A chain of restaurants in China that serves Indian cuisine has been certified for the Beijing Olympics
The famed Indian curry, which has made culinary conquests across the world, may well be close to winning a gold at the Beijing Olympics in August.
Curry paste, masalas and spices manufactured and supplied by Indian Kitchen, a hugely popular chain of Indian-cuisine restaurants in China, have been certified for use in the Olympics. “We have been certified for the Olympics, and we will supply our products to the canteens in the Olympics village,” Munuswamy Gnanavelu, who heads the Indian Kitchen empire, told DNA. When athletes and delegations from around the world converge for the Olympics, among the many food delights that will await them is the spicy curry.
Since Indian Kitchen products are certified halal, they could well be the cuisine of choice for athletes and delegations from West Asia, South-East Asia and, of course, India, reckons Gnanavelu, who is better known in China as ‘Antony’.
Indian Kitchen products qualified for the Olympics through the group’s arrangement with the Metro retail chain in China. “Our products are also available on Wal-Mart shelves,” Antony adds.
Antony started up the Indian Kitchen chain in 1991 in Macau and today has over 26 franchises across southern and eastern China. Indian Kitchen is easily the most visible Indian brand in China, and at a typical Indian Kitchen franchise, customers are served by Chinese waitresses in salwar-kameez who are well-trained in Indian history, cultural traditions and culinary diversity.
Later this year, Indian Kitchen will take its aromatic curry recipes to newer frontiers when it opens 10 new franchises in South Korea and one more in Taiwan.
The Korean venture will also offer an interesting ‘curry-fusion’ menu in addition to the authentic Indian cuisine. As a concession to Korean culinary preferences, which leans towards sweet-spice combinations, Indian Kitchen food researchers are working out curry recipes with fruits such as apples, pears and pineapples.
Antony also plans to unveil a chain of ‘Curry in a Hurry’ outlets where the Indian cuisine will be adapted to the eat-on-the-go demands of contemporary times. “The idea behind Indian Kitchen is to get other cultures to commit themselves to the Indian cuisine — and perhaps its most distinctive characteristic, the curry,” says Antony.
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