Kolkata couple’s ready-to-eat meals empower women cooks

During a trip to Switzerland in early 2017, Amit Murarka and his wife Shalu faced a familiar challenge -- finding wholesome vegetarian food outside India. On the same trip, they saw a Gujarati family eating Indian food after adding hot water to the contents of various packets. 

“That’s when we learned about dehydrated food, which can be reconstituted by adding hot water. My wife Shalu, an excellent cook, was excited at the idea of food dehydration for preservation and having it anytime by simply adding hot water,” Amit tells 30Stades.

Once back, Amit and Shalu began researching the process of dehydration at their home in Kolkata, West Bengal. “While there are many papers on dehydration of fruits, vegetables and other items, there is almost no research on cooked food. So we understood that trial and error was the only option,” says Shalu.

The trial and error phase

Shalu had been organising cookery workshops since 2008, and her passion led the couple to experiment. They fabricated a small machine for food dehydration and began running trials to preserve dal makhni, paneer butter masala, and other dishes.

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The first products came out in 2022, but were only made for family members. 

“Many of my cousins were studying or working abroad. My niece was in China and faced many issues getting vegetarian food. We realised it was a bigger problem than we thought,” Amit says.

The couple began testing their products by sending meals to family members. “Initially, we sometimes over-dehydrated, affecting texture and taste, while less dehydration would reduce shelf life. We kept learning for over six months to get the right taste and consistency,” Shalu says. 

Amid this, they figured out that freeze-drying technology was gaining popularity over dehydration. “We realised that other brands had moved to freeze-drying. So we started learning about that technology,” he says.

From dehydration to freeze-drying

Shalu, meanwhile, was working on developing recipes using freeze-drying. “When we started researching, we saw that we could achieve consistent good taste for all 20 items, proving that the technology worked well,” she says.

“In 2024, we installed the first freeze-drying machine and launched our brand, Spice up Foods. We have FSSAI certification,” Amit says. 

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Freeze-drying is an advanced preservation method where moisture is removed after freezing. “This results in a dried food that retains its original colour, taste, and nutritional value, with a significantly extended shelf life. The food can be reconstituted by adding hot water,” says Amit.

“Importantly, freeze drying can reduce food weight by up to 75 percent, making it much easier to carry during travels. From pav bhaji to upma and rajma-chawal, any food item can be dehydrated using freeze-drying,” says Madhu, Amit’s sister and a founder of Spice up Foods. 

She looks after the production work. 

They put up a second machine in May 2024, followed by a third one in 2025. “We are planning to add more machines next year,” the food entrepreneur says. 

Women empowerment

The couple works with home cooks in Kolkata. “There are many women who cook well but are unable to earn from their skills due to a lack of opportunities. Shalu knew some of them through her cookery classes. We decided to work with them,” says Madhu.

Shalu gave the cooks the basic recipes for every dish, ranging from kadhi-chawal and butter masala to veg fried rice and bhindi. “The cooks improvised the recipes and now we offer around 30 ready-to-eat products,” Amit adds.

“Over 80 percent of our workforce is women, who run the operations and earn with dignity by contributing their traditional recipes and skills,” Shalu adds.

The home cooks prepare the foods in Spice up Foods’ kitchen according to pre-determined recipes and ratios. “Once the food is prepared, the work shifts to our freeze-drying unit spread over 1,000 sq ft. We provide vacuum packing for rotis, thepla, and parathas, which can be used while travelling,” Madhu says.

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Currently, Spice up Foods sells its products, priced between Rs200 and Rs230 per packet, through its website, Amazon and an offline setup. They deliver across the country.

Another segment of their business is freeze-drying home-cooked food for people travelling abroad. “Moms and travellers cook food and send it to us. We freeze-dry it and give it back in packets, which can be carried anywhere globally,” says Madhu. 

The couple now wants to enter the freeze-dried snack segment and expand their food business. “We currently have two products – bhindi and sukha aloo, which are crisps. By next year, we would like to have seven snack items – non-fried and healthier options than chips,” Amit adds.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories about human interest, environment, art and culture.)

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