Those who venture to the various farmer's markets around Auckland will likely have come across Banu and her chilli oils, spices and chutneys. Two years ago, we were searching around for a farmers market to launch Roti Bros and discovered Banu and her incredible products. She explained she had a cooking class. After being postponed twice, thanks to various lockdowns, we finally took some of the team to Banu's Indian Cooking Class.
Held at her home in Te Atatu, Banu and her husband Siddarth uphold the ancient Hindu belief "Atithi Devo Bhava", which means "guests are equivalent to God". We were welcomed and treated to a four-hour experience like no other. The class was a mix of listening and learning as well as doing. Banu gave us a glimpse into an Indian home, culture, tradition, hospitality, sumptuous food, and heartwarming stories from India and what led her to Aotearoa, NZ.
When the evening was coming to a close, Banu asked the group what we enjoyed and one thing she could improve on. We collectively agreed there's not a thing to change – Banu is a great teacher; she's passionate but isn't afraid to have a laugh. Her energy is infectious.
You can book here.
]]>Commercial Bay is all about having unique, delicious food that you wouldn’t typically find at other malls. Being alongside the likes of Gochu, Fatimas, Ahi, Hawker & Roll (and the rest of the incredible list of food outlets) seriously spins our wheels. We hope to see you down here soon!
You can find us next to Spark on Customs St West, just up Little Queen St lane. Open 7 days a week, 11am-6pm.
Read more from The Denizen.
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We were gutted to hear that Diwali Festival was not going ahead due to uncertainty around alert levels. While we completely understand the decision, as a stallholder, we were looking forward to sharing something Varun has been working on for the last few weeks – Mini Vegetarian Roti Pies! He describes them as unique, but something that still represents the vibrant flavours of Indian street food.
These packs of 9x Limited Edition Vegetarian Mini Roti Pies consist of three flavours and are a small way we can still celebrate Diwali at home. Either on your own or sent as a gift to friends and whānau. $2 from every pack will go towards Belong Aotearoa, who work to address systemic barriers to settlement for newcomers in Aotearoa NZ.
3x Bhaaji – mix of mashed vegetables in a tangy flavourful spiced curry. Contains gluten & dairy.
3x Mattar Paneer – tomato based curry with peas & cottage cheese, spiced with garam masala. Contains gluten & dairy.
3x Vege Manchurian – dumplings covered in Manchurian style sweet & sour sauce. Contains gluten, sesame & soy.
Each Mini Roti Pie is vegetarian and egg free.
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Originating in Indonesia, this rich and intense flavoured dry curry is also a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore. It's believed that the Minangkabau's, who brought it from Sumatra, save the dish for months as the complex tastes and flavours develop over time. Many recipes call for it to be cooked and left for the next day as the flavours and aroma become more intense. Lucky our process allows for that.
Using aromatic spices like lemongrass, galangal, star anise, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, amongst other common culprits, there is often a toasted coconut or ‘kerisik’ that is added towards the end to give it that distinct texture. Commonly cooked in three stages, some regions and countries don’t go the full third stage of reducing the curry to maintain a more wet Rendang. This is similar to what we have in our Beef Rendang, which of course goes superbly with roti. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do! To balance the rich flavour, add some texture and nutrients, we’ve also included carrot. Enjoy with raita to really get your wheels spinning.
]]>There's a few ways you can heat your Roti Pies... 🔥
All the time in the world: chilled or frozen
1. Preheat the oven to 150º
2. Cook for 25 mins from chilled or 35 mins from frozen
3. It's that easy!
Short on time: from chilled only
1. Heat on high in the microwave for 90 seconds
2. Finish on a warm pan medium-high heat to crispen the roti to perfection 🤌
For the experts:
From chilled you can heat low and slow in a pan with the lid on. The effect of the pan/BBQ plate adds a beautiful smokiness. After all, it was always intended to be cooked on a pan.
And then last of all, remember to share your experience with us!
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When Sabatino Tartufi showed up at La Cigale market one Saturday, it didn't take long for us to go over and sample some of their products. We walked away with some Black Truffle Paté. The following week, whilst we assembling our Thai Beef Cheek Roti Pies, we trialled the two together.
One of the rarest foods in the world, truffles are a special funghi often referred to as "diamonds of the earth" and "gems of the kitchen". Our Beef Cheek is rich and flavoursome and now thanks to the addition of truffle, it's a whole new level of decadence. Only available for a limited time only you can get your hands on a Truffle Beef Cheek Roti Pie at Farro Fresh (Constellation, Epsom, Grey Lynn & Lunn Ave only), La Cigale and Clevedon Village Farmers Market.
]]>Farro Fresh now stock Roti Pies! When we started this journey, we'd always discussed where we wanted to see our Roti Pies, and Farro was always top of the list. They're all about showcasing the best and finest foods from New Zealand, and so we're proud to be a part of their offering.
Our three core flavours: Butter Chicken, Thai Beef Cheek and Vege Panang (VF) are available to go from their pie warmers and deli section. So next time you're in Farro, hopefully your lunch decision has been made a whole lot easier.
Next step for us is looking at multi pack Roti Pies, either chilled or frozen.
Those of you in central Auckland may have seen our digital billboards announcing our launch into Farro Grey Lynn, running through late May on College Hill, Great North Rd or Symonds St.
Pictured below: College Hill digital billboard.
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| 12 Feb 2021 | Read the article on Denizen
It was over lockdown that friends Ollie Morrison and Logan Stevens embarked on a food experiment by combining some of their favourite things — soft, buttery roti paratha and South Asian flavours with the classic Kiwi pie. The result? A happy hybrid that looks like a pie but is packed with a whole lot more flavour.
The duo decided to take their roti pies to the world, and under the name Roti Bros, started cultivating a fast following as one of Auckland’s must-visit food stalls.
The line-up of Roti Bros’ pies comprises three main fillings that take cues from the traditional flavours of India, Thailand and Malaysia respectively. The Thai Beef Cheek pie is a delicious and bold combination of sweet, salty and sour, while the Butter Chicken pie offers the same kind of indulgent, aromatic character as the traditional curry we all know and love. Rounding out the trio, the Satay Panang pie is rich and creamy (with a hint of nuttiness) and is entirely vegan-friendly.
Alongside the core flavours, Roti Bros will occasionally offer up limited-edition pies as well — most recently a Chicken Tikka Masala iteration and a Lamb Mince Curry pie which they created in collaboration with Satya.
Having done the rounds at a number of pop-ups and markets in Auckland, Roti Bros is currently setting up regularly at Parnell’s La Cigale every Saturday morning from 8am until 2pm. But you best get in quick — pies as tasty as these tend to sell out fast.
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