Radio NZ | Perzen Patel of Dolly Mumma

Each week Radio New Zealand talks to a small New Zealand business and this week on our NZ Made segment we're talking to Perzen Patel whose business is called 'Dolly Mumma'.

Dolly Mumma makes ready-to-cook Indian products that you can use to make curries and to compliment your everyday Kiwi cooking. They are on a mission to take you beyond butter chicken.

Perzen spoke to Radio NZ Producer, Ellie Jay, about why the business started:

When I was a teenager growing up in New Zealand, I realised that the everyday Kiwi had very little knowledge about Indian food. For years now, there's a perception in New Zealand that Indian food is about butter chicken and the 4-5 other things you get in the Indian takeaway. The reality is that there's a whole world of Indian food out there! We wanted to give people a taste of real India. 

How has it been starting a business in 2020?

It's been pretty crazy. I've been debating since the start of the year whether I should start or not. However, in June 2020 I started a podcast, Kiwi Foodcast. Interviewing these food entrepreneurs and seeing the passion they have for their businesses gave me the kick I needed to just get going and follow my dream. While it's been hard, it's also meant many more opportunities. We started our business on the Chooice platform. If we had started any other year, we wouldn't have had that option and people wouldn't have realised that they have this option for shopping their food, art and craft online. So while it's been hard, it's also been really great. 

Can you tell us about the recipes for your products. What's the influence?

The reason my business is called Dolly Mumma is because Dolly was my grandmother. I grew up eating her curry (read the full story here). The recipes we use are passed down to me by my grandmother and my friends grandmothers. These are all dishes we would cook in an Indian home that we wanted to share with the wider Kiwi audience. 

Connect with Dolly Mumma on Instagram and direct message the 'Beyond Butter Chicken' hotline for advice about cooking Indian at home.