Hello, and welcome.
So glad you're here. We're Ambika and Vikram, the husband and wife team behind Spicecraft — a small, family-run business based in Ryde, here in Sydney.
- Making proper Indian food something anyone can cook at home, from scratch
- Keeping it honest, with no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives
- Making everything right here in Australia, and supporting local along the way
- Giving back to our community through the people we choose to work with
We run Spicecraft the way we'd want any business we buy from to be run. With care for the food, care for the people who make it, and care for the place we call home.
That last one means a lot to us. Every kit is hand-assembled by the team at Disability Services Australia, a social enterprise we'll tell you more about further down. For us, building a business has never just been about the food. It's about how the food gets made, and who gets to be part of making it.
Keep it good, keep it simple. That's been our motto from day one.
It started with a problem we kept hearing from friends. Getting the right recipes and ingredients for traditional Indian cooking was hard work. Store-bought jars and pastes never quite tasted right, and dodging the preservatives felt near impossible.
So we made Spicecraft. Traditional recipes, the finest quality ingredients, and clear step-by-step instructions for cooking up a feast from scratch, all done in a way that stays true to the original.
In the beginning we ran a wide range of kits. The very first version was called Curry Delights, a monthly subscription showcasing flavours from all across the subcontinent. But people kept coming back for one thing, every single time.
It was the Butter Chicken. Our customers had spoken, so we listened. We pivoted from the subscription model into a product business, and decided that if people wanted Butter Chicken, then we'd give them the best one we possibly could.
Campout at Moti Mahal
Butter Chicken was first invented at an Old Delhi restaurant called Moti Mahal, around 70 years ago. The place was famous for its Tandoori Chicken, marinated in spices and grilled in a blazing-hot clay oven. Trouble was, certain cuts didn't sell. So a creamy spiced tomato sauce was whipped up, the leftover chicken went in, and Butter Chicken was born. The rest, as they say, is history.
Moti Mahal is still going strong today, and to get the recipe right we went straight to the source. We parked ourselves there for three days, tasting and taking notes, until we'd reverse-engineered that original recipe.
The next challenge was turning this recipe into a it into a kit you could make at home, using our own spice blends combined with fresh ingredients you can grab easily at any Australian supermarket. No specialty hunting, no substitutes that don't taste right. Just the real thing, made simple.
herbs & spices formed into 4 spice blends. Each spice blend is added at a different stage to build layers of flavour as you cook your Butter Chicken.
Just add your own fresh ingredients and make it to your own taste. Classic chicken or vegetarian or vegan or mild or spicy. The recipe is endlessly flexible once you know the basic format.
We eat with our eyes
We were lucky to work with a Sydney packaging design agency that got our ethos straight away. Our talented designers came up with the pink and gold box, inspired by traditional Indian saris and mandalas.
That thinking goes well beyond the graphics. You'll find it in the friendly recipe booklet, which tells the stories behind the ingredients and the traditional techniques. The step-by-step instructions are even colour-coded to match the spice sachets, so you really can't go wrong. It's almost like we're right there in the kitchen with you.
how a kit is made
We source our spices from around the world, choosing each one from wherever it grows best. From there, everything happens close to home.
Sourced from around the world
Each spice is chosen from wherever in the world it grows best.
Roasted, ground & blended in Sydney
We roast, grind and blend the spices into our own mixes right here, always free of artificial flavours, colours and additives.
Filled into pre-portioned sachets
The blends are filled into sachets at our HACCP-certified partner facility, also in Sydney.
Hand-assembled into kits
The sachets are assembled into finished kits by hand by our NDIS supported partners
Made with love every step of the way
Hand-assembled by people who matter to us
That final assembly step is one we're especially proud of. We work with the incredible team at Disability Services Australia - an NDIS supported business that provides meaningful employment to people with learning difficulties. Every sachet and component is brought together into a finished kit by hand.
It's a small way for us to give back to the community we belong to, and to support the wonderful work they do.
Where to find Spicecraft
You'll find Spicecraft kits at selected Woolworths stores across Australia, plus specialty gourmet stores including Harris Farm Markets, The Growers, wholefood stores and many gourmet butchers.
We also pop up at loads of food and wine festivals, gourmet events and expos, from the Royal Easter Show to the Gluten Free Expo, the Love of Cooking Show and Fine Foods Australia. Keep an eye on our socials to see where we'll turn up next.
Come along for the adventure
What started as a little crowd-funded project for friends and family on Kickstarter has grown into a much-loved Butter Chicken kit that's found its way into thousands of homes around the country.
Along the way we've met and chatted with so many wonderful people. Fellow foodies at the markets, travellers fresh back from India, spice connoisseurs, chefs from top-end restaurants, and mums, dads and families who love cooking together. It's been a great adventure so far.
We'd love for you to join us for a bit. Happy cooking!
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