The days of lockdown without cooks, cleaners or any outside help, are still fresh in memory. This difficult period undoubtedly gave birth to home chefs who discovered a talent for cooking, but the majority of people remained their lazy selves, ordering in or cooking the easiest possible dishes every day. Eggs and frozen meats have always been easy options for non-vegetarians to resort to, but vegetarians have limited recourse to fried, unhealthy variants like potato chips or cheese-based items, if they want a quick and easy snack. Fortunately, there is now a solution for them with the launch of Myints 3 Minute Veggies – Just Heat & Eat products.
Surprisingly, despite catering to a primarily vegetarian population, the Indian frozen food market does not offer a wide variety of options for vegetarians. Even the ones that are available are high on calories and fat. Myints 3 Minute Veggies, on the other hand, promise low fat and low-calorie products, made without chemicals or preservatives, by using traditional herbs from Thailand and other places in Asia.
With several vegetarian pan Asian recipes and a wide range of sauces and dips on offer, Myints 3 Minutes Veggies are ideal for use as snacks, or accompaniments to the main course. The line of products includes assorted grilled vegetables consisting of cauliflower, beans, broccoli, baby corn, carrots, pumpkins and baby brinjals made in a special Thai dip; paneer pesto fingers with the chef’s special sauce, comprising grilled cottage cheese with a distinctly Asian flavor; paneer mix cigars with honey mustard sauce which is a mix of crunchy mung beansprouts, glass noodles, cottage cheese, delicate spring onions, nutritious carrots and oriental flavors; stuffed mushroom caps with sunset red dip made with ripe tomatoes and a hint of chili; and slow-roasted herbed baby potatoes with tomato sesame chili jam which has a truly unique flavor. Each product is accompanied by a signature dip, aimed at enhancing the overall culinary experience. The exotic flavors and aromas of the sauces and dips, add just the right pizzazz to these healthy dishes.
Myints 3 Minute Veggies, is the brainchild of co-founders Ashok Bansal, Ankush Myint and Dinesh Murthy. Bansal, CEO of the company, brings in excellent leadership qualities after working across sectors in several large MNCs; Myint, Head of Operations, is a second-generation hospitality professional, as his father was the proprietor of the popular restaurant ‘The China Room’ in Port Blair; and Murthy, who spearheads Strategy, is a Computer Engineer with a decade-long experience in Technology and Automation.
Inspired by his father’s hard work and legacy, Myint ventured into the food and beverage industry of his own accord. Beginning his career as the Director of Barchitect – an Academy of Bar and Beverage Management, he went on to head operations at successful names such as Faarsi, The Mid-East Café, Maquina- The Tex-Mex Dive Bar, Desiya- The Indian Street Food Café as well as Daryaganj Restaurant.
When asked about his journey so far, Myint claims, “success in the food and beverage industry lies solely in understanding the evolving nature of the consumer’s palate and needs. Whether it is a restaurant or a quick-service model, the consumer is always evolving, which is what drives the business.” Further, he believes in the importance of maintaining positive relations with colleagues, the management, suppliers or vendors and customers in the business.
This sound understanding of the challenging food and beverage industry, have helped Myint make a mark for himself, in an overly-saturated field. With his latest venture, Myints 3 Minute Veggies, he hopes to address a serious gap in the market. Having established numerous manufacturing facilities throughout the country, their rate of production is increasing day by day, and an exciting array of products are lined up to be launched in the next six months.
Their vision is to be the brand of choice for ready-to-eat snacks in smart households. As co-founder Bansal puts it, “smart households are ones looking for taste along with nutrition. Unlike most other vegetarian frozen options, Myints 3 Minute Veggies, offer a diversified range of delicious gourmet low-calorie snacks.” Currently their products are sold in nearly all popular commercial supermarket chains and online platforms.
The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be contacted on nooranand@gmail.com.