Chefs, restaurants and cookery websites are rediscovering lost recipes and lending a contemporary touch to the dabba meal, reports Neeti Nigam
You must have seen your father or mother carrying the copper or steel two/three-tier dabba to office. Packed with dal, subzi and chapatti, it was a perfect balance treat. But if you think they are a matter of past, then let’s inform you that dabbas are making a great comeback and are soon to be the next ‘it’ thing in town. Many chefs, cookery websites and restaurants are giving a contemporary touch to the dabbas presenting them in new avatar.
The traditional tiffin boxes have certain charm that even Bollywood flicks like The lunchbox orStanley Ka Dabba have used them as metaphor of warmth of home cooked food. While Mumbai has an army of dabbawallas that are working hard to provide lunch to their customers, Delhi too is fast catching up with its sister city, but with a twist.
Healing effect
The Old World Hospitality has come up with a wellness centre where the nutritionist plans a diet as per individual’s needs. Chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent have crafted a menu that includes comfort food like vegan dishes, gluten free rotis and other special dietary, and the best part is that they are planning to serve them in either copper or steel dabbas. Mehrotra feels that the dabba is better than a lot of other packaging options. “It keeps the food hot and doesn’t let the varieties get mixed. Moreover, it is eco-friendly and justifies the amount of quantity which is good enough for a person,” says he. So he’ll provide the healthy food in tiffin that will make you crave for more.
Back to the roots
While for Mehrotra’s dabba is loaded with nutrition, some chefs are rediscovering lost recipes and serving them in the traditional tiffins. Kishi Arora, pastry chef and founder of Foodaholics, belongs to the new breed of food entrepreneurs who are using Internet as a platform to offer healthier and tastier dishes to customers. “I have plans to start dabba meal and serve food made of my mother’s recipes,” says she.
Arora’s mother is a Sikh and her grandmother belongs to Peshawar. She also has Marwari influence which is why her mother possesses a treasure trove of age-old recipes that you must have never heard of. “Thanks to these different cultural influences, I have had an array of cuisines. After a trial run among some loyal customers, I realised that most of us eat out so much but forget basic, simple home cooked food which has authentic appeal.” It was indeed surprising to hear some dishes like - kali mirchi parothi, moong badi papad subzi and many others.
Full of fancy
Fabrica by Chef Saby too plans to bring back the memories of home-cooked food. “I’ll soon start a ‘Today staff menu’ where I’ll provide delicacies packed in dabbas. I feel this is a fun way to serve food and it also gives a home feeling, especially to those who aren’t living with family. Besides provide a balance meal of dal, subzi, rice, chapatti,” says chef Saby while adding, “I’ll serve refreshments like sauf supari in a small dabba. The play is the name and the positioning. I have plans to start a dabba mutton gosht some time in winters. But whatever I’ll serve, it will be in a stylish classy dabba.”
Adds chef Arora that considering the niche corporate clientele they have, the food will be served in pretty fancy dabbas.