Paneer just got a makeover. It now comes garbed in lush green curry leaves, looking like a Jean Paul Gaultier creation. Then there is chilli-cilantro, black pepper, Italian dressing (sage, rosemary, thyme), or good old jeera even. At Indiska Magic the idea is to give desi cheese a fun twist. “It is the only cheese from India. We are trying to give it the pedestal it deserves,” says Bharat Bhandari, manager partner of Indiska Magic. The brand has collaborated with Chef Harish Rao** to create five new flavours as of now. “We experimented with about a dozen favours and finalised these. We needed something granular for the mouth feel ,” says Harish. Discs of pristine white paneer are plated for tasting. Each bite has a distinct taste of the flavour it has been infused with. “There is so much you can do with it. You can just toss it in warm salt water and eat it as is and add some seasoning if you like, or use it in a gravy, put it on girdle plate...,” says Harish.
The brand is known for their malai paneer, something they started making even before the inception of their first and only store on Harrington Road, in 2015. “Back then we were making it from a small unit. In March this year we got ourselves a big factory in Sri City, TADA. It is done on a larger scale now and we are sending it to hotels and restaurants and to cities like Bengaluru as well,” says Bharat. Some five hotels have specifications about what they want their paneer infused with. We can customise for anybody but the minimum order is five kilograms,” he says.
From five kilograms then, the current paneer production stands at a tonne and a half per day. The flavoured paneer, however, is made in batches of 20 kilograms. The batch is produced in 24 hours and hits the market within six hours. It is being sold fresh off the counter. The paneer has a shelf life of three to four days. “We make it on demand and are currently under producing because we do not want leftovers,” explains Bharat adding, “We are quality-oriented, not quantity.” The places they are collecting milk from are within 50 kilometres radius of TADA. “The places are lush green and have happy grazing cows, that explains the good quality of milk,” smiles Bharat.
Indiska Magic’s flavoured paneer is available at the store on Harrington Road, as well as Sunny Bee in Alwarpet. Theya re also tying up with a few grocery stores.Price starts at ₹ 150 for 200 grams.
