WAYS TO USE

We won't tell you how to run your kitchen.

Nobody tells a desi cook what to do at their own stove, and we are not about to start. But once the jar is open, you can stop shaking and start stirring. These are the ways Heldi works best, and every one of them takes the same three steps.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

THE FIRST RULE

Start with a teaspoon.

The heaped tablespoon is the recommended serving: 10g of protein, gone without a trace. But it is a serving, not an entry exam. A teaspoon still adds around 3g, and 3g in the raita beats 0g in the cupboard. Start small, taste, and work up. Nobody at the table will know either way.

THE POT

How do you add it to dal or curry?

A heaped tablespoon adds 10g of protein. The only trick is the spread: sprinkle it all around the surface, not one heap in the middle, then stir. The pot will deny everything.

Engraved brass pot in the Heldi pouch style, shown three times: cooking over a flame, off the heat with its lid set aside, and with a bangled hand stirring in a spoonful. — Cook like always.Heat off.Stir one in. Gone.

COLD BOWLS

What about dahi and raita?

The same moves as the pot, minus the waiting: dahi is already cool, so there is no cooling-off period. A teaspoon does its bit in your own bowl; a tablespoon suits a raita made for the table. Stir it smooth and it is gone.

Engraved metal bowls of dahi in the Heldi pouch style, shown three times: a full bowl with a spoon resting beside it, a bangled hand sprinkling a spoonful across the surface, and another hand stirring it smooth with a spoon. — Dahi like always.Sprinkle across.Stir until smooth.

Yes, those are the same steps as the pot. That is rather the point.

THE WHOLE TABLE

Why does the jar live on the table?

Because that is where the food is. Set it in the middle, next to the achaar, and everyone sorts their own plate: a tablespoon in papa's dal, a teaspoon in nani's raita, and nobody's dinner is anybody else's business.

Engraved table jar in the Heldi pouch style, shown three times: a plain pouch pouring powder into the open jar, the closed jar parked beside a little achaar pot, and two bangled hands lifting spoonfuls toward their own bowls. — Fill the jar.Park it by the achaar.Everyone adds their own.

This is the job the jar was made for.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Does it work in a takeaway?

Beautifully. A takeaway curry is still a curry: hot, saucy and very stir-able. Plate up your own portion, sprinkle, stir, enjoy. What happens between you and your korma stays between you and your korma.

Engraved takeaway curry in the Heldi pouch style, shown three times: a steaming foil container, a plated bowl with a bangled hand sprinkling a spoonful over it, and another hand stirring the bowl smooth. — Order like always.Sprinkle over it.Stir and enjoy.

THE FREEZER STASH

What about the food mum sent you home with?

Half the freezers in this country hold a dabba of somebody's mum's dal. Heldi goes in at the end of its journey, not the beginning: defrost, heat it through, take it off the heat, and stir in a spoonful just before you eat. The recipe stays hers.

Engraved leftovers in the Heldi pouch style, shown three times: a frosted freezer tub of dal, a brass pot reheating over a flame, and a bangled hand stirring in a spoonful off the heat. — Defrost.Heat it up.Then Heldi.

THE ATTA

How do you make protein rotis?

The one method where Heldi goes in before the cooking. Mix it into the dry atta first so it spreads evenly, then knead with cold water. Cold matters: warm water turns whey clumpy, cold keeps the dough smooth. The dough drinks a little more water than plain atta, so add a splash extra if it feels tight, and let it rest before rolling.

Engraved roti-making in the Heldi pouch style, shown three times: a pouch pouring Heldi into a plate of atta flour, two bangled hands kneading the dough, and a roti puffing up on a tawa over a flame. — Into the atta.Knead and rest.Roll and cook.

Same soft rotis. Just carrying more.