New Delhi, May 03, 2013: Ms Sudha Dhir – a 65 year Gurgaon based homemaker’s secret dish innovated by her in her kitchen at home would now get permanently featured in the menu of Junoon – the internationally acclaimed restaurant of Michelin Starred Chef, Author and TV Host Vikas Khanna. This came to her as a special award from the globally renowned Chef Khanna as she won the national finals of Dabur Hommade HomeStar contest in New Delhi today. As part of the award, she will be flown in to New York wherein she would cook her special homemade dish in the kitchen of Junoon. Dabur Hommade HomeStar is a national culinary contest organized by India’s leading packaged foods Company Dabur India Ltd. that aims to identify and acknowledge the unsung culinary talents in Indian homes.
Chef Vikas Khanna, judging the finals today in the city said, “As lifestyles are becoming more and more hectic, not only working professionals but homemakers are also facing time crunch. Amidst all this, they are also able to make tasty food for their family. This is where brands like Dabur Hommade with the range of ready to cook pastes and purees, which help one make tasty food in a quicker time, are playing an important role in the modern day lifestyle. I salute all those women and men who day in day out dish out finger-licking tasty dishes for their family. This contest is indeed a great initiative by the brand to give an opportunity to the Queens & Kings of Indian kitchen to take their culinary skills outside the closed confines of their kitchen and share it with the world. The variety in taste and color that I found the participants bringing in today to the various dishes truly showcases the richness of Indian cuisine. Truly great culinary masters are not born in restaurants or hotels; rather they are present in every kitchen across the nation. Dabur Hommade HomeStar contest is but a reflection of this fact.”
Dabur Hommade HomeStar contest was flagged of a month back wherein people were invited to share their secret recipes. More than 5000 entries were received from across the country, with the city of Ddelhi alone alone accounting for over 1,000 of these entries. After several rounds of screening by an independent jury, 30 shortlisted participants were called for each of the regional city level selection rounds held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore last month. The top ten winners of the city selection rounds – 3 each from Mumbai and Bangalore and 4 from Delhi, today battled it out in the national finale of the contest in New Delhi. The homemaker from Gurgaon Ms Sudha Dhir wooed Chef Vikas Khanna with her unique recipe “Chicken Dhaniyewala” and “Samolina Drops” to win the national finale today. With this she wins a trip to New York wherein she would get to cook in the kitchen of globally famous restaurant of Chef Khanna – Junoon and her dish would permanently get featured in the menu of the restaurant for the global food lovers to taste it out.
The contest saw participants coming from various backgrounds – from homemaker to teacher to software engineer, both man and women participating in it. Thanks to today’s busy and changing lifestyle, more and more innovations with food are happening in the kitchens at our homes, and this was all at display during the different stages of the contest as participants came up with innovative dishes like Mumbai’s commercial photographer Palash Bose’s “Thai Chicken Biryani” – a unique fusion of Thai food and Hyderabadi Biryani or Bangalore’s education consultant Asha Hariharan’s “Gado Gado Avial” – a delicious south Indian delicacy with an Indonesian twist.
Mr Praveen Jaipuriar, Marketing Head – Foods, Dabur India Ltd., said, “Dabur Hommade is an over 15-year-old brand made from the choicest, fresh ingredients that helps make tasty food conveniently without compromising on one’s individual touch. The brand comes with the promise of making cooking convenient and less time consuming, while delivering the same taste of traditional home made food. Further extending this promise of supplementing homemade food with the element of convenience and taste, we came up with this contest that brings together home makers from across India on a platform where they can invent and explore their culinary skills and gain recognition.”
About Dabur India Ltd
Dabur India Ltd is one of India’s leading FMCG Companies. Building on a legacy of quality and experience for over 127 years, Dabur is today India’s most trusted name and the world’s largest Ayurvedic and Natural Health Care Company. Dabur India’s FMCG portfolio includes five flagship brands with distinct brand identities — Dabur as the master brand for natural healthcare products, Vatika for premium hair care, Hajmola for digestives, Réal for fruit-based beverages and Fem for fairness bleaches & skin care.
