With mom-led video training sessions & tips by internet gurus, desi restaurants hit by import curbs in Dubai turn ‘atmanirbhar’

DUBAI: As India went into lockdown in March, Amol Dhote, who runs a popular Indian restaurant in Dubai was suddenly faced with a challenge — the homemade spices sourced from Mumbai that gave their dishes a distinct aroma and flavour were no longer easily available. “There was little clarity on when things would return to normal. We had to do something and do it fast,” said Dhote, founder of ‘O’Pao-Indian Sliders’.
So Dhote got his mother and aunt — who used to ground the spices and prepare them into special mixes before sending them to Dubai with a family member— to train his staff over video calls.“We use homemade recipes passed down from generations to prepare our dishes. Each one — be it vada pao or chutney — uses a special mix of spices which my family makes and sends over. After Covid-19-induced restrictions, we were not able to get the spices on time. Getting the same ingredients here was easy, but turning them into the mixes our customers were accustomed to proved harder. So my staff started online classes hosted by my mother and aunt to learn how to create the same taste,” said the 34-year-old.

Dhote now plans to continue making the spices in Dubai, at least for the near future. Like Dhote, other desi restaurateurs whose businesses have been hit by transportation curbs, too, are looking for ways to become self-reliant.
At ‘Project Chaiwala’, chai sourced from Darjeeling is no more served in traditional kulhads. The reason? The kulhads imported from Chennai were one of the commodities hit when import routes were affected due to Covid-19. “We had enough supply of tea to last us during the lockdown phase in India, but we were unable to get kulhads that we imported from a social enterprise in Chennai due to freight restrictions,” said Justin Joseph, co-founder of Project Chaiwala.
The team is now experimenting with various sustainable materials that can be used to serve tea. “We would like to continue importing kulhads from the social enterprise since it employs underprivileged women but we are also looking at ways to reduce dependence on external suppliers, should a situation like this arise again,” said Joseph.
Another Indian restaurateur, Anmol Mehta, who runs an Italian eatery had to set up an entire kitchen in Dubai to make bread and sauces and learned ways to make cheese from skimmed milk online. Mehta, who is the managing director of ‘Little Italy Restaurant’ founded by his family, imported cheese, sauces and breads from his central kitchen in Pune, where they have another branch.
According to Mehta, having the main kitchen in India was a cheaper alternative and it also gave them easy access to high-fat milk — essential to make cheese — which was harder to find in Dubai. “But our products have a short shelf life and even a week’s delay can cause spoilage. As shipments were delayed due to Covid-19, we had to come up with an arrangement to make cheese and sauces here.”
But preparing cheese proved difficult. “The fat and protein content is relatively lower in milk here. You mostly find skimmed milk in bottles.” So Mehta turned to social media and internet gurus for advice and guidance.
“I conducted extensive online research and went on a number of social media platforms to find a way out. Finally, I was able to come up with a basic home-science technique to make the kind of cheese we needed. This period was a lesson in self reliance for me.”