We’re all familiar with the famous scene where Anton Ego is transported to his childhood home and his mom’s food with a single bite from Remy’s Ratatouille. It was such an impactful moment that the film was named after it. It’s an iconic and true example of the power of food, more specifically the capacity of flavours to make connections in our brain to memories that transcend space and time.
Following the same ethos, Not Just Hot has created a gourmet collection of homemade artisanal hot sauces, spice mixes, marinades and oils inspired by travel across continents while being rooted in the land of its origin. Their vision is to bring memories from your travel to these lands and the flavours back to your table at home; for you to enjoy making new memories with your loved ones across a table full of good food, laughter and loving.
The founder, Saritha Hegde, was the senior vice president at Li & Fung. She decided to take early retirement after a long career in the corporate world of the fashion business. She travelled the world in pursuit of her passions which also includes food. In June 2020, these experiences carried her into her current role as a chief alchemist of a business, based in Bangalore that she launched during the pandemic. The products she created were something she always missed in her corporate life, as she could never find anything local that was quite hot enough nor were quality products available to put together a quick, easy, tasty and healthy meal. Her mother Dr Indira Hegde, who is also her business partner, invented ‘Mothership’s Spice Mixes’.
The core team at Not Just Hot includes Shanthi, Anitha, Deepa, and Meenakshi who are all partners in the venture as well. They focus on constant up-skilling to learn and source their raw materials directly from women as much as possible.
Along with a variety of hot sauces, wok sauces, dipping sauces, curry pastes, marinades, chilli oils, and condiments that are available on their website, Not Just Hot also shares unique recipes, some of which are Mangalorean Prawn Stir Fry, Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice, Cappellini with tomatoes, and Thai prawn red curry.
As the name suggests, Not Just Hot brings a diverse collection of flavours from South-Asian cuisine that is not just limited to spicy, as some Indian food is often perceived to be. Their mouth-watering products represent the rich and abundant culture of the region and are nothing short of an adventure for your taste buds.
You can buy their products here.
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