MasterChef Recipes: 4 classic Indian dishes to make at home

Satisfy your food cravings with these unique stir-fried recipes.

A big shout out to all you foodies.

We got popular chefs from MasterChef Australia to share their favourite recipes with us.

Happy cooking!

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Desi Murgh -- South Indian Chicken Curry with Appam

English Australian chef and MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan shows his love for Indian food by cooking South Indian Chicken Curry and Appam.

The chicken curry full of flavour, involves basic ingredients for which you don't even have to go out shopping!

And to make sure the food is not too spicy, he has used semolina for appam.

It's a type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup peanut or grapeseed oil
• 1 small chicken of about 1.2 kg (jointed into 8 pieces)
• 2 large onions (thinly sliced)
• 2 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp ginger (finely chopped)
• 4 to 5 tomatoes (skinned, seeds removed and finely chopped)
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 and 1/2  tsp red chilli powder
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• Coriander sprigs (for garnishing)

For appam

• 1 tbsp fine semolina
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 tsp dried yeast
• 1 cup rice flour
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

For tempered spices

• 1/3 cup peanut or grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup curry leaves
• 6 to 8 dried chillies
• 6 green cardamom pods

Method

For the curry

• Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium to high flame.
• Cook chicken for about five minutes until lightly golden. Remove and keep aside.
• Add onions and cook for about six minutes or until golden, scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon.
• Transfer onions to a small food processor and blend it into a paste. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium flame. Add garlic and ginger, and stir fry for about 20 seconds.
• Add tomatoes and stir well. Cook for two minutes.
• Add turmeric and chilli powder. Stir again.
• Pound cardamom, cloves, coriander and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle until they're ground.
• Add this ground mixture to the contents in the pan. Cook for five to six minutes. Stir well.
• Add onion paste and yoghurt. Keep stirring.
• Add chicken pieces to the mixture in the pan with a cup of water, or more to taste.
• Cover with a lid and cook for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Make sure the chicken is cooked through and is tender. Add more water if necessary, throughout cooking.

For appam

• Whisk semolina and water in a saucepan.
• Put the pan on the gas and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
• Stir regularly for two to three minutes until semolina is smooth.
• Remove from heat and set aside for one to two minutes to cool slightly.
• Add coconut cream to pan, sprinkle in dried yeast, and whisk to combine.
• Place rice flour and sugar in a separate bowl and form a well in the centre.
• Pour in the coconut mixture and whisk vigorously to a smooth batter.
• Cover bowl with a cloth and set aside for at least four hours, preferably overnight until the yeast activates and sours the mixture.
• Add salt to the batter and whisk to combine.
• Heat an appam skillet over a high flame for around a minute until it gets hot.
• Ladle about 60 ml or one fourth cup of batter into the centre of the pan.
• Use the handles of the skillet to gently swirl the mixture, till there is a thin lacy layer of batter around the pan with a slightly thicker amount in the base of the pan.
• Lower the flame and cook for one or two minutes until the sides of the appam begin to dry and release from the side of the pan.
• Cover with a lid, and cook gently for two minutes. Make sure the base of the batter is cooked well and golden.
• Remove appam from pan. Cover with a dry cloth and repeat with remaining batter.

For the tempered spices

• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Add the spices together and swirl pan until spices pop and are fragrant.
• Turn off heat, and carefully tip this spice mixture over the curry.

To serve

• Divide curry among bowls and garnish with coriander. Serve with appam.

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Goat Curry with Fried Bread, Cucumber Raita and Pickled Onions

For 30-year old India-born call centre worker Nidhi Mahajan, Indian food is her strength.

She loves to experiment with other cuisines too.

She is one of India's favourite contestants on the latest series of MasterChef Australia.

Here she whips up something all meat eaters will love.

It's a popular Indian non-vegetarian delicacy and is usually served with Indian breads.

