FOR MOST OF us Brits, curry will feature on the dinner table
at some point in the week, whether it be a take away or a homemade
version. Chilli Papas spice mixes aren’t
only healthy, but create a far superior dinner than your normal take away or
store bought curry paste.
Darren Mollan founded the company by accident in December
2010 when rushing around trying to rustle up something to feed his four hungry
children.
As it happens, his
sister-in-law came around to make a curry for New Year’s Day dinner and
Darren’s wife Lynn suggested creating a pre-packaged spice mix with
instructions on making a healthy curry.
I first met Darren a couple of years back while he was
promoting Chilli Papas at a food festival.
He tells me what the venture has been like up to this point:
‘It’s been a rollercoaster of joy, elation and excitement
against disappointment, frustration and stress!
‘What has really been amazing is looking back at what we
started with: a £20 budget and one mix that we sent to friends on Facebook to
sample.
‘Since then highlights have included our first food festival
in Crail in 2011, having a celebrity chef like a sample and not believing it was cooked without oil.
‘We especially love meeting new and existing customers; that
way you can engage, swap tips and really explain our company ethos.’
I’ve used Chilli Papas mixes a few times and always admire
the balance of spices Darren has perfected in the blends. It’s a real skill to be able to do something
like that and I asked the man himself how he creates his mixes and about his
passion for cooking:
‘I have been cooking curries for the past 16 years,
initially using my Mum’s recipes and then adapting them to suit healthier
eating. I have no professional cooking experience but just love to create food
and experiment.
‘The original mix (Mandalay) was really created by accident and I
perfected it over a six month period. I learnt from this and by guinea pigging
the family. We offer free samples to our
Facebook fans to get more feedback and adjust accordingly.’
Recently, Chilli Papas launched a new Gurkha curry mix and
Darren told me about the inspiration behind this new tangy and sour Nepalese blend:
‘This is a recipe from an old family friend who was a Gurkha
soldier in the British Army. I found it in my Mum’s recipe book and adapted it
to fit the Chilli Papas ethos.
‘I think family recipes like this offer a different taste experience
for the whole family. In this case, it took a lot of experimenting to get it
right, but we got there I think!’
Darren featured on BBC Radio Scotland’s Kitchen Café show a
few months back and tells me what it was like cooking on the radio:
‘I was really nervous about cooking on the show as I'm a big
fan, but when Penny Latin turned up she put me at ease straight away.
‘What made it very easy was that you end up chatting away
about the cooking, the history and a little about Chilli Papas and time just
flies. We even had a few laughs especially about a couple of unusual
ingredients’
Whilst listening to the show, Darren finished off his curry
by crushing some crisps and sprinkling them over the dish. The presenters were a bit dubious about this
at first but once they tasted the curry, really took to the idea:
‘It's all about adding crunch and an additional
texture. I wanted something neutral,
that wouldn’t add another flavour like nuts would, so I tried crisps and it
worked!’
I think it’s a great touch and often do it with my curries
now and trust me - it works!
The great thing about Chilli Papas mixes are that they’re essentially one-pot dishes and really do suit, not just hectic family life, but
everybody from busy working professionals to kids that like to cook.
The mixes come with an easy-to-use recipe printed on the card inside; perfect for even the most inexperienced cook.
One of the unique things about the curries is that they encourage
oil free cooking, making them low fat and healthy; something that was very
important to Darren when developing the product:
 |
| Darren is a regular at food festivals throughout Scotland |
‘Being a child-friendly product was very important as we
have four in our family.
‘As the product is so simple to cook, it’s very easy to get
children involved with the preparation and mixing of the ingredients.
‘Our children often beg to be involved and, as well as
teaching them where products come from, they'll learn about smell and textures too.
This has led to many reviews stating how much they enjoyed using the mixes, from
people who are good eaters to those who are fussy.’
Like Darren, encouraging children to cook and learn about
food is something that I care passionately about. Schools do very little these days and it is
important to get kids started on the right foot when it comes to food. What better way to do that than getting the
kids cooking a healthy curry?
There are currently ten Chilli Papas mixes available. For a list of stockists and regular updates, check out the Chilli Papas Facebook at: www.facebook.com/redhotchillipapas
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