Press Articles - iNNo Concepts Inc.

"Ultra & Innovative design in India - Preeti Mehra
"Stand for Indian Dumplings can have other uses" -- Karen Miltner
"Putting the right grind in Indian cooking"
"Inno Concepts -- An Innovation in South Indian Cooking"

How design can drive the market
(This is part of the article that appeared on The Hindu on 6/24/02. For full article, http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2002/06/24/stories/2002062400010100.htm)

Preeti Mehra

It is the design features that make or break a product. Unfortunately, in India, the potential of design is yet to be fully utilised. It is in this scenario that the launch of a permanent display centre for design in New Delhi gains significance.

To involve the corporate world and take design beyond the walls of NID, the institute has been negotiating with various companies to associate themselves through consultancy and industry projects with the Design Satellite Centres that the Industry Programmes and Projects division has set up. The satellite centres concept will help NID reach out to other cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Bangalore and Kochi to spread design expertise and awareness.

"Indian industry, till now, has been used to borrowing design from abroad. Very few know the worth of using design as an investment. While people do not mind spending on technology, few understand the importance of the end product. But now with a strict patent regime and the need for building competitive advantage in the globalised scenario industry is slowly recognising the importance of research and development in design," says Vyas.

He gives the example of the Ultra wet grinder that has saved households hours and hours of hard labour.

In great demand in South Indian homes where `idlis' and `dosas' are everyday food items, the Elgi Utra Grind was an effort to make the noisy, floor-standing, tilting, electric wet grinder into a more efficient and quieter table top model. The brief for the designers was to use industrial design to transform the engineering prototype of the grinder from a contraption to a user-friendly appliance. What came of the designing effort was a product that had the blend of traditional materials and modern processes.

Not only was Elgi's Ultra a roaring success, but it spawned an industry of look-alikes. The next development was a more compact model for smaller kitchens with fitted furniture.

This model is so well thought out that it has a lid that may be opened and swivelled to avoid overhead kitchen cabinets. "The product is so useful, it can even be exported for the NRI market,'' points out Vyas.

However, Showcase Design is not where NID's involvement with design ends. Dr Koshy as well as Vyas talk about the pressing need for a National Design Policy, for which the institute has already forwarded an approach paper to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. They also moot the idea of a National Design Council and a Good Design Selection System to give the design movement that has begun more speed and a big boost.

Some of the corporate logos designed by NID.

I love cooking gadgets as much as the next foodie. But because my kitchen is small and my budget limited, I try to curb my enthusiasm by sticking to items that fit one of two criteria: They must offer multiple applications, or the food they're designed for should be a staple, such as muffins or pizza.

But every now and then, I come across a culinary doohicky that I simply must possess, even if it seems doomed to a life of collecting dust. This happened last month when I forked over $10 for my first idli (pronounced ID-lee) stand.

I have my book club to blame. Or thank. After reading Monsoon Diary: A Memoir With Recipes by Indian-born food writer Shoba Narayan, the group decided to discuss the book over a potluck supper where everyone brought a dish prepared with one of the author's recipes. I volunteered to prepare idlis.

A classic breakfast or snack food in southern India, idlis are round, pillow-shaped, steamed dumplings made from a fermented batter of ground rice and lentils. They are traditionally served hot with fresh coconut chutney and onion sambar (stew) at breakfast or for snacks.

An oddity in American kitchens and cookware stores, in southern India the idli stand is as common as a muffin pan or toaster. A typical stand has three or four round tiers, 7 to 10 inches in diameter. Each tier has three or four concave depressions where the idli batter is poured. The trays are stacked and secured through a center rod, then placed in a covered pot with just enough boiling water to keep the bottom tray dry.

Two local retailers that carry idli stands are India Market, 3259 S. Winton Road in Henrietta, and India House Store, 999 S. Clinton Ave. There are also numerous online sellers, including a Roswell, Ga., company called Inno Concepts (www.innoconcepts.com).

Variations in styles and size abound. Some versions have pencil-thick holes next to the depressions or needle-thin holes in the molds themselves for better steam circulation. Today's models are usually made of stainless steel, but you can also find stands with a nonstick coating. There are also idli stands that have miniature depressions the size of oyster crackers.

''It's really a wonderful gadget,'' says Vidya Naganathan, a Xerox software engineer who lives in Webster. ''It is one of the very first things a mom gives her daughter when she leaves the home.''

Naganathan, a native of the Tamil Nadu city of Coimbatore, has been using the same idli stand her mother gave her in 1994, the year she got married and moved to the United States.

While she uses her stand constantly, most of the dishes are Indian, from different types of idlis to paruppusili (a spicy lentil patty that's crumbled into vegetables) to sweet dessert modaka. Her 2 1/2-year old son loves miniature idlis plain or dropped in soup or a mild rasam (broth) or dal (lentils). Naganathan also uses the top tray of her idli stand to steam vegetables such as carrots and beans while the idlis are on the bottom.