Ingredients

For fried potatoes

• 500 gm potatoes (quartered)
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

For goat curry

• 800 gm young goat leg meat (diced)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground chilli
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 6 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 dried chilli
• 2 pieces of mace
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 2 large brown onion (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 4 cm piece ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 green chillis (finely chopped)
• 600 ml Indian or Greek yoghurt
• 3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
• 3 tbsp ground coriander
• Reserved fried potatoes
• Salt to taste

For pickled onions

• 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
• 40 ml white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 green chilli (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp mint leaves (chopped)

For cucumber raita

• 250 ml Indian or Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 Lebanese cucumber (grated)
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp mint leaves (chopped)
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)
• Salt to taste

For fried bread (luchi)

• 150 gm flour
• 20 ml vegetable oil (keep more for frying)
• Salt to taste

For garnishing

• Coriander leaves (chopped)
• Ginger (julienned)
• Pappadums

Method

For fried potatoes

• Fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil and heat it on a high flame.
• When the oil is hot, add potatoes and fry until golden for about five minutes.
• Remove from heat and place the fried potatoes on a paper towel.

For goat curry

• Coat diced goat meat in turmeric and chilli powder for marination and set aside.
• Heat mustard oil in a large heavy based casserole dish over medium flame.
• Add cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin, chilli and mace and toast off. Stir for 30 seconds.
• Add onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook. Stir continuously until onions become translucent.
• Add marinated goat meat, yogurt, fenugreek leaves, coriander and cumin and stir to combine.
• Cover with a lid and cook on low flame for around two and a half hours. Make sure the meat is tender.
• Once done, stir in fried potatoes and ghee.
• Cook uncovered (for about three minutes) until curry has dried out slightly.

For pickled onions

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover with cling film and set aside.

For cucumber raita

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste and refrigerate.

For fried bread (luchi)

• Sift flour and salt into a large bowl.
• Add oil and mix together. Gradually add water and knead into a smooth dough.
• Divide into 8 balls and coat with some oil. Roll out into 5 mm thick discs and keep aside.
• Fill a large fry pan with vegetable oil to 2 cm high, heat over high flame.
• Put the bread discs into the hot oil carefully. Move it around continuously with a large slotted spoon.
• When the bread or luchi have puffed up and turned golden, remove from heat and keep it on a paper towel.

To assemble

• Place goat curry on the plate. Garnish with chopped coriander and ginger.
• Spoon some raita and pickled onions onto the plate and serve with fried bread or luchi and pappadums.

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Indian Style Mussels

This is a very popular dish in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.

Chef Emma Dean jazzes up the mussels with white wine, lemon zest along with other basic ingredients like onion, cumin, coriander and fennel seeds.

You can serve this dish with steamed rice or any Indian bread.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 onion (roughly chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
• 1 long red chilli (roughly chopped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 400 gm tomatoes (can diced)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 kg mussels (debearded and cleaned)
• 1 small bunch English spinach (trimmed, washed and roughly chopped)
• 1 lemon zest (finely grated)

Method

• Heat a frying pan over medium flame.
• Toast cumin, coriander and fennel seeds for two minutes until fragrant.
• Once done, pound the above mixture in a mortar and pestle until finely ground.
• Process onion, garlic and chilli in a food processor to a paste.
• Place oil in a frying pan and set over low flame.
• Cook the paste for about five minutes until onion has softened. Stir well.
• Add spice mixture and turmeric. Cook for another two minutes or until fragrant.
• Add white wine and cook for a minute.
• Add tomatoes, salt, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add mussels. Mix properly.
• Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about two minutes or until the shells open. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in spinach and lemon zest to combine.
• Divide mussels between bowls. Serve.

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Coconut Fish Curry

This is a favourite dish among Mumbai diners.

Satiate your taste buds with John Dory, an imported coastal fish.

It has firm textured white flesh with moist, fine flakes and a mild, sweet flavour with a low fat content.

Chef Matthew Hopcraft scoops out this popular dish on the show.

And he takes it to another level with coconut curry!

