Heat and Eat: 'instant but not instant' Indonesian frozen meals
A person in a working class society, especially working mom, gets stuck many times between two choices for her family which either are cooking instant meal but unhealthy or cooking from scratch yet absolutely healthier. Sometimes, the constant juggling between family and work has to force a working mom to choose the first option.
In another case, as an Indonesian, the cuisine of our homeland with its vibrant flavour and intense amount of spices becomes the one that we miss when we are abroad. It is not the easiest kind of meal to cook as indigenous spices are often involved and generally cooked for a long time. Thus, bottled sambal and kecap manis become the only surviving tools although they can be boring when eaten for some duration.
We have to admit that most of the times, our tongues are longing for spicy and comfort mother-cooked meals. They are delicious and as long as cooked from scratch using fresh and clean ingredients, healthy.
Easy, fast, and delicious become the quality we seek in a food when we want to cook. Now, we can be more relieved as the kind of proper Indonesian meals that can be cooked fast in effortless ways are available in the market.
PT Pangansari Utama Food Industry (PUFI) creates pre-cooked Indonesian meals Heat and Eat. The frozen meals are available in two sizes – 250 grams and 500 grams – and in 10 authentic Indonesian flavours. Those are including Ayam Balado and Rendang from Minangkabau, Semur Daging from Jakarta, Ayam Woku and Ayam Rica Merah from Manado, Tongseng and Gulai Kambing from Central Java, and Ayam Bakar Bumbu Bali.
One of the best-selling products, Ayam Rica Merah from Manado
General Marketing Heat and Eat Nicolas Durupt explained that Heat and Eat also aims to help mothers to introduce the family especially the kids into many options of comfort Indonesian food as it can be an instrument for understanding Indonesian culture and identity.
“We tested our products to the people of particular areas or ethnicities where the cuisine are made in. Using fresh ingredients and spices to control the quality, we assure our consumers that there is no amount of MSG and preservative used in our products,” said Cucu Curia, the Executive Chef of Heat and Eat.
Cucu Curia also refused that Heat and Eat meals took a long pre-cooking process so that it cannot be said as an instant meal. As a consequence of eliminating preservative agent, this product can only be stored frozen up to one year.
These products can be processed in three ways and durations. It needs seven minutes to microwave, ten minutes to boil, and 30 minutes to steam. All three options require its food-grade plastic covers to remain attached to the meals during the cooking process.
Heat and Eat pre-cooked Indonesian food is available at Ranch Market, Farmer’s Market, Hari-Hari, and AEON City Mall. It can be distributed online by resellers or ordered in Heat and Eat’s website at www.heatandeat.co.id.
Tags: heat and eat, heat & eat, indonesian food