Kit convenience

Mother earth pizza and burrata salad DIY kits; (right) pizza made with the ingredients of the kit

Hybridity. That's a term that we need to get well-acquainted with when we step into the new normal. It's been about finding that comfortable middle ground between abbreviations like WFH and WFO or seeking out that sweet spot in the online versus offline classes debate; duality is a reality.

Similarly, our dining tables too have been witness to everything from frugal lockdown meals to the ubiquitous, ready-to-eat takeaway feast. But another interesting culinary concept that straddles both worlds effectively is the DIY meal kit that has been enjoying a place in the sun with pre-portioned and neatly packaged ingredients as well as detailed step-by-step assembly instructions in tow. And all delivered fresh to one's doorstep has been a boon.

Pesto pasta being cooked

We recently chanced upon Home Slice, an all-vegetarian, DIY meal-kit delivery service that also operates in the NCR and Kolkata, besides it's newest outpost here in Andheri. Initially it only did pizza kits, but has now on its menu a few pastas and a couple of salads as well.

Speaking of which, our burrata salad kit (Rs 500) helped us whip up a delicious appetiser in two minutes. Bursting with the freshness of a well-packed tub of basil pesto dressing, cherry tomatoes and the most unctuous blob of burrata cheese, holding forth silken stracciatella cream. Packed with crunchy, sliced veggies (carrot, cucumber and capsicum), lettuce, diced avocado, feta cheese and a lemon vinaigrette dressing, our avocado salad (Rs 350) was as scrumptious as it was easy to assemble.

The aglio e olio pasta kit

Taking things a notch higher, we crank up our oven to 250 degree Celsius and stick in the first of our three thin crust pizzas. Like the 14 pizzas on the menu, mother earth (Rs 450) too arrives in a proper pizza box that one can serve the ready pie in later, along with a 12-inch regular base and a plethora of neatly packed and labelled toppings. These range from pizza sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and green capsicum to cheeses like mozzarella and feta. Six minutes of baking time later, a sprinkling of a bit of extra virgin olive oil and we tucked into one of the most divine pizzas we have ever eaten.

For our goat cheese primo pizza (Rs 500), we opted for a whole wheat base (at no extra cost) which we sprinkled with pre-sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic, vine tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Post baking, as per the instructions, it was the turn of the punchy hit of fresh goat cheese and rucola leaves with a drizzle of aged balsamic and olive oil. Another winner, this.

Avocado salad (right) made with the (left) kit

But the star was the tomato-based pizza sauce-bereft five-cheese truffle pizza (Rs 550) from Home Slice's exclusive white pizza range. With its quintet of cheeses consisting of a creamy ricotta base, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, parmesan and mild blue cheese, doused in a robustly flavoured truffle oil, this delectable pizza was baking at its best.

From the limited pasta range we called for both available options. The pesto and the aglio e olio pastas (both for Rs 350) were much less of a cooking challenge than the pizzas with the kits holding forth pasta (penne and spaghetti, respectively) cooked just above al dente texture. All we needed to do was to heat them up in a pan with their respective sauces, veggies and cheddar cheese, and serve alongside the prepared garlic bread that we had toasted to crisp yumminess. Though we had on hand a great end result with both, we would have preferred receiving the pasta raw as the ‘done-ness' of pasta is a subjective and personal preference.

Time: 10 am to 7.30 pm
Log on to: @homesliceindia on Instagram or www.homeslicepizzakit.com
Call: 9920089981