Eat with Better's creators launch plant-based samosas and jackfruit nuggets to delight Indians

17th November, 2022

Finally, mock meats are becoming widely consumed. For those looking for meat substitutes, the Indian food market is currently flourishing with plant-based dishes, from nuggets to kheema. Yet, people seem to be wondering about a lot of facets. Namely- do these goods actually have the same flavour as the originals? How do they get made? Are they wholesome? And is this the food of the future? Long story short, the answer is YES! And Keertida Phadke and Karan Bajaj, the plant-based startup Eat with Better's creators are proving this.

In case you’re curious what happens when a social impact specialist with a master's degree in sustainable development meets a vegan chef? Well, they inspire people around to eat healthier. Before they met in 2018, Keertida Phadke and Karan Bajaj, had long been interested in sustainable living and healthy eating. Read on to know more about their exciting journey.

The creative journey of this dynamic duo

Phadke had returned to India after completing a course in plant-based cooking, but Bajaj was eager to launch his own enterprise that would reflect his views on sustainability. In 2018, Keertida opened a vegan cafe in Pune as part of her mission to inform regular diners about the benefits of eating plant-based, healthful meals. The cafe may have closed since, but Keertida and Karan's plans to start their own brand of plant-based meals flourished when they met. Thus, Eat with Better was established.

“When the epidemic struck, we changed our direction to concentrate on the one food that we want more people to eat: jackfruit. We first began out with premium tofu, spreads, and other condiments,” they explain.

Discover why jackfruit makes the ideal mock meat
 

The benefits of jackfruit are only now being recognised by the rest of the globe, but India has long been the world's largest grower of the fruit. It grows so wildly all across the country that more than 70% of it is wasted because there isn't enough time to process it, according to Phadke. Phadke was eager to convert more people to the jackfruit diet since he had happy childhood recollections of eating the fruit that everyone identifies with an off-putting odour.

"While one speaks jackfruit, most people immediately think of the sweet, pungent fruit, but we start processing our jackfruit when it is delicate, seedless, and before the sugars start accumulating. This is when the jackfruit works like a sponge for whatever flavour and spice you want to add into it,” explains Phadke. “More people should be eating jackfruit because it really is a superfood—it’s low in calories, and high in fibre so it keeps you satiated for a long time. It has a low glycemic index so it’s good for even diabetes patients,” she adds.

All about the intriguing Jackfruit Nuggets

“Presenting, for the first time in India, Jackfruit Nuggets and Jackfruit Kheema Samosas! We've been working on this for the last 7 months so we're really excited to see this labour of our love finally come to fruition (pun intended),” beams Karan adding that they’re still waiting on the TM for Juggets. “I believe that this is a huge step towards our vision at Eat with Better to introduce and promote raw jackfruit as an entirely new base ingredient, just like mushrooms, potatoes, chicken, paneer, and so on.”

“Since I started Eat with Better close to 2 years ago, the question I've faced the most is "Why jackfruit? Doesn't it stink so much?" I believe that if you try the jackfruit nuggets and samosas, you will have your answer.”

Factors of Price Parity with meat
 

“While on a price per unit basis, we have managed to (almost) be at parity with frozen chicken snacks from brands like Venkys, Yummiez and Prasooma, we are not claiming that our products are substitutes for any of those products because why make it 'just like' meat when jackfruit tastes this good? And for the record, in its raw form, jackfruit doesn't have the malodour that most people associate with it,” says Karan.

Production and Accessibility
 

Using a heat treatment process, the Eat with Better jackfruit is preserved without any preservatives or chemicals and can last for up to two years on your kitchen shelf. “We're here to revolutionize everything that you know about jackfruit - onwards and upwards,” says Keertida Phadke.

“For now, we're available in Mumbai only (don't get me started on the challenges of working with frozen products) but let us know where you'd want us to be available next and we'll figure something out before you can say 'tender jackfruit nuggets',” they sign off.