This cloud kitchen is bringing freshness to North Indian cuisine with a twist
Delhi-based Madam Curry is an experimental cloud kitchen delivering tasty Indian food with an international twist to keep things interesting. They plan to expand to Mumbai and other states soon.
Over the past few years, people have been enjoying experimenting with their foods to create unique dishes that marry Indian flavours with international tastes. The success of restaurants like Indian Accent, both in India and abroad, is a testament to this. However, creative cooking that also tastes good usually comes at a hefty price. Even those who are willing to pay, are sometimes unable to access this kind of cuisine easily.
This is where Delhi-based , an experimental cloud kitchen delivering across Delhi-NCR, promises to come to the rescue. Founded by Ishaan Kapoor in 2021, Madam Curry has already made its presence felt in the capital, and is looking to expand to other markets soon.
“Working on a delivery-only model, Madam Curry intends to become a globally prominent brand synonymous with experimental Indian cuisine. We hope to recreate the moment when just a whiff of food reminds people of dishes made by their mothers. We believe we can do this because our brand offers the same affection, deliciousness, and love to its customers that is synonymous with maternal love the world over,” Ishaan tells YSWeekender.
The origin
Before Ishaan launched Madam Curry’s delivery-only label that experiments with classic recipes, he founded The Purple Plate, a bespoke catering company, in 2017. In the last five years, it claims to have a track record of successfully catering to over 700 parties. The success of The Purple Plate was the driving factor behind his experimentation and creation of the Madam Curry menu, he says.
“I have taken the legacy of my catering company, The Purple Plate, and extended it to cover a wider network through a delivery-only venture. I’m glad to say that Madam Curry ups the ante when it comes to cultural offerings and professionalism in the industry. We curate delicious delicacies and treat the taste buds of our customers in a manner that they have never experienced before,” says Ishaan.
With a Post Graduate Diploma in Hospitality Management from the reputed Les Roches Institute in Switzerland, Ishaan has worked for hotels like Shangri-La, New Delhi and The Oberoi, Gurugram, where he was part of the pre-opening team and did a stint in banquet sales at the ITC Maurya – a luxury collection property. He also has a diploma in classic French cuisine from the International Institute of Culinary Arts.
As a teenager, Ishaan represented Delhi at the national level in Table Tennis, and this taught him the value of grit and determination – qualities he believes one needs to succeed in any business. He strongly believes in giving back to the society, and has been closely associated with NGOs like Ekal Vidyalaya and Smile Foundation, among others, over the years.
Madam Curry has an interesting origin, which Ishaan explains, “Our brand takes inspiration from the great scientist of Polish descent Marie Curie, who was also known as Madam Curie. Her philosophy and practice clearly chose the joys of creativity through experimentation instead of attempting to achieve mathematical perfection. We have humbly adopted this philosophy in our business venture, in order to curate a menu which is unique and experimental, while also being delicious. Our packaging too is in line with our concept of using elements of chemistry such as glasses, test tubes, periodic tables, and tin as materials, keeping in mind our promise to use only bio-degradable packaging that does not harm the environment.”
What’s on offer?
Madam Curry works on a delivery only model. Its base kitchen is in Delhi’s Okhla Industrial Area, and it currently operates through two delivery kitchens, which are located in Greater Kailash Part I and Gurugram.
Their specials include the DIY Palak Patte Ki Chaat, which is served with aloo bhujia, dahi, green chutney, and saunth; Burrata Dahi Ke Kebab; Madam Curry Paneer Tikka; Cheddar Cheese Sole Fish; Rajasthani Laal Maas, which is made with the special mathania spice; Truffle & Mushroom Galouti; Mutton Galouti; Truffle Dal Makhani made with truffle oil; and Chicken Biryani.
Other than these, they serve a variety of modern chaats, vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters, main courses, family meal combos, breads, condiments, and desserts.
Pricing ranges from Rs 265 for the chaats and goes up to Rs 2,745 for the family non-vegetarian combo for six people.
Ishaan compares his dishes to mothers’ cooking. He says, “Remember the time when your mom made that butter chicken or dal makhani at home and just the smell of it being cooked made your mouth-water? What made her dishes special was the twist she tried or the secret ingredient she added that made it stand out. I have always felt that the magic of the dish is in the experimentation and not in achieving some standard of perfection! It is the experiment or that special touch as we call it, which makes the dish uniquely authentic to your mom and makes you proudly invite your friends to savour something they have never eaten before.”
Inspired by mothers, Madam Curry promises to recreate classic recipes with an experimental twist.
He shares, “Our purpose is to bring freshness to North Indian cuisine by experimenting with different recipes. As a chef, I have always enjoyed working with Indian cuisine because we can try so many variations of spices and ingredients to create fresh yet authentic flavours.”
Madam Curry’s offerings are available on Zomato, Swiggy as well as their website madamcurry.in where they often run exclusive offers and discounts for patrons.
Challenges and growth
Highlighting that though the pandemic brought in a lot of challenges to Madam Curry, it was a new business after all – by choosing to work on a dark kitchen delivery model, which was deemed an essential service, they continued to serve their patrons throughout.
Ishaan invested about Rs 25 lakh when he first started the brand. This fee included everything from branding and registration to research and development as well as the curation of an exclusive menu. He now proudly shares that their brand has received an overwhelming response and is one of the highest rated brands on Swiggy, with a rating of 4.7. Ishaan claims to have seen a growth of about 12 percent month-to-month since they started operations last year.
This success is in keeping with the results of a report by RedSeer Management Consulting, which showed that cloud kitchens are set to be a $2 billion industry in India by 2024. A significant improvement from the earlier prediction of $400 million in 2019.
Speaking about what’s on offer, Ishaan signs says, “We are in the process of rolling out some interesting experimental dishes like Dabeli Pao Bombs, which have a Dabeli filling inside the pao. We are also going to introduce seasonal fusion desserts like Mango Rasmalai to our menu. We plan to have three more outlets by the end of this year in Delhi-NCR, and by next year we plan to expand to Mumbai as well.”