CHENNAI: Ask a native of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana about their favourite part of the regional cuisine, and you’ll hear them say one of the two, podi or pickle. Yes, the cuisine is touted to be spicy, but it is beyond that, says Sowjanya Dhanala. This Chennai-raised Telugu entrepreneur is offering the real taste of Andhra in the form of aromatic podis, lip-smacking pickles, syrupy sweets and flavourful savouries through her venture Andhra Delicacy. This four-year-old homegrown brand, recently opened an offline store.
When the rigours of an IT job got the better of her, Sowjanya started her brand of homemade products. For this, she partnered with her mother-in-law Vijayalakshmi and mother Padmapriya. “My mother-in-law lives in Andhra and she makes all the products there. Our products are without any preservatives and can stay for up to one year. Even the podis have a shelf life of seven months,” she informs.
Besides driving home the point that Andhra cuisine can have flavours other than spice, Sowjanya is also promoting non-refrigeration of food items like podis and pickles. “Usually, pickles and podis are not to be refrigerated. My mother-in-law handpounds all the podis, and the pickles are made based on the season. For example, January is the time when red chillies are harvested. The same goes for avakkai; in fact, many households in Andhra make avakkai pickles in May that lasts them about a year,” she shares, adding that some vegetable pickles like the ones made using brinjal and bitter gourd stay for just a week. “And that’s how it should be, without refrigeration,” she insists. Even the sweets are made using wheat and jaggery, not maida and white sugar.
Despite having an active online presence and clientele from the UK and Singapore, the pandemic of 2020 pressed a pause on their business. But in 2021, things started looking up. They even started outsourcing their products to a few Nilgiris’ outlets in the city. Now, Sowjanya hopes to conquer a wider base in the foreign market.
The switch from online to offline has been a challenging one and Andhra Delicacy is rising to that. “I travel often to Andhra to help my mother-in-law. We procure products from specific vendors in that state so that the flavour and taste are authentic,” she notes.
Once a novice in the kitchen, Sowjanya has learnt a lot from the matriarchs in the family. “While those two qualities are the main ingredients for a successful business, I have also learnt to make my own paruppu podi and ginger pickle,” she adds.
Address: 947, Poonamallee High Road, opposite Hotel Sudha, Chennai 600084.
Instagram: @Andhradelicacy