 1 x 14ptn (61459)

Dark Belgian chocolate baked with eggs and cream spiced with a hint of cardamom

NEW English Cheesecake Company alphonso mango & lime cheesecake 1 x 14ptn (61458)

A creamy cheesecake swirled with lime curd on a crunchy biscuit base topped with an alphonso mango mousse and finished with a mango coulis

Baked egg custard recipe

This light and creamy sweet dessert originated from Parsi for celebrations and is traditionally served cold. The dish was designed for weddings and the original name for this dish is Lagan Nu which means ‘wedding custard’. We’ve added pistachios and almonds to this recipe to add extra texture

Fennel seed shortbread recipe

These delectable shortbreads are aromatic in flavour but still have that buttery taste you’d expect from a great shortbread. This twist on a classic is ideal to serve with a chai or coffee

 

Drinks

We launched some fantastic new drinks from Rubicon that have taken the flavours of around the world and turned them into some really funky soft drinks that would look great on your shelves. But we’ve got more to show you. There’s more soft drinks from Rubicon, Vita Coco coconut water and Indian inspired beers plus our brand new spiced gin OPIHR along with some ideas for Indian inspired mocktails and bar snacks.

NEW Rubicon street drinks 12 x 330ml

Including bissap hibiscus and ginger, sharbat pomegranate and rose, agua fresca watermelon, lime and mint and nimbu pani lemon cucumber and mint

OPIHR oriental spiced London dry gin 6 x 70cl (41383)

Drink Me Spiced Chai latte artisan blend 4 x 1kg (94177)

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