ASDA today revealed that scratch cooking seems to be back on the menu after increased sales of up to 170% on Indian cookery ingredients.
The sales surge coincides with Anjum Anand’s BBC show Indian Food Made Easy, and its accompanying book. ASDA customers have been inspired to turn up the heat in the kitchen and grind, chop and slice their way to a chicken tikka, rather than unwrap a silver foil package from the restaurant down the road.
Comparing year on year sales on many ingredients revealed that sales on over 100 Indian cookery essentials have soured. For example sales on asafoetida (a spice sometimes called Devil’s Dung) are up 170%; chana dal (yellow split pea) up 110%; garam masala (blend of ground spices common in Indian cuisine) up 150%) and curry powder (up 110%).
ASDA claims health aware shoppers are demanding real ingredients to make world dishes from scratch, now they know what the ingredients are and how to use them. Noor Ali, Ethnic Food Buyer for ASDA commented, "Many people assume you can only find such specialist food at your local world food store, however ASDA has been offering its customers this choice for years. Our customers can access ingredients to experiment with and experience new world food, whilst others can find the necessary supplies to make a wonderfully familiar dish."
Welcoming this passion for cooking Indian food using authentic produce, Noor continued "Shows such as Indian Food Made Easy have encouraged people to experiment with core Indian produce and it’s great that our customers can not only find the produce in their local store, but know how to use it!"
