“Begin your day with good food. Breakfast of champions. Dining like our forefathers”, these are some of the thoughts that went behind Arambam – Start with Millets. A dine-in restaurant, Arambam is co-owned by actor Rakul Preet Singh, Ankit Nagori, founder and Pavan Kumar Kadimala of Curefoods. This is the first time the actor has joined hands with a restaurant brand and onboarding as the brand ambassador for Arambam.
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Talking about how it all took place Ankit says, “Curefoods started as a cloud kitchen in 2020. We have five other food brands like EatFit, Cakezone, Nomad Pizza, Sharief Bhai Biryani and Frozen Bottle; Arambam is the latest. Having worked across several food sectors, especially Eatfit, it became obvious that people care for healthy foods and dining with millets was catching up. When I decided to work with Arambam I reached out to Rakul Preet Singh because she believes in eating healthy and the magic of millet. She was more than willing to be a part of it.
ragi idli
Curefoods has over 300 cloud kitchens and offline stores that cater to over ten cuisines, across 25 cities in India. Their first millet-based dine-in restaurant opened in Madhapur with a menu that lists a choice of idlis, dosas, puris and meals. It also has a special Rakul’s seasonal delight section that lists the actor’s choice of millet-based dishes.
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Rakul says the shift to millet happened in 2016 and since then, she has not looked back. Having worked in the Telugu film industry for long was ragi idli the natural transition or she wasn’t ‘allowed’ idlis and dosas at all? “There is nothing that is ‘not allowed’. Diet doesn’t begin with ‘not allowed’. It starts with moderation. So I could eat everything, in moderation. However, my millet transition began with jowar rotis, and it is a part of my life now.”
mixed vegetable millet khichdi
Ankit and Rakul emphasise the importance of using ancient grains, learning what our forefathers ate and caring for the environment. Rakul adds, “Food fads will come and go but choosing to eat millet is not a fad. The reason is that we go back to what was always eaten. Millets aren’t made in a factory and are not a healthy quick fix. If one learns how to cook and consume millets, they will start reaping its benefits.”
Rakul adds, “Millets are a healthy source of complex carbohydrates and good for protein and fibre. The Government of India is promoting it to add much-needed nutrients to people’s diets.”
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Talking about their scaling and expansion plans Ankit says they will open at three more locations in Hyderabad and then move to Bengaluru and Chennai. The other plans include, “Selling breakfast batters for home consumption. We also have a range of snacks with millets, which are doing well. So we plan to increase the variety. Work is on and we are excited about the products we want to introduce.”
Rakul says, “The crunch that comes from the millet murukku and the softness of jowar roti gives me that satiated feeling. I also love the ragi malt.”
What is one millet Rakul and Ankit would suggest one can begin with? While Rakul picks Jowar for roti eaters, Ankit says it has to be ragi for those who are not hardcore roti eaters.
Arambam is at Madhapur 100 feet road. No valet parking.