India’s Foodie Websites Bring Gourmet Treats to Your Door

Courtesy of Foodbury A screenshot of the Foodbury Web site.

With late nights at work the norm and the kirana (corner) stores displaying only shelves of dusty cans and dried beans, urban Delhiites with sophisticated palates are increasingly looking to the Internet to bring the market to them. Many of these sites that feature fresh, organic produce and gourmet products were started by young entrepreneurs who didn’t want time constraints get in the way of a good home-cooked meal.

For the kitchen demands of an entire generation of young India brought up on mom-and-pop stores, here is a list of e-commerce companies that bring epicurean delights to your doorstep:

Courtesy of Bakebox A box of assorted pastries sold by Bakebox.

1. Bakebox by Jennifer Duthie
Where: www.bakebox.in, 9711024429, contact@bakebox.in

Price: 850 rupees (about $15) for a box
Delivery: Every two weeks

Jennifer Duthie wants to change how people indulge their sweet tooth by offering a box each month holding an assortment of goodies from a Delhi-based “baker of the month.”

The idea for Bakebox occurred to Ms. Duthie, 27, at the London design trade show Top Drawer, where she heard about “subscription commerce.” Wanting something along the same lines in India, Ms. Duthie ditched her initial idea of delivering boxes of alcohol to people’s homes and settled on an online patisserie.

Within two weeks of opening in August, Bakebox had 48 orders. Now it fields 100 orders a week, with a database of over 50 home bakers, compiled after a rigorous screening process, which also serves as an online directory for local bakers.

Verdict: The surprise of every order is cushioned by the hope that for each disappointing box, the next one could better suit your taste buds.

Courtesy of Le Petite Pantry Flax Seed Bread from Le Petite Pantry.

2. Le Petite Pantry by Priya Halasyam and Anu Ram
Where: www.lepetitepantry.com, 09650979093
Price: Starting at 250 rupees (about $5)
Delivery: 24 hours to 48 hours in Delhi and Gurgaon; no minimum purchase. Delivery areas and hours will vary, depending on the vendor

To make fresh food from restaurants, stores and delis in Delhi easier to pick up, Le Petite Pantry’s founders, Priya Halasyam, 31, and Anu Ram, 29, have tied up with food partners across the city.

Le Petite Pantry, which is based in Gurgaon, provides both consumers and local “food artisans” an easy-to-use online platform, an active social network and a delivery service that operates every day of the week.

The “Fait Maison” category has products from smaller, home-based cooks, “I Need It Now” is for those prone to last-minute shopping dashes and “Custom Blend” lets you mix and match a variety of grains to turn into bread or pasta, or to get milled into flour.

Verdict: Great for those who commit to making a romantic dinner or an impress-your-boss luncheon but with no time to actually cook.

Courtesy of The Gourmet Jar A bottle of jam from The Gourmet Jar.

3. Gourmet Jar by Apeksha Jain
Where: http://veggiewiz.in/the-gourmet-jar, 09560077622

Price: From 200 rupees (about $4) for a 250-gram jar to 450 rupees ( $8 ) for 350 grams of cashew nuts

Delivery: Takes two to three days. For Noida and Delhi, charge of 100 rupees (about $2)

Apeksha Jain, 31, conjures up creative jams and marmalades reminiscent of the preserves she ate in the French countryside, like kiwi whiskey orange, orange peach Cointreau and pumpkin butter with Cointreau.

The Gourmet Jar chef works solely out of her kitchen, aims to keep artificial ingredients to a minimum and steers clear of white processed sugar, replacing it with jaggery and raw sugar. Ms. Jain also ensures that her fruits are seasonal and fresh. Other products include an assortment of unusually flavored nuts and loose granola, which is pricey but delicious.

Verdict: Though the pear caramel and apple pie jars were personal favorites, the fig Cointreau gets a unanimous vote.

Courtesy of I Say Organic Red peppers from I Say Organic.

