Happy New Year and a Product Review: Sundrop 10 min Yummeals

Happy New Year to all of you!!!! (I know its a bit late for the wishes but this happens to be my first post for 2012)

Having been busy for the past few months, i happened to realize that the Indian customers do not have many options when it comes to the Ready-to-eat
department. A quick and economical 'heat and eat' meal is indisposable for most of the hard pressed for time folks whose tribe happens to be increasing by the day. Staying away from family, 15-16 hour work schedules and a harrowing commute to work are turning home-cooked meals into something of a luxury.

Most of the brands available on the shelves are expensive and lack the 'Ghar-ka-khana' touch. Not many of us would prefer having Chicken Hyderabadi/Moghlai Chicken/Dal Bukhara ( the usual fare provided by Kitchens of India/MTR/Gits ) for dinner/lunch everyday. Also most of these brands have only the curries/dal stuff. One would still need to prepare the rotis/rice to go with them.

Given these drawbacks, I would rather consider the home delivery/ take away option provided by most restaurants as they are more pocket-friendly and eliminate the hassles of heating the meals.


Sundrop has launched the '10 min Yummeals' to bridge this gap. Each of these packets is a complete meal, consisting of rice and a curry/dal. There are 6 variants available:

Dal Tadka and Rice,
Chana Masala and Rice,
Aloo Mutter and Rice,
Palak Paneer and Rice,
Kadhi Pakoda and Rice,
Methi Malai Mutter and Rice.

Each packet is very economically priced at Rs 30/- and serves one. Eliminates the need to store the extra/unused portion. Good for bachelors who would ideally wolf down a packet or two of Maggie for dinner.

The rice needs to be cooked in a open pan/ pressure cooker/ microwave while the curry only needs to be heated. Both can be done well within 10 minutes.

Pros -
1. Economical - A complete meal for a family of 4 would cost 120/- (30/- X 4) rupees. Students can easily afford it.
2. Serving size - Each packet serves one, so elimintes the need to store leftovers.
3. Complete meal - Includes rice and curry. Add a bit of pickle/papad and one is all
set.
4. Less oily/spicy as compared to other brands.
5. Takes less than 10 minutes to prepare a meal.
6. The variety provided is what one ideally consumes in a home-cooked dinner.
7. No cholesterol/ trans-fat/ preservaties.
8. Indication of the spice content on the outer covering. ( Yeah just like one would
find on restaurant menus, example Pizza hut )
















Cons -
1. One needs to have a gas stove/ induction cooker/ microwave to prepare the meal.
2. Taste - None of the packaged stuff ever comes close to the 'home-cooked' flavour.
3. No South indian varieties on the menu.
4. The rice does not turn out to be too fluffy when prepared in a pan/pressure cooker.
5. The serving size is a little less for any adult ( especially for guys ).

This is how the prepared meal looks like:

Kahdi Pakoda and Rice














Dal Tadka and Rice ( the pickle is my own addition )














Overall the product is a good one and makes life easier for lots of working folks. This

is how i would rate it:
Taste - 3/5.
Quantity - 3.5/5
Pricing - 4.5/5.

I hope they add more variety to the menu.