Supply and Demand
Of course, with such a high demand for Indian cuisine in the region and an influx of high-end offerings, it is essential that supply is consistent and to the right standard.

While this can be an issue for many chefs who work in European-, Far Eastern- and Pan American-style establishments, those working in Indian outlets are somewhat spoiled.

“Since the Indian population is so high in the region, it’s very easy to get quality Indian ingredients all over the Middle East,” Shamsir Rehman, restaurant manager of Amala, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, confirms.

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Singh adds that his restaurant also sources “all kinds of ingredients locally from a supplier with excellent quality”.

And Sachdeva says the UAE is known for its quality, “especially in the Dubai market”.
“All essential ingredients are available within a local market, but sometimes it’s a challenge for spices when it comes to the flavour,” he adds.

“The good thing about the UAE though is that it is so close to India and we can always get it.”

According to Chakraborty, the proximity of the Middle East and India is “bliss”.
“The supply chain works so smoothly for most of the ingredients that these are usually readily available in the local markets,” he continues.

“There are plenty of spice and special ingredient suppliers in Dubai making the market extremely competitive, directly affecting the prices positively.”

However, he does note that in Kuwait, “it is bit different and the prices do fluctuate a lot”.

“On some occasions we do need some exotic spices and have to fly them into the UAE. This can prove a bit trying at times, as there aren’t many export companies for spices in the UAE,” Chakraborty continues. He adds the most important things to Indian food is premium quality spices and ingredients, as well as “excellent skills” from the chefs of course!

Despite this, his overall opinion of the supply chain is that it is “very supportive” regionally.

“Given that nearly 45% of the UAE’s population is from the Indian subcontinent, the availability of ingredients is never a problem,” he says.

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