Monday, December 29, 2014

Product Review: Instant Mixes from "Oota Tindi"


This is a post that I take great pride in writing. Right off the bat, let me make it plainly known that nobody requested me to write this post so I'm not going to brand it as an advertorial. This is just me voluntarily spreading the word about a group of Bangalore-based entrepreneurs who have kick-started this brand new venture called "Oota Tindi" that offers premium quality tasty processed food. 

Oota Tindi (which literally translates to Lunch-Breakfast in Kannada) strives to provide good food using ingredients that are consistently of superior quality without the addition of preservatives. Now you might be wondering how I can vouch for the authenticity of the above statement. Believe me, I can....because the culinary expert who has spearheaded this venture is none other than my maternal uncle who has over a decade of experience in the food industry. My uncle together with his daughter (my cousin) and her husband have joined forces to create products products that have been tastefully crafted to bring out the flavours and taste that your palate will fall in love with. In an era where ready-to-eat food and instant mixes are gaining widespread popularity owing to the lifestyle changes of today's generation, I think it is easy to lose track of the quality control and hygiene standards behind the manufacturing of such products. That is where Oota Tindi scores big because all the ingredients have been carefully sourced and the mixes are created and packaged under the most sanitary of conditions. 

Speaking of my uncle, I have actually mentioned him before in one of my previous post's chronicling my love for Masala Dosa and I have also acknowledged my cousin in a post that I did about Ukkarisida Akki Rotti. My uncle who has a penchant for perfection, is undoubtedly the best cook in our family and we all routinely bombard him with recipe-related queries. His proficiency in cooking is one of the reasons that people are drawn to his residence like a swarm of bees. Badam Burfi, Kaju Burfi, Dry Fruit Burfi, Mysore Pak, Basundi, Masala Dosa, Vada, Sambhar, Rava Idli, Bisibele Bath, Biriyani are some of his specialities that immediately come to mind. In the past, when he was actively engaged in the restaurant business, me and my cousins hardly used to eat at home, preferring to have all our meals at his restaurant. That is how good it was and that is how creative and talented he still continues to be in the culinary sphere 😊 Once I heard that he was re-entering the food industry, I was thrilled for him and I knew that whatever he would do, he would do it with utmost honesty, sincerity and ethics. That is the reason why I readily posted a review for this venture without a second thought and without even being asked to. You can trust that the opinions in this post are completely unbiased.

Okay so without further ado, let me explain more about the products that Oota Tindi has to offer,

Oota Tindi's current two products are,
1. Rava Idli Mix (200gm and 500gm packets)
2. Uppittu Mix (200gm)

I was eagerly waiting to try out the products myself before posting this review so try I did. My mum is currently here in Singapore so before she left Bangalore, I asked her to get me one packet each of the Rava Idli Mix and the Upittu Mix. 

Rava Idli Mix (200gm packet Rs 40; 500gm packet Rs 70)



We tried the Rava Idli Mix on a weekend. Rava Idli is one of my favourite breakfast dishes so I was looking forward to it. Before I tried this mix, I used to prepare rava idlis myself from scratch and frankly, I used to find the procedure a tad cumbersome. 

The instructions on the packet were simplicity personified - begin to boil the water in the idli cooker/steamer, use a 1:1 ratio of the mix to plain yoghurt, immediately spoon the mixture onto the idli trays and steam on high for 15 min. That's IT. Super simple. No need to add soda or eno or any of that stuff. If you are interested, you can add in some fried cashews or grated carrots or even a thin slice of tomato for garnish. We just tossed in some fried cashews. The rava idlis were super soft, spongy, pillowy and they tasted just like home-made idlis if not better. We served the idlis with coconut chutney, potato masala and chutney pudi. We were absolutely delighted with the result. My sister tried it immediately after I did and she was raving about it too. Ours was the 500gm packet which I would say easily serves 5-6 people.

My verdict: Simply perfect


Uppittu Mix (200gm packet Rs 25)



We tried the uppittu mix on another weekend. My hubby loves uppittu and it features as a staple on our weekend breakfast menu. As with the rava idli mix, the instructions on the packet were clear and simple. Keep in mind that if you desire veggies in the uppittu (which are not included) then that would take a little more effort on your part. But then again, if you decide to use frozen veggies, that would easily eliminate the extra effort. We added in some chopped carrots, beans, peas and fried cashews. The seasonings and tempering ingredients are all part of the mix so you don't have to bother with that. We absolutely loved the texture and taste of the uppittu. The type of rava that has been chosen is perfect and the rava has been roasted well enough that it doesn't form the dreaded lumps when mixed with water. For me the spice level was just right but those who like their dishes hotter can add an additional chopped green chilli or two. Ours was the 200gm packet which I would say easily serves 3 people. 

My verdict: A big thumbs up

Concluding remarks
I can honestly say that I wholeheartedly believe in this venture and what it stands for. The two products that are currently available are totally legit and having tried them personally, I heavily recommend them. I will be bringing back more for sure the next time I'm in India. The products are reasonably priced and worth every penny. Oota Tindi is a fledgling venture with a lot of promise and the proprietors are constantly striving to improve and expand their product line. I sincerely wish them the best of luck.

Oota Tindi
Contact information to place orders:
Phone number: +91 9481494924 (orders can be placed via WhatsApp too)
E-mail: info@ootatindi.com
Facebook page: Click here to like the page and get regular updates on their products


So why don't you consider supporting this family-run venture? Call them or e-mail them to place an order and see how it works out for you. It'll infuse more flavour into your oota-tindi with the added bonus of convenience and a guaranteed stamp of impeccable quality. I assure you that you will not regret it. You can like their Facebook page to get further information on the launch of new products or even provide feedback. 


Cheers,
Megha

1 comment:

  1. Looks like a great venture! Best of luck to your uncle and cousin . I'm sure their venture will do well !

    ReplyDelete

What do you think of this post? You can leave a message to let me know. Thanks!

Please note that I reserve the right to delete any comments that I deem inappropriate, offensive, spam or self-advertising. I appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...