Interview with Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula, Founders of CURRYIT

An exclusive interview with Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula, Founders of CURRYIT, Premium Cooking Pastes

In the realm of culinary creativity and gastronomic delight, few ventures have garnered as much attention and appreciation as CURRYIT, the brainchild of the dynamic duo, Richa Sharma and Nischal Kandula.

Their passion for flavors, dedication to quality, and the pursuit of bringing authentic Indian tastes to kitchens around the world have established CURRYIT as a premium brand of cooking pastes.

As founders, Richa and Nischal’s culinary journey is a testament to innovation and a deep-rooted love for Indian cuisine. In this exclusive interview, we delve into their inspiration, the journey of CURRYIT, and their unwavering commitment to elevating home cooking to a gourmet experience.

Can you share more about the inspiration behind CURRYIT and how your personal passion for food and travel played a role in its creation?

Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula: The inspiration behind CURRYIT stems from our shared passion for food and travel. We’ve always been driven by a desire to recreate the incredible flavors from our journeys across India, whether it was a street vendor’s curry in Mumbai or a home-cooked mutton rogan josh in Kashmir.

But recreating those flavours at home was so tough- sourcing unique ingredients, dealing with the dreaded onion chopping, and deciphering complex recipes.

When we spoke to other foodies, we realized that many people face the same challenges and hence would not even attempt to cook sometimes.

This was the foundation of CURRYIT- the idea to simplify cooking Indian dishes.

To bring this to life, we traveled thousands of miles, experienced local cultures and collaborated with mothers and regional chefs to uncover the secrets behind each dish’s unique flavors. Collaborating with local partners & chefs helped us perfect each product with authentic ingredients, locally sourced spices, and age-old cooking techniques, so that whenever u cook with CURRYIT- you experience the exact same original taste without having to travel hundreds of miles.

This is something we are very proud of!

You mentioned an extensive journey across India to uncover the secrets behind distinct flavor profiles. Can you give us some examples of the culinary traditions or regional influences that have influenced your CURRYIT products?

Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula: Indian cuisine is incredibly diverse and is influenced by a wide range of factors, including regional ingredients, climate, culture, and historical influences. For example, the Kashmiri cuisine is known for extensive use of whole spices, yogurt based curries and almost no use of onions – like Rogan Josh and Yakhni- this is influenced by the availability of whole spices and low onion, tomato produce in the region.

Whereas, the Punjabi cuisine- famous for dishes like Butter Chicken and Rajma, are characterized by the use of ginger, garlic, tomato paste and tandoori cooking techniques.

When we go towards Maharashtra, we can see the increased use of  red chilies, garam masala, coriander, and cumin, owing to the geographical features of the state. As we move further south towards Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, we the type of chilies used are very different from those used in North, East or West of the country. 

Coastal influence across Kerala, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal can be seen in the wide variety of seafood dishes and use of turmeric.

CURRYIT draws inspiration from all these regional culinary traditions and the use of diverse spices, herbs, and cooking techniques to create a range of flavorful Indian dishes. The key to recreating original taste lies in understanding and respecting these regional influences and ingredients.

What challenges did you encounter during your journey, and how did those challenges shape the development of CURRYIT cooking pastes?

Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula: Several milestones have shaped our way. We would say that perfecting our recipes without adding any preservatives or non-natural products, and still getting a 12 month shelf has been the biggest challenge and our biggest feat.

Anyone can create a melange of flavours by adding artificial flavours & colours, but our ethos have always been clear- to never add anything that we dont use in our daily cooking. So we used the wisdom of traditional cooking techniques and latest packaging technology to ensure that the product remains fresh for 12 months. It is truly something we are very proud of.

Another challenge is to ensure consistency in taste and quality as we expand. But our Head of Operations Mr Ramesh Sharma (ex-Taj/GM Operations) does such a brilliant job at setting the right SOPs to ensure scaling up does not impact  the customer’s experience.

These challenges have pushed us to refine our recipes, build a really strong supplier network, set up a dedicated QC unit and innovate in packaging.

One of the key selling points of CURRYIT is its ability to simplify the process of making authentic Indian dishes. Could you explain how your products achieve this, and what sets them apart from other options on the market?

Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula: CURRYIT stands out by simplifying the creation of authentic Indian dishes through our meticulously crafted pastes and spice mixes. Our products are versatile, suitable for a wide range of Indian recipes, eliminating the need for a plethora of individual spices and herbs.

This streamlines the cooking process significantly, making it accessible even to those with minimal Indian cooking experience. Additionally, our commitment to using high-quality, natural ingredients adds depth and keeping the manufacturing in-house has enabled us to offer the largest range of curry pastes in the world.

CURRYIT emphasizes that anyone can enjoy Indian meals in just 15 minutes. Can you walk us through the typical process of using CURRYIT pastes to create a dish, from start to finish?

Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula: Using CURRYIT pastes to create a flavorful Indian meal in just 15 minutes is a breeze. Start by taking pan and adding your CURRYIT paste. Next, you can add your choice of protein, whether it’s chicken, or vegetables, and they’re nicely coated with the paste. Then, simply pour in some water and let it simmer for 5-10 mins. That’s it. Seriously!

How do you see CURRYIT contributing to the promotion and preservation of authentic Indian cuisine, especially for those who may not have prior experience with Indian cooking?

Richa Sharma & Nischal Kandula: At CURRYIT, we not only want to promote and preserve Indian food, we particularly want to make cooking the diverse regional cuisines at home, super easy & quick. By offering these easy-to-use pastes, we enable anyone to cook in just 15 minutes without the need for extensive culinary expertise. We want to introduce the world to India’s rich flavors and hence to our traditions.

What are your future plans for the next 12 months ?

• Be available across India- right now we are available on our website, Amazon, ecomm, Q-comm, some retail stores . In the next 12 months we want to be available across India through our retail distribution.
• Be available in countries with large Indian diaspora- people who miss the authentic Indian taste. Ex. USA, UK, Canada, etc…
• We have just launched another revolutionary product- Instant Tadka mix- we’re looking forward to expanding its distribution.

In the world of culinary entrepreneurship, Richa Sharma and Nischal Kandula stand as shining examples of vision and determination. Their creation, CURRYIT, has not only transformed the way people cook Indian dishes at home but has also set a new standard for premium cooking pastes.

As we conclude this interview, it is evident that their passion for flavors and their dedication to quality continue to drive CURRYIT’s success. Richa and Nischal’s journey is a testament to the magic that can happen when innovation and a deep love for culinary traditions come together.

With their leadership, we can only anticipate more delectable offerings and culinary adventures from CURRYIT in the years to come, enriching kitchens and palates worldwide.

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