To cook or not to cook, that is the question. Unlike Hamlet’s conundrum, this uncertainty runs through the minds of people, irrespective of age and occupation. Sometimes, when we are leaning towards making the (smart) decision to cook instead of dining out, we come up with plenty of reasons not to: “I don’t have the right recipe” or “The ingredients are too hard to find” and the most common refrain, “Cooking is too hard; I just don’t know how to.” There’s one answer to all these: do-it-yourself meal kits. And while various brands are available in select grocery stores, finding these kits can be a chore in itself. Enter Ordook, the entrepreneurial venture of three young graduates: Anush Rajasekaran, Abishek Chandrasekaran and Harshitha Ravi. It is, according to them, “A simple and hassle-free way to make fresh gourmet food at home.” All you need is a subscription plan and the will to cook, and you’re ready to go.
An interest in food and a positive word from investors about the growing trend of DIY meal kits in the country led them to venture into this field. After quitting their regular jobs, the trio launched Ordook in early January. Anush says, “Convenience is the main advantage; after a long day at work, you really want to have something good to eat, but you don’t really have the proper ingredients for what you want. So, you end up making idli or dosa. This basically makes people’s lives a lot easier.”
Their menu has Indian, Chinese and Thai among other cuisines and the dishes change every week. For now, Ordook operates on a subscription basis, where you get to order two meals a week, and the kit will be delivered on a convenient day.
We tried the Pesto Alla Genovese pasta, and it tastes almost as exotic as it sounds. The box had a pack of fusilli, a mixed bag of basil and cilantro, cashews (an alternative for the pine nuts that normally go into a pesto), olive oil, a clove of garlic, some grated parmesan, salt and pepper. The recipe was pretty straightforward, although beginners or those who haven’t made pesto before will have to remember to add olive oil at regular intervals and not at one go.
The taste was actually quite authentic — the cashews were a surprisingly good replacement — and the ingredients were fresh, especially the basil and cilantro, and neatly packed. They attribute the freshness of their ingredients to the fact that they get such produce directly from the farmers and store them with caution.
The meal boxes are priced at Rs. 300 and can serve two people. The recipes are easy and take around 20 minutes to make.
More details on the subscription plan, menu and delivery can be found at www.ordook.com.
