When the time comes for children to leave home to start their under graduate studies in another city,any parent's immediate concern will be about their food habits and timely meals.
When the time comes for children to leave home to start their under graduate studies in another city, any parent's immediate concern will be about their food habits and timely meals.
Not all colleges or universities will have hostel facilities. Even if they do,hostel canteens are often ridiculed for the bland and insipid meals which they dish out. If the child is pursuing his college education in another country, then the thought of missing home cooked Indian food is uppermost on everyone’s mind.
While we do teach our young, basic cooking skills, it’s not the lack of knowledge but more often the lack of time available which necessitates that they satisfy hunger pangs by eating whatever is readily available and within their student budget.
The time factor ,when making their own meals,must take into consideration not just the prep and cooking time but also how long it takes to do the washing up.A week ago I was introduced to Jai Vasavi foods and their range of instant, wholesome meals. What appealed to so many of us straight away was that these dry mixes had a short shelf life (60 days) and therefore contained no additives or preservatives.
The items on their menu are classified into ‘instant foods’ and ‘ready mix foods’. The items that are a part of their menu is mostly rice based. They also have rava, ragi, sabudhana (javvarisi) etc. One gets to choose from lemon poha (aval), masala poha, corn uppma, puli uppma, mint poha etc among the instant foods. In the ready mix list they have bisibela baath, mixed pulao, pongal, pulusu pindi, rava kesari baath, varagu pongal etc
We tried the masala poha and had a friend try out the bisibela baath. True to the instructions mentioned on the packets, a hot steaming portion of poha was ready in less than 20 minutes. The masala aval is slightly on the spicier side for folks who prefer less spice in their food but delicious all the same.The lemon poha is milder.One portion of 100 grams makes a filling meal for a hungry student. The fact that all these dishes are typical home fare makes it all the more satisfying. The bisibela mix is also very straightforward. Add water and vegetables of choice and cook in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. While the instant mixes are perfect for a quick meal, the ready mixes are a great option for the evening when the students may have a bit more time to spare.
The proprietor of Jai Vasavi foods is Mrs.Veena Nagharajhan. I chatted with her over the phone before meeting her at her home. When I entered she was in the midst of packing a large order. She also takes custom orders in bulk when people ask for less spice or other small changes. Her table was covered with containers, a device meant for sealing the packets and lots of other condiments.
Since cooking was always a passion of hers, she was encouraged by her husband Mr. Nagharajhan to pursue this line of work. He was her constant motivator and helped her immensely in the day to day running of the business. That is why despite dealing with his demise some months ago, Veena has the strength to carry on the business which her husband helped nurture for the past 12 years. Even when she agreed to pose for a photograph she wanted to ensure that her husband’s picture was prominently visible in the back ground. Her son and daughter-in-law live close by and they too offer help whenever needed. Her daughter lives in Bangalore and enjoys tasting Veena's food.
Veena’s day starts very early. She procures all her ingredients on a daily basis. She ensures that she doesn’t keep stock of provisions for fear of it going rancid. She has also tied up with a local courier service for delivery within India and with another company who sends her food products overseas. Veena is a youthful 58 and has a friendly disposition. She converses with ease in Tamil, Telugu and English .
It also occurred to me that it’s not just students or people living abroad who will benefit from Veena’s home made food packets. So many people living in the city find it so hard to juggle healthy meals with work timings and pressures. To have a few packets of Jai Vasavi foods, handy in the pantry is a smart option when one is too tired to fire up the stove. I for one would love to try the pulusu pindi which their Chettiar community is well known for.
Veena keeps her costs low due to fuss free packaging. She wants to be able to cater to all budgets so that her dishes cooked with patience and love gets to be savoured by folks of all ages, no matter where they live. Now who can argue with such sentiments !
NOTE
Jai Vasavi Foods 9994023279 , 9245231388
47/1, 6th street,
100 feet road (Tatabad)
Coimbatore-641012