Gurkha sauce, anyone?
The range includes cooking sauces such as Kukhra – a tomato-based sauce seasoned with cumin, turmeric and Nepalese Garam Masala, and a range of condiments such as Mango Achar - a fruit chutney flavoured with fenugreek, cumin, turmeric and red chillies.
Gurkha Fine Foods founder Emma Ford – whose husband Chris is currently on his second tour with the Gurkhas - started the business in her kitchen but has now contracted out production to a third party after volumes started to become unmanageable.
The range, which has been developed in consultation with Gurkha chefs and soldiers, is much lower in fat and calories than traditional Indian cooking sauces, Ford told FoodManufacture.co.uk.
“Unlike a lot of curry sauces that contain ghee and oil, the only oil that we use in our Kukhra sauce is a little sunflower oil to fry the onions.”
She added: “Everyone who has tried our products has agreed that they are different to a traditional curry and have a delicious mild flavour. For those who like something hotter, the ‘HillBoy’ condiment, which contains crushed chillis and the Achars provide a new and interesting way to spice up a meal.”
There was still a lot of business to go for in the independent trade including farm shops and delis, she said. However, the next step was talking to regional chains such as Booths.
The Gurkhas, from Nepal and northern India, are best known for their military prowess in the Indian and British armies.
