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Caterers can develop their Indian options by offering tapas style curries with a few small tasters rather than complete main meal dishes.
Curry favour with your customers by spicing up your menu
With Indian recently losing top spot as the nation's favourite ethnic cuisine to Chinese, how can you ensure your Indian offering bucks the trend? Creating a more modern menu, emulating the style of higher-end Indian restaurants with authentic dishes presented in a stylish way can lead to increased sales.
recent Mintel research found that the ethnic food sector has contracted by eight points (309 million) in the past five years and that this trend is set to continue over the next five years. Despite this, NPD Crest data has found Indian to be one of the top dishes eaten out of home. While traditional favourites such as chicken tikka masala continue
to lead the way, consumers want new innovations with curries such as new flavours and regional dishes.
Introduce regional Dishes
ruth entwistle from the authentic Food Company explains how new flavour profiles are Kerala, achari, tandoori and Kashmir style products. names of Indian dishes now have a regional focus such as Punjabi Chicken showing consumers are willing to try something new. In addition, goan curries are emerging on menus. ruth believes adopting new regional flavour profiles helps caterers create a point of difference.
Consumers want healthy indian food
In its 2011 Food Strategy Forum 'top of Mind' survey, leading industry analysts allegra Strategies predict a rise in demand for health concepts. as a result, Indian food needs to be healthier - lower in fat and more nutritious. vegetable curries are popular and caterers could consider using quorn as an alternative
to meat in curries.
Capitalise on consumption trends: small plates and sharing food is the order of the day
A key consumer trend for 2011 is casual dining which provides caterers with the opportunity to not only profit from impulse dining and 'add on' food sales for large groups, but controlled portions can also reduce costly food waste. a key mintel finding is that for caterers to develop their Indian offering, (especially with women), they should offer tapas style curries, providing a few small tastes of curries rather than complete main dishes. research has shown this encourages customers to be more adventurous and experiment with new flavours.
The importance of accompaniments
Retail sales of rice have grown by over 41 per cent since 2007, according to Mintel. the growth is partly attributed to the rising demand for ethnic foods in the uK. at the heart of a good curry, it is important to get your rice right. Mark lyddy, tilda's head of Foodservice explains,
"Rice is a key ingredient of Indian food and can be challenging to prepare so it is important that busy caterers consider quality products that take the hassle out of cooking. Restaurants can maximise the sales opportunity by using products from the Tilda range, which are easy to prepare with dry or frozen varieties. Chefs should not compromise on quality and ensure that they serve Basmati rice - the authentic choice to accompany Indian food." Caterers should also
pay attention to other traditional accompaniments such as chutneys, poppadums and naan breads. Country range mango chutney is particularly popular and provides caterers with an authentic accompaniment.
Indian for cost sector caterers
Cost sector chefs can consistently deliver quality of taste with ready to use sauces. Due to the complexities and time involved in creating authentic dishes Mintel found that chefs are more likely to use convenience products to create Indian dishes than any other cuisine. Knorr and Pataks have joined forces to create a range of popular ready to use sauces, visit www.knorrpataks.co.uk for details and some great curry night suggestions. Martin Ward, Country range group Brand Manager explains, "Ready to use sauces have a multitude of benefits, the hard work and risk is removed. Our range of ready to use sauces are made from spices which are freshly ground and blended to specific recipes developed for quality and taste. These authentic flavours result in popular dishes at value for money prices in minutes. They are also completely school meal compliant."
Tie in with key dates and make an occasion
Whether it is tying in with Indian festivals, national curry week or creating your own curry lunch/ night or club, the opportunities are endless. always remember to up-sell. Indian isn't just limited to curries: think starters, side dishes and desserts too. Make sure your pricing is correct
for ultimate profit: tilda Foodservice research shows that basmati rice can command a premium from consumers as they are aware of its culinary superiority. the company claims that by offering basmati as a side order with eastern meals, sales could increase.
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