Julie Sahni, author of several Indian cookbooks including the much regaled Classic Indian Cooking (Morrow, $26.95), says the time may be right for idli stands to cross over into American

kitchens. Because people are more interested than ever in learning about healthful eating, ''the concept of steaming is one that Americans are very comfortable with now,'' says Sahni in a phone interview from her Brooklyn Heights home.

When eggs were getting a bad rap in the '80s because of the cholesterol content in the yolks, Sahni devised clever ways to make sure her young son ate a good breakfast every morning. One dish that ''made his eyes light up'' consisted of egg whites poached in the idli stand, then filled with sauteed mushrooms and chives. If he craved something sweet, she would use a strawberry filling. ''It looked like a little bun,'' Sahni recalls.

Sahni encourages students at her cooking school to fuse ingredients and techniques from different cuisines. For example, Americans can serve idlis like pancakes, with butter and maple syrup. In a single breath she rattles off several global applications for the idli stand. Eastern European cabbage rolls. Greek dolmades. British crumpets. New England Indian pudding. She even uses the idli as a serving piece for nuts or condiments. Sahni is so enamored of the idli stand that she likens it to the human brain. In both cases, she muses, ''The sky is the limit.''

I merged recipes from Shoba Narayan's Monsoon Diary (Villard, $24.95) and Maya Kaimal's Savoring the Spice Coast of India (HarperCollins, $30). Urad dal, also called black gram, is a small, oval white legume with a black husk, which is sometimes removed. Cream of rice, or idli rava, is a coarse-ground rice product.

Put dal and fenugreek in a bowl and cover with warm water by 1 inch. Soak for 2 to 4 hours.

Place soaked, drained dal in a blender with 1 1/4 cups fresh water and process on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until the batter flows easily inside the blender and texture feels smooth between your fingers. Add more water if needed.

In a separate large bowl, mix the cream of rice and salt with just enough water to form a paste. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add urad dal to cream of rice and mix. Cover with plastic and put in a warm place (90 degrees) for 24 hours. A warm oven - or a summer-hot attic - works well. The batter will ferment and rise to about twice its size. It will have a salty, fermented smell and bubbly surface.

When you are ready to steam the idlis, beat in the baking soda. Ladle batter into lightly oiled or nonstick idli stand depressions. Bring an inch of water to boil in a pot large enough to hold the idli stand. Carefully lower stand into pot, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Remove idlis from stand with a rubber spatula. Repeat until batter is gone. Serve with coconut chutney and onion sambar.

This is a quick and easy dinner for one that's great on a hot day because you only have to use one burner.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, relish or parsley and paprika; salt to taste. Set aside.

In a pot large enough to hold the idli tray put beer, vinegar, bay leaf and salt. If necessary, top off with enough water to bring liquid to 1 inch. Cover and bring to boil.

While liquid is heating, place potatoes on bottom tier of idli tray. Depending on size and shape, you may have to cut potatoes in half the long way. Just be sure the tray above will be able to fit over potatoes. Place broccoli and shrimp on their own individual trays and set aside.

When liquid starts to boil, carefully lower idli tray with potatoes into pot, using long tongs or potholder. Cover and steam for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are just fork-tender.

Carefully lift idli tray out with tongs. Add the trays with broccoli and shrimp, and screw on nob. Check level of liquid. If it looks low, add boiling water.

Put idli tray back into pot and cover. Steam for another 4 to 7 minutes, or until shrimp is just cooked (the inside should be white) and the broccoli florets are bright green.

Transfer potatoes, shrimp and broccoli to a plate. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cooking liquid to the sauce and serve.

Each week World Bazaar seeks out shops and markets in Atlanta that cater to the increasing number of world cultures here.

As a stay-at-home wife cooking traditional Indian meals in her Atlanta home 20 years ago, Andal Balu laboriously ground the spices and mixed the special pastes by hand. Or she burned out yet another American blender.

Cooking favorite dishes without the tools common in kitchens across India was frustrating. "We had to change the composition of our recipes to suit the appliances," said Balu, an accomplished home cook and mother of two teenage daughters. "The [domestic] blender was not tough enough. I struggled with it.
"The kitchen lacking the basics made for more work assembling almost any dish, she said. "We could do it, but it took a lot of effort.

Finally, Balu said, "Rather than change the recipe, instead we changed the appliance."

Thus,10 years ago, a successful business was born. Balu, an agricultural research scientist in India, entered the American work force by starting Inno (for "Innovative") Concepts, importing and selling household and commercial kitchen appliances used specifically in Indian cooking.

"In India, everybody has these" appliances, said the 47-year-old entrepreneur. But the gadgets are manufactured to suit India's 230-volt electrical current and thus are incompatible with the United States' 110-volt standard. So for those moving to the United States, it wasn't a simple matter of packing up the chapathi maker, the idli steamer and the masala grinder.

That's where Balu came in. She started importing Indian-cooking appliances built to American specifications and then selling them to retail and commercial customers over an Internet site. Metro buyers can visit the warehouse in Roswell.

