Beyond the butter chicken: One woman's craving creates jobs for South Asian housewives

When 35-year-old banker Nidhi Tomer Chaudharywas pregnant with her second child, she wasn't having second trimester cravings ofice cream and pickles. Instead, shebegan longing for the home-cooked Rajasthani food from her childhood.

The problem? She couldn't find anywhere in Metro Vancouver that serveddishesfrom the Indian state of Rajasthanlike moongdalpakoda fresh mung beans and lentils made into fritters or the five-lentil stewdalbaatichoorma.

Even after she delivered a healthy baby girl, the cravings didn't go away.So the cravings birthed an idea, andTomer Chaudhary added another title to her resume: owner of the Rajasthani-style restaurant Tatta Chulha.

While her initial goal was to fill a niche in the market, Tomer Chaudharysoon found her restaurant was also a way to empower womenin the South Asian community, who are often relegated to traditional gender roles, and help newcomers to the country unable to find work.

She recalls strugglingto find a chef capable of cooking the unique cuisine, then realizingshe was going about it the wrong way.

"Then the idea clicked:let's hire some housewives," she said.

Tomer Chaudharyopened the restaurant on Vancouver's bustling EastBroadway amidthe pandemic in Februrary 2021.

When you enter the roomadorned with art and decor from Rajasthan, the sounds of traffic and construction are replaced by soft, yet upbeat,folk music from the region.

And if you listen carefully, you might also hearthe giggles of the all-female kitchen staff who range in age from 30 to 65 through the slightly ajar kitchen door.

Watch | A sneak peek at the culinary creations of Tatta Chulha

A look inside the kitchen at Vancouver restaurant Tatta Chulha

2 years ago

Duration 0:33

A pregnancy craving for a B.C. woman's childhood food back home in Rajasthan, India, turned into a saving grace for South Asian housewives in search of work.

Many South Asian women are experienced cooks in their own right, regularly serving up daily meals in multi-generational households, Tomer Chaudharysaid.In India, many women wake up hours before everyone elseto prepare food for family.

"You know how South Asian females are? They do selfless cooking," shesaid.

Tomer Chaudhary'sfirst hire was 30-year-old Dharmistha Gabani, whomoved to Canada in 2021from Gujarat, India, where she was a teacher.

Although Gabani doesn't have formal training as a chef, cooking came naturally to her. Her mother taught her at the age of 15 during a time when she was sick.

Now she's one of several South Asian womenin charge of serving up the tasty dishes at Tatta Chulha which means "hot clay stove" in Hindi and Punjabi where the food is focused on lentils, vegetables and ground spices, and can be served in thalis, or mixed platters.

Gabanisaid she enjoys the sense of independence her job has given her.

"I'm not dependent on my husband and my family in-laws [now]. I'm helping them because I'm making money [in] my own way," she said as she stirred a pot in the kitchen.

Despite a slow start to business due to the pandemic,Tomer Chaudharyis thrilled shecan show Vancouverites there's much more to Indian cooking than butter chicken and masala dosasand she's proud that she's been able to empower women along the way.

"Let's have a woman army, we can win anything ... that's what we are doing here," she said.