New Zealand’s home cooks can now bring the flavours of one of the country’s most celebrated restaurants to their own dinner plates with Cassia at Home, as Auckland chef Sid Sahrawat launches his own range of sauces and spice kits this week.
Sahrawat and the team at his award-winning modern Indian restaurant Cassia have bottled their coveted signature sauces so fans of Indian cuisine can create restaurant-quality curries in their own kitchens – and lap up all the praise from their friends and family.
The new Cassia at Home range includes three flavoursome sauces: Korma (a beautifully thick, mild sauce made with almonds and cardamom), Makhani (a medium spiced “butter chicken” sauce made with cashews instead of dairy for the ultimate velvety finish), and Karahi (a spicy, tomato-based sauce).
The sauces are prepared in the same way they are at Sahrawat’s restaurant, and are gluten-free, preservative-free and vegan-friendly. Home chefs need only cook their favourite meat, fish, vegetables or other protein before adding the sauce to the pan and enjoying a taste of Cassia at their own dining table.
The Cassia at Home range also includes two spice kits, the Essentials Spice Kit and the Spice Blend Kit.
The Essentials Spice Kit contains an array of Sid’s favourite vibrant whole, ground and blended spices, along with his definitive guide and tips to using them.
The Spice Blend Kit contains Sahrawat’s favourite spice blends used in the Cassia kitchen – garam masala (essential spice mix for those who love to eat and cook Indian food), chaat masala (a staple found at street food vendors across India), and tandoori masala (which is ideal for yoghurt or oil-based marinades and rubs).
Sahrawat says this year’s lockdown paved the way for Cassia’s new business venture and while he will be providing recipes and tips it is all about experimenting and having fun.
“The Cassia takeaway menu proved so popular when Aucklanders couldn’t eat out, we found it hard to keep up with demand. Launching this range of sauces and spices seemed like the logical next step in the evolution of the restaurant,” he says.
“We would obviously much prefer to cook for our customers in the restaurant, but the Cassia at Home range means we can give Kiwis nationwide an opportunity to cook, experiment and enjoy their favourite dishes wherever and whenever they like.”
The Cassia at Home range is available directly from the restaurant and online from the Cassia website, with the sauces also available at all Farro Fresh stores. For more information go to: www.cassiarestaurant.co.nz
