When she moved to Aotearoa from Mumbai as a child, Perzen Patel was teased for having Indian food in her lunchbox.
The founder of curry paste company Dolly Mumma shares what she now makes for her own kids.
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It can be a "soul-crushing exercise" to put your creativity into a school lunch that may or may not get eaten, Perzen says.
She budgets $6 to $6.50 for each child's lunch box, which may include mint & coriander chutney sandwiches, Bombay-style potato sandwiches and homemade roti cut into alphabet shapes (with a cookie cutter).
Roti may seem difficult to make hard – because it involves preparing dough from scratch – but Perzen says it's actually very simple.
To make roti: Mix together 1 cup of wheat flour with ½ cup of hot water, salt, a knob of melted butter and 2-3 Tbsp of oil. Knead the dough well and allow it to rest before making small balls and using a tortilla press or rolling pin to make your roti. Roll out the rotis you need and toast them well on a frying pan before slathering them with some butter. (Perzen makes roti dough on the weekend with her children which is stored in an airtight container in the fridge)
Fried rice is a quick and easy way to use up cold rice from the fridge and a platform for vegetable goodness.
To make fried rice: Add rice bran or sesame oil to a wok or frying pan. If you're adding vegetables, saute them first. When the vegetables are cooked, move them to one side and crack in an egg. Allow it to cook slightly before using your spatula to break it up into tiny pieces. Finally, add cold cooked rice, salt and soy sauce. (For older children, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top).
Panfried dumplings are a great way to sneak in some veggies into a school lunch (Perzen recommends buying them from Asian shops as they're cheaper)
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For more mature customers, Perzen is taking Kiwis "beyond butter chicken" with her range of precooked Dolly Mumma Indian spice pastes and masalas.
"There is that perception that Indian food is spicy, it's very heavy on the stomach and it's just like a treat food. But that's just not true. Regular homecooked Indian food is normally made with three or four spices so not very hot on the tongue."
Dolly Mumma produces Tandoori paste, a best-selling Cashew Korma paste and now a Spinach Saagwala paste, which Perzen also uses in dressings and as a dip.
You don't have to restrict curry pastes for use in Indian dishes, either. She recommends adding a tablespoon of tandoori paste to your next stir fry or a tablespoon of korma paste to your next shepherd's pie.
Although Kiwis aren't yet very explorative when it comes to the regional flavours of India, Perzen says, local restaurants and food producers can lead the charge.
"We'll be the ones that introduce these new flavours and let's see what happens."
Dolly Mumma products are available at Parnell and Grey Lynn farmers markets and also online.
