Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cloud cooking for Bihari delicacies earns Rs 4 Lakhs

Cloud cooking by Mother and daughter…Know more…

Friday, 8th October 2021

He orders it from The Chhaunk, a cloud kitchen  in town.

“I have ordered it at least 10 times since August,” says Asif, adding, “I am from Uttar Pradesh and the quality and authenticity of the Chhaunks food is excellent. The food tastes like home cooking and it takes me back to my hometown and the traditional food that I ate every day. "

This is exactly what the women behind The Chhaunk wanted to achieve when they founded their startup.

 Hiranyamayi Shivani belongs to Patna, Bihar, as does her daughter-in-law Manjari Singh. The duo have lived in Delhi since 2011 and are often united by a shared love for Bihari cuisine.

 During the second wave of the pandemic, Hiranyamayi missed her annual trip home to visit family and friends.

“I got stuck when it became difficult to travel. However, a few days later I realized that there could be many in the same situation as me who could not return home, ”Hiranyamayi told The Better India.

The confinement restrictions also meant that the natives were unable to return home and enjoy  authentic Bihari cuisine, which is not readily available in Delhi. “I love cooking  so I decided to offer traditional Bihari cuisine through a home-based business model in the hope that customers would feel at home. I shared the concept with Manjari and she was on board right away, ”says the 58-year-old.

 Hiranyamayi believes that Bihari cuisine is one of the most diverse cuisines in the world that only exists in India. "The store would serve as a platform to display the food  and popularize it  among the Delhi-based Bihari community and others," he says.

 In July 2021, Hiranyamayi began offering street food in the cloud kitchen of her home under the name "The Chhaunk," which means "tadka" or "temperate."

 With a dash of sustainability

“I use food recipes  inherited from my mother and use authentic spices and methods that have been passed down from generation to generation,” she explains.

 The duo offers a variety of foods including staples such as dal, bhat, tarkari, roti, and achar. “The community also consumes the traditional khichdi, which is made with rice broth and lentils flavored with spices. The food is served with side dishes and is often  part of a lunchtime meal on the weekend. We add all these items to the menu with traditional touches, ”says Manjari.

 The 35-year-old adds that they also have all-time favorites like Litti Chokha. "Litti is made from sattu (roasted chickpea flour), and the latter is a mixture of mashed potatoes, eggplant and tomatoes cooked together in traditional spices," he adds.

 They also serve snacks like Jhalmuri, Chura Matar, Bajka, Chura Badam, Dal Puri with Kheer, Sattu ki Kachori and Pulav.

 "We also offer drinks like Sattu Sharbat, which are known to stimulate appetite," he says, adding that all foods are between Rs 110-445.

 Manjari says  they started receiving 40 orders per day, which has now escalated to 450. The startup earns  4 lakh rupees per month.

 “Litti Chokha is the most popular food  and it sells like hot cakes. But the growing demand for  food is due to its simplicity, ”says Manjari.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source

ThebetterIndia