‘We Make 15,000 Meals Every Day’

Chicken Tikka Masala was the most popular dish in London for quite a while. Some say it is now being dethroned by Lasagne, but Indian cuisine is still extremely popular. Puneet Arora, executive chef of Noon Products, London, talks to M S Ram about the future of Indian food in the UK

EH&C: How did you first decide you wanted to be a chef?

Puneet Arora: Cooking is in my blood. My father, chef Satish Arora, is a known figure in the Indian hotel industry. Many of my uncles are also in commanding positions in various parts of the world. It was just meant to be, I guess.

Where did you first start out?

After completing my diploma in Hotel Management from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, I joined the Taj Group as a management trainee specialising in the kitchen. Soon after, I was inducted into the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. I then worked for Taj Samudra, Colombo, after which I joined Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai to broaden my horizons. I have been with Noon Products since 2000.

What exactly is Noon Products?

Noon Products' mission is the development and creation of ready to eat packed new dishes and products that can be made available to the general public through supermarkets. Right now, we make 15,000 meals every day. Our supermarket products include Indian, Mexican, Chinese and Lebanese dishes. Noon products were established about 13 years ago by Sir Gulam Noon, to help familiarise the British public with real Indian food.

What would you say is your USP?

All our products are free of preservatives. The shelf life of these meals is nine to 12 days, which is very good for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian ready foods. Also, all our raw material, spices, herbs etc are imported from India.

What are your most popular products?

Hot Tikka Masala is one of the favourites actually more popular now than fish and chips.

Could you tell us a little about your achievements?

There are various achievements that fill me with a sense of pride. Among them was when I won international chef of the year 2002 in the event organised by the British meet. There were 6000 participants and only six recipes were short-listed. I am also happy to say that I am one of the few Indian chefs who had a rare honour to work with renowned chef Gordon Ramsey.

‘We Make 15,000 Meals Every Day’

Chicken Tikka Masala was the most popular dish in London for quite a while. Some say it is now being dethroned by Lasagne, but Indian cuisine is still extremely popular. Puneet Arora, executive chef of Noon Products, London, talks to M S Ram about the future of Indian food in the UK

EH&C: How did you first decide you wanted to be a chef?

Puneet Arora: Cooking is in my blood. My father, chef Satish Arora, is a known figure in the Indian hotel industry. Many of my uncles are also in commanding positions in various parts of the world. It was just meant to be, I guess.

Where did you first start out?

After completing my diploma in Hotel Management from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, I joined the Taj Group as a management trainee specialising in the kitchen. Soon after, I was inducted into the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. I then worked for Taj Samudra, Colombo, after which I joined Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai to broaden my horizons. I have been with Noon Products since 2000.

What exactly is Noon Products?

Noon Products' mission is the development and creation of ready to eat packed new dishes and products that can be made available to the general public through supermarkets. Right now, we make 15,000 meals every day. Our supermarket products include Indian, Mexican, Chinese and Lebanese dishes. Noon products were established about 13 years ago by Sir Gulam Noon, to help familiarise the British public with real Indian food.

What would you say is your USP?

All our products are free of preservatives. The shelf life of these meals is nine to 12 days, which is very good for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian ready foods. Also, all our raw material, spices, herbs etc are imported from India.

What are your most popular products?

Hot Tikka Masala is one of the favourites actually more popular now than fish and chips.

Could you tell us a little about your achievements?

There are various achievements that fill me with a sense of pride. Among them was when I won international chef of the year 2002 in the event organised by the British meet. There were 6000 participants and only six recipes were short-listed. I am also happy to say that I am one of the few Indian chefs who had a rare honour to work with renowned chef Gordon Ramsey.