She started with one appliance, the Sumeet. At 550 watts, the motor of this blenderlike appliance makes short work of grinding masalas, powders of herbs and spices used to flavor various dishes. (She has added her own brand, the Innomix.)

Today, the product line includes six home appliances and three for commercial use, which are sold wholesale usually to restaurants and temples.

The irony, says her husband, Balu Balasubramanian, a pharmaceutical technology consultant, is that none is limited to Indian cooking. Latino customers purchase the Chefmaster instant chapathi maker as a tortilla maker, for example. The company also counts among its customers a Filipino baker.

The most popular choice is the Ultragrind, which comes in two sizes and is indispensable for making dough for idlis,the rice cakes that are a staple in the couple's home city of Palani in the state of Tamilnadu in south India.

Designed in an almond and purple color scheme, Ultragrind is sort of a cross between a blender, a food processor and a granite mortar and pestle. A heavy granite disc sits in the bottom of the stainless steel mixing bowl. Two cone-shaped granite grinding rollers do the ork. The best-selling unit is 47 pounds, costs $300 and operates whisper-quiet.

Both Balu and her husband remember childhood days -- before these handy kitchen helpers were available -- when the home cook's most important tool was a son or daughter to help with the hand-grinding.

"Our mothers had these huge grinders, mortar and pestle-type grinders, only really large," Balasubramanian said.

The long-term goal for the company is to "bring Indian ingredients and cooking into mainstream use," Balasubramanian said. "Our first demographic is young Indians here."

The way to achieve that goal, the couple says, is to make cooking easier and standardize the results.

"The same recipe seldom turns out the same for two people," he said. "That's because cooking is an art."

Inno Concepts: 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. 115 Hill St., Roswell. 770-594-1815. www.innoconcepts.com

Read Jill Sabulis' Personal Shopper column Thursdays in Living. Catch more of her tips on WAGA's "Good Day Atlanta" on Thursdays.

Like many other Indian women, right after her wedding, Andal Balu came to the US with stars in her eyes and hopes of a lovely home,happy family and, of course, good food. After all this was the land of milk and honey. Though she found her dream home, got a loving family, the good food did not quite come up to the mark. She found out that while she could cook up quite a storm, the taste of the dishes was not quite as good as what “grandma used to make.”

“Using an American blender and American pressure cooker the ‘idlis’ did not quite come out right. And it was so much work,” says Andal. “We saw the Ultra Grinder brought all the way from India at a friend's house. We were impressed by its innovation and quality. My husband felt that the need for making this product available to all the other Indians who cannot bring it from India or who would like to get it here with great service and warranty. Thus INNO Concepts was born!”

INNO Concepts, Inc. was founded in 1992 to market high quality specialty kitchen appliances that are specifically designed to impart authentic taste and maintain the high nutritional value of food.

The company began with marketing the Sumeet mixie, and then added grinders to make idlis,a delicacy that is known for being extremely healthy. Now INNO Concepts is the sole authorized distributor for the #1 selling ULTRA Grind+ tabletop wet grinder. Later iNNO Concepts added other appliances to its list. They market the “Idleez multipurpose steamer” with the best quality non-stick coated Idli plates. You can pour your idli dough into the plates, plug in the steamer, set the timer, and go about watching TV or doing your other chores.The perfect idlis are done! No need to watch over them or turn off the pressure cooker at the right time. Also the steamer is handy when you have a party because it is like having an additional stove.

“Our goal is to make Indian cooking as easy as possible while consistently maintaining the authentic taste. Most of us are very busy but still want healthy home made food. We choose the products that help us spend more time enjoying the food instead of spending more time preparing the food,” says Andal.

They also sell the “Rotimakers” made by Chefmaster. How many times have we struggled to get the perfect Roti? Just take a ball of dough, put it in this Rotimaker and it comes out beautifully round and cooked just right. Other unique products that INNO Concepts offers include the MeenuMix Tribute mixies, the Portuguese Cookeez pressure cooker/pressure pan set, and the Chefmaster electric Tawa. For those who are new to South Indian cooking, Inno Concepts sells the cookbooks by Mallika Badrinath.
The cookbooks, in addition to including delicious recipes, effectively use INNO Concepts’ appliances.

“Our relationship with the customer begins with our quality products. We are committed to superior customer service. Warranty for parts and labor come with our products – the only Indian products available with US warranty,” says Andal. “We are continuously adding dealers to our distribution network across the country.

Most of the dealers provide not only top quality customer service but are also trained to perform minor repair services to meet service needs. We constantly update our web site with cooking tips and instructions."

“Are you just catering to the appliance market for home use?” I ask. “We are now expanding to the commercial kitchens as well.We have added commercial kitchen appliances such as Wetgrinders, continuous feed Dry grinders, and Idli Chambers to our line of products.These products help the restaurateurs, the caterers, and the temple chefs to authentically prepare Indian food in bulk quantities faster and hygienically,” says Andal Balu.

To learn more about these products, please check out INNO Concepts’ web site at www.innoconcepts.com or call them at 770-594-1815.