Couple turn up the heat with their own authentic Indian curry club
A Sunderland couple have turned their passion for cooking into a business which they now plan to launch nationwide.
Kam and Nedhi Chera set up the Funky IndianWali at their Roker home, offering authentic Indian delivery dishes and their own special spice mixes to food lovers across the region.
And the success of the venture – and the requests from further afield – has led to the couple launching their own curry club subscription service, with monthly deliveries of spice mixes, snacks and easy-to-follow recipes.
Kam had run a number of successful restaurants in the city, including Amore and Funky Indian, which he was forced to give up due to ill health.
When the first lockdown hit, the couple decided to look at ways to still offer their much-loved passion for food at home.
“Nedhi is a home cook but the recipes she uses are ones that are passed down from generation to generation so they are absolutely authentic,” said Kam.
“At the same time the food that we create is healthy Indian food, nothing like some of the heavy, oily dishes that are sometimes associated with this cuisine.”
The couple realised the potential after Nedhi took part in a food festival two years ago, where her masterclass
gained her a huge audience.
“We have wanted to develop that for quite a while,” said Kam.
“But being trapped at home for most of the past year meant that we were able to really work on our unique spice packs and recipes, as well as offering an at home delivery service.”
Now the pair believe the time is right to launch the Funky IndianWali curry club, which costs £40 for a three-month subscription, including free postage.
Curry club subscribers will receive a box each month – with options for vegetarian choices – which will include main course curry spices and a recipe, spices to use in two different side dishes and recipe cards, plus two different kinds of Indian snacks.
Dishes that subscribers can make range from Lamb Railway Curry to Nedhi’s Butter Chicken to non-meat creations such as Masala Gobhi – a whole cauliflower baked in a spice sauce.