4. I Say Organic by Ashmeet Kapoor
Where: www.isayorganic.com, 011-4108 7447, info@isayorganic.com

Price: Minimum order of 250 rupees (about $5)

Delivery: Up to 12 hours

Returning to India after his getting his M.B.A., Ashmeet Kapoor, 27, wanted to do something concrete about the real issues plaguing the country. He realized the lack of rural livelihoods was a serious problem that was going unaddressed.

With I Say Organic, Mr. Kapoor envisioned unifying scattered farmer bases and simplifying complicated supply chains. He ensured quality checks and certifications indispensable for the organic label through partnerships with local nongovernmental organizations and farmer groups that initiated the “greening” of many farms in Sirsa, Haryana (where seasonal vegetables are grown), and Karsog, Himachal Pradesh (where nonseasonal, exotic products are cultivated).

Verdict: The downside of ordering seasonal vegetables and fruits you haven’t chosen yourself is that there’s no guarantee you will get the same thing every time. The upside is that you help farmers go organic and keep pesticides out of your food.

Courtesy of Sea to Home Tiger Prawns from Sea to Home.

5. Sea to Home by Priya Solomon
Where: www.seatohome.com

Price: 200 rupees (about $4) and up

Delivery: Within 24 hours

Pescetarians living in landlocked Delhi now have a way to get fresh seafood. Sea to Home navigates the logistical traumas of the arduous task of buying seafood in cities.

As a child, Priya Solomon, 35, remembers how her mother washed fish for hours and soaked it in salt to remove chemicals like ammonia. Today, with her partners, Mathew Joseph and Tessy John, the former journalist wants to replace smelly fish markets selling chemically-doused, frozen seafood with a Web site that offers fresh fish, straight from the waters around Kerala, for homes in Delhi.

Sea to Home avoids chemical preservatives by getting its fish from small trawlers or country boats, which return from sea within 24 hours, instead of the larger trawlers that stay out for weeks on end and have to freeze their catch.

Verdict: What’s not to love about fresh, succulent prawns, live crabs and delicious surumai delivered to your door

Courtesy of Ploof Deli Homemade items for sale at the Ploof Deli.

6. Ploof Deli
Where: www.store.ploofdeli.com

Price: Dinner for two, 1, 000 rupees ($18)

Delivery: 45 minutes to 1 hour for delivery

After establishing credentials as one of the capital’s better seafood restaurants, Ploof Deli adopted a European deli concept for its overhaul so that customers can enjoy the same gourmet food from the restaurant in the comfort of their homes, cooked and modified to their palates.

In “Marketplace,” customers can select not only what they want to eat, but also how they want it cooked with what kind of marinade. To avoid simply stocking products from other suppliers, Ploof Deli tries to keep the homemade section of the deli dynamic.

Catering to the young, working professional with little time to deal with raw ingredients, the deli also has prepared pastas, marinated meats and fish, jams and its signature pesto and basil sauces.

Verdict: The Kerala coriander marinade, Vietnamese chicken skewers and peri-peri prawn sauce is a likely winner in your kitchen. Or shake things up at a 10- to 15-people dinner by inviting the Ploof Chef over to cook, for 1, 500 rupees ($27) a head.

Courtesy of Foodbury A screenshot of the Foodbury Website.

Foodbury by Pooja Kothari
Where: www.foodbury.com, or call: 09910054054

Price: 200 rupees ($3.6) and up

Delivery: Two to three days

For diabetics with a sweet tooth, gluten-intolerant people who can’t live without cakes and breads or vegans looking for a way to eat in the city, Foodbury is a godsend.

Pooja Kothari’s son was 3 when he was diagnosed with celiac disease, which meant he had to avoid gluten. For many years, Ms. Kothari, 36, dealt with her son’s allergies by ordering products from relatives traveling abroad or from the handful of local stores with a meager variety of products. She soon realized that hers was a common plight among parents.

Foodbury caters to a range of allergies. Organized by meal and diet type, Foodbury stocks products that Ms. Kothari has found in both India and overseas.

Verdict: The organic basket put together for the kitchen was a delight, as it included 30 staple items, all for 3,500 rupees ($64)