Soho Works' Yumlicious Supper Club with DabbaDrop

DabbaDrop was the focus of SoHo Work’s Yumlicious Supper Club last week. Every monthly Yumlicious event sees new chefs and businesses prepare and present their culinary creations as they discuss the stories and heritage behind each dish. This month were Anshu and Renee, founders of the sustainable food delivery brand, DabbaDrop.

Renee and Anshu met six years ago as next door neighbours and became friends. They used to grab a takeaway on a Friday but were disappointed with the quality of the food, lack of vegetarian options and the amount of plastic being used. They wanted to bring fresh, colourful, vibrant delicious curries to London homes, and be environmentally friendly. Six years ago they created DabbaDrop- the UK’s first zero waste and zero emissions food delivery company.

The duo also wanted to take the hassle out of what meal to choose, so every week they curate a new menu inspired by regional curries around the world. One of their guiding philosophies is that everyone should be welcome at their table. Anshu spoke about how her mother from India and her grandmother from Scotland should be able to eat at same table. DabbaDrop prides themselves on offering well spiced but not spicy food.

Being environmentally friendly was important for Renee and Anshu. Anshu grew up in Mumbai and would see the 100+ year tradition of families cooking food and the food being served to their working family members in dabbas (tin in Hindi) by Dabbawalas (delivery drivers). By using dabbas, DabbaDrop has saved the use of 500 000 plastic containers! It’s a closed loop system meaning that each time food is delivered to your door, they will collect the previous tins, wash and sterilise them, before they are reused. As you need to order in advance, DabbaDrop does not have any food waste.

We were served a vibrant Goan feast with a Dahl, curry and rice element made using 100% natural ingredients with everything cooked from scratch. To start we had Gujarati-spiced potato and caramelised onion samosa with pineapple mango chutney. These were hot, crispy and flaky. You absolutely must have the chutney with these- they were great by themselves but the fresh chutney makes them even more delicious. I had 3 in quick succession and only stopped as we had 2 more dishes to come.

The Goan squash curry was inspired by traditional prawn curry from Goa. This was served with roti- whole meal flat bread. I recently went on a trip to Sri Lanka where we made a pumpkin curry, and this dish brought back memories of that happy experience. I always love a dish that can transport us to a different place. This week marked the e addition of aubergine xacuti, amti dal with red rice and pickled onions to the Goan inspired menu. Xacuti (pronounced sha-koo-tee) is a classic Goan curry renowned for its complex, aromatic spice blend. The rich, silk texture of the aubergine is showcased. There’s coconut, dried chillies and spices like clove, cinnamon and black pepper. The potions were great and both dishes were delicious- my bowls were completely clean!

For a sweet treat, we had a cardamom, coconut and coffee brownie. These were soft inside with a firmer outside. Although they did have a strong taste of coconut and cardamon, they were indulgent and a good way to finish the meal experience.

DabbaDrop currently delivers 800 dabba’s on a weekly basis to London zones 1-3. You can sign up to a weekly or fortnightly delivery. The cost is £30 for two. The meal is delivered chilled and is ready to heat and eat. So if you want a banging curry for a busy home, look at DabbaDrop.

Website: https://dabbadrop.co.uk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dabbadrop

Written by Caitlin Neal