My experience with ChefKraft [Coupon Inside]

PL USE COUPON CKSPL2010 - Coupon valid until 5 March, 2015

Ever wanted to cook up a fancy meal, but felt overwhelmed by the number of ingredients required? Also, specialty ingredients that cost a lot, sold in larger packages / bottles, makes one wonder about the cost effectiveness of it all, especially if you are not going to cook that particular cuisine regularly. How do you like the idea of a company home delivering you a foolproof recipe PLUS all the ingredients required to prepare it, all ready-to-cook?

THE SERVICE

This is where a company like ChefKraft aims to fill the gap. You can cook up a fancy menu, with all ingredients accurately measured out, cleaned, prepped and packed. All you need to do is cut open these packs and follow the recipe given in the accompanying cards. They have partnered with First Agro to get you the best quality pesticide free produce. The recipes for the menu have been created by chefs. You can browse through their menu  which is divided into Salads, Minis, Casual Dining and Main Course.

Ingredients for Thai Green Curry

Instead of the overhyped eating out on Valentine's Day, we decided to resort to ChefKraft menus. The husband was the designated cook, of course. He is a (very) occasional cook and will only cook if his life depended on it (or mine). He is also super-organised in his cooking, unlike me. Before you give too much credit to that, let me clarify that it is always possible to be precision driven and super organised when you cook only once in a while (I do hope he's not reading this!) He always ensures that the pans are ready, ingredients laid out etc. before he starts cooking. And me, I'm diametrically opposite (as all good wives should be). I first keep the pan on the hob and then proceed to open the refrigerator and then go hmm....what do I cook now? 

OUR COOKING EXPERIENCE

We asked for a Thai Green Curry - Jasmine rice- Lettuce Wraps menu and a stand alone salad to serve the 3 of us (once you have a kid, and until that kid grows up, Valentine dinners are always for 3, yes! Unless you have a retinue of family members or househelp to take care of the kid, and we have neither).  The package arrived on time. The ingredients were neatly packed in cardboard boxes (which the delivery person took back, I'm happy about this being recycled). The salad and other veggies came packed along with an ice pack to keep fresh. 

Husband's precision style cooking- with timer to calculate simmering time

Husband decided to have a go at (cooking) the curry and rice. The green curry paste, coconut milk, veggies, rice and herbs were all packed separately and all he needed to do was follow the recipe card and keep snipping open the right packet at the right time. The jasmine rice was the real deal. It was incredibly fragrant, and the kind of aroma that makes you want to dig into the food rightaway, even if it was just 5.30pm. I did manage to quell those cravings until dinner time somehow. 

Filling for the wraps in the making

The task of preparing the filling for the lettuce wraps was promptly transferred to me after the curry and rice were ready (husband is all for equal distribution of chores). I went about making it, feeling very 'cheffy', as though an invisible sous chef had prepped all the ingredients for me. The filling could be prepared in advance, and assembled into the iceberg lettuce leaves at the time of the meal.

We also got the green lentil salad with goat cheese. The salad base ingredients came packed in a recyclable box made from corn (which I was later informed). The dressing and cheese came in two different packs. I'm happy to report that it was real goat's cheese and not crumbled paneer masquerading as goat's cheese. The quantity of the cheese to go on the salad was also decent. The salad was said to serve 2 people and the quantity was more than generous.

Dishes are ready

THE TASTE TEST

Like they say, we first taste the food with our olfactory senses. The process of cooking itself held the promise of a great meal from the intense aromas that were swirling around our kitchen. 

Lentil Salad

The salad which I had mixed ahead had absorbed the flavours of the dressing and it was fresh. The quantity of dressing provided along with the salt and pepper was quite perfect, that I didn't have to make any adjustments to the seasoning. The goat cheese added a nice touch of gourmet to everyday ingredient like green moong, potato, raw mango and tomato, and the dressing gave it a good burst of flavour, along with the finely chopped parsley.

Filling for lettuce wraps

The filling for the lettuce wraps had bags of flavour from the Hoisin sauce and the ChefKraft secret sauce and a good crunch from the corn and bean sprouts. I did a quick taste of the tofu in its raw state, before cooking and it was clean tasting, with no funky smells or residual taste, indicating that it was of good quality. This filling inside an iceberg lettuce cup is such a healthy appetiser, and delicious to boot. I often make one such dish, but a raw salad kinda filling instead of a cooked one. 

Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice

The jasmine rice was SO aromatic that it got our appetite all revved up for the main course. The Thai green curry was perfectly balanced in terms of spice and flavour. I do wish they had included mushrooms and baby eggplant, apart from the other veggies included in the pack. The quantities would serve 2 good eaters quite generously. Since we ordered an extra salad in addition to this Thai menu, we had some curry and rice leftover too.

VERDICT

It's a great service for an occasional cook who finds it difficult to stock up on all ingredients as well an enthusiastic cook who finds it painful to source all the ingredients. The salad boxes can also be great to eat healthy at the workplace, where you get everything in a box, just pour the dressing, add seasoning, toss and eat. For corporates, it is worthwhile exploring delivery options with ChefKraft to make your employees eat healthier. The only downside, which I already discussed with ChefKraft was the use of lots of small plastic pouches to carry individual ingredients and I am happy that they are conscious of this and they are already on the lookout for alternatives.

If you want to be a chef, without even wielding a knife (just wield a pair of scissors) this is the service for you. Find the details below. You may follow them on the various social media platforms to keep abreast of new menus and other offers. 

Like all other cool things (umm, except traffic woes), this service is currently available only in BANGALORE. Sorry, the other cities will have to wait :) 

ChefKraft has been kind to offer a discount coupon to the readers of SaffronTrail. After you place your order, don't forget to use CFSPL2010 as the coupon code to get the discount on your first order. This coupon is valid until March 5, 2015. 

Details:

Website: Chefkraft.com

Facebook: Fb.com/chefkraftindia

Twitter: @chefkraftindia

Instagram: @chefkraftindia

This product was sent to me complimentary from ChefKraft. I have shared an honest and unbiased account of my experience.