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Home catering is certainly nothing new, but the team at Hema’s South Indian offers a unique and personalized take on it. With a family background in Chettinad cooking, the mother-daughter duo of Hema and Anjali Gupta are extremely passionate about their business.
With Anjali Gupta of Hema’s South Indian
As frequent visitors to the Sunday Market at The Bikaner House (click here to read more), my family has discovered some gems. The simple yet tasty fare served at Hema’s South Indian stall makes the perfect Sunday breakfast. On one occasion, my father-in-law inquired about their food delivery service for a dinner we were hosting at home. Anjali sold us on a higher dining experience, where she would cook most of the food in our own kitchen. He readily agreed as nothing beats fresh, hot food on the table!
Enjoying some gunpowder idli’s from Hema’s South Indian at the Sunday Market at The Bikaner House
On the designated day, Anjali and her cook Bhushan arrived fully prepared, a couple hours beforehand. Most dishes had been semi-cooked before arrival, but the appams and Malabar parathas (South Indian style breads) were cooked fresh on the stove.
Pre-dinner preparations
The mutton chops being prepared
Their two-member team performed ably for a sit-down dinner with eight people. Our household help pitched in with the serving and other errands. I believe their team only cooks the food, and other arrangements have to be your own.
The catering menu
Their catering menu offers a variety of curated dishes. Prices vary on the amount of food, the dishes you order, and the number of people. For appetizers, we ordered the ‘Prawns wrapped in Gun powder’ and the delectable ‘Mutton Chops’. Cooked in traditional South Indian spices, they made our eyes water, but definitely satiated the taste buds!
Prawns wrapped in gunpowder
Mutton chops
For the main course, we ordered the ‘Prawn Curry with Coconut, Raw Mango and Baby Onions’ which was high on flavor. The ‘Malabari Fish Curry (Red Fiery Tangy)’ was super spicy and finger-licking good! The Boneless Mutton Curry was the mildest of them all, yet held up in comparison. Amazed that each curry was distinct in flavor and texture, I was hard pressed to pick a favorite.
From L-R: Fish curry, prawn curry and appam
Mutton curry with Malabari paratha
We couldn’t get enough of the soft and delightfully fluffy appams and cooked-to-perfection Malabari parathas; literally wiping our plates clean with them. Anjali joined us for the meal and regaled us with the interesting story of her family’s connection to Chettinad cuisine. It was a memorable evening that we look forward to recreating with other items from their menu.
South Indian breads. L-R: Appams, Malabari paratha
Personally I feel their bandwidth for catering is limited to a maximum of 20-30 pax, but you can check with them about larger numbers. Apart from their weekly stall at the Bikaner House, their food delivery service and their catering service, they also offer specialized cooking classes about once a month. After this fantastic meal I’m definitely attending the next one. Would you like to join me?
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Contact Hema’s South Indian by phone: +91 9818093238
By email: hemassouthindian@gmail.com
Price for menu outlined above for 7-8 pax: INR 1500 per head
Next Cooking Class Details: Date: March 21, 2018
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Address: S-445 Ground Floor, Greater Kailash-II
Price: INR 2500
ATTENDANCE FOR COOKING CLASS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY! (Call on number given above)
Meal rating: 4.5/5
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