Takeaway kitchen in Borivli offers flavours of East Indian cuisine

A takeaway kitchen set up by IC Colony's East Indian community is offering a unique platform to empower its women and share their cuisine with Mumbai

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 middle-aged woman's joints, and autos refuse short distances. So, despite the flagrant invasion, we cave.

And 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 D'Souza is putting that force to use.

Pork vindaloo

Two 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 D'Souza.

A loquacious Samaritan for the community, her qualms with the lack of enterprising and entrepreneurial ladies from the clique found substance in that get-together, where eight of them decided to collectively start a weekend food takeaway and named it rather prosaically, East
Indian Cuisine.

Andbreads and (right) fugias

A casual chat between Annette Fernandes — who has been running a catering business for three years — and D'Souza about a lugra (traditional East Indian dress) activity that the latter organises led to an epiphany.

"Homemakers from the community have a passion for cooking and they do it at home, but they don't 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 D'Souza.

Stuffed chicken roast. Pics/Satej Shinde

In the weekly meetings that followed the group decided to take baby steps and operate on weekends only to begin with.

Responsibilities were divided based on expertise with Fernandes, Evone Patel, Rufina Misquita, Fatima Rodriques and Thelma Pereira helming the kitchen, D'Souza spearheading operations and Royallta Pereira, the youngest member of the clan, managing the design, printing and distribution of fliers and posters.

Celebration rice

The reasons spurring these women vary — for Rufina, it's a break from daily chores; for Fatima, the materialisation of her passion for food; for Evone, it's an antidote to domesticity-induced boredom; for Royaltta, a means to support her mother (Rufina) and for Annette, it's revisiting her roots.

But the cohesion is of single-origin and driven by a common interest — to resuscitate the community's 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 shares.

Letri

And 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, too.

Speaking 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 off-the-cuff with each member being assigned dishes.

Prep in the kitchen

They 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 week-long menus to a standalone are on the wishlist, but perhaps it's too soon to tell. "We haven't 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 crazy-but-efficient ways.

Thelma Pereira, Fatima Rodrigues, (seated, left to right) Rufina Misquitta, Audrey D'Souza, Royaltta Pereira and Evone Patel

Opens March 2 Time Saturday and Friday, 6 pm to 9 pm; Sunday 8 am to 12 pm
At East Indian Cuisine, near IC Church, Borivali West.
Call 9821372466
Cost Rs 300 to Rs 350
(for a meal approximately)

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