Ingredients

For fish

• 2 John Dory
• Turmeric powder
• Grape seed oil (for frying)
• Salt to taste

For curry paste

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 1/2 long red chillis (seeds removed)
• 2 to 3 cm piece ginger
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled)

For curry sauce

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 onion (diced)
• 3 long green chillis (seeds removed and finely chopped)
• 2 cm piece ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 500 ml coconut milk
• 250 ml coconut cream
• 300 ml fish stock
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp grape seed oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• Salt to taste

For chapati

• 200 gm wheat flour
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 125 ml water
• 1/2 tsp salt

For eggplant chutney

• 1 small eggplant
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1/2 long red chilli (finely sliced)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

To serve

• A bowl of cooked basmati rice
• 1 long red chilli (finely sliced)
• Coriander leaves (finely sliced)

Method

For marination of fish

• Fillet the fish and cut each fillet into three pieces.
• Sprinkle lightly with salt and turmeric and refrigerate.
• Once done, heat grape seed oil in a frying pan.
• Add fish fillets, skin side down and cook until skin is crispy (for about six minutes)
• Turn fish over and continue cooking for another minute.

For curry paste

• Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a dry fry pan on medium heat.
• When the seeds start to pop, transfer the mixture to a mortar and pestle and crush.
• Add the crushed spices in a food processor.
• Add chilli, ginger and garlic and process with just enough water (about two tablespoons) to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

For curry sauce

• Heat ghee in a saucepan over medium flame.
• Add onion, chilli and ginger and fry until onion is translucent.
• Add curry paste and turmeric. Stir frequently until oil starts to separate. Cook for around about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add coconut milk and cream and allow to simmer for five minutes.
• Add fish stock and simmer for 20 minutes until slightly reduced.
• Add lime juice and tamarind. Adjust the taste and strain.
• Heat grape seed oil in a small frying pan with mustard seeds. Cook for about six minutes until oil is fragrant.
• Strain oil and add to the sauce. Mix well. Keep the sauce aside (Keep it warm)

For chapatis

• Mix wheat flour, ghee and salt together. Add enough water and knead into a dough.
• Knead lightly and wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
• Divide the dough into eight portions and roll them like a chapati (up to to three to four mm thick).
• Fry each side of the chapati in a dry pan for three minutes over medium flame.
• Remove from pan and wrap in a dry, clean tea towel to keep it warm.

For eggplant chutney

• Cut eggplant into 1 cm cubes.
• Heat ghee in a frying pan over medium flame. 
• Add eggplant and red chilli. Fry until softened.
• Add lime juice and sugar.
• Make sure the eggplant is cooked well and caramelised. It should take around five minutes.

To assemble

• When you are ready to plate, place a circle of basmati rice in the middle using a ring as a guide.
• Top it with a layer of eggplant chutney and three pieces of fish with the skin side up.
• Garnish with chilli and coriander and pour hot curry sauce around the rice.
• Serve chapati on the side.

Photographs: Kind Courtesy Tenplay.com.au

Have an interesting recipe to share?

Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject: Recipe) with your name, hometown and any interesting details about the origin of the recipe, along with a photograph if possible.

Retirement lessons from Sachin Tendulkar

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is an inspiration, not only on field but off-field too. He is the living example of how discipline and hard work can help you achieve what you want.

In a career spanning 24 years, Sachin made several tweaks to his playing style, adapting to new strategies to stay useful and relevant, all the while retaining focus on his goal. Similarly as you grow older, you need to change your investing pattern to realise your dreams.

Follow these 10 habits to have a successful post-retirement life, financially.

Watch this video to understand why you need to plan your retirement today.

log on to  www.pixelsolutionz.com 

Cricketers whose successful IPL innings should inspire your retirement planning

A career in cricket needs a lot of discipline and flexibility to adapt your style with age. Similarly, financial planning for your retirement also follows the same principles of changing goals and aligning investments with your age. We look at 3 inspiring cricketers who excelled in their second innings at the IPL, post their retirement from ODI.

Adam Gilchrist
One of the best wicketkeeper batsmen to grace the game, Gilchrist played six seasons of the IPL and extended his cricket career well into his 40s. He was one of the mainstays for the erstwhile Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab, captaining the two sides and scoring one of the fastest hundred in 42 balls in IPL history.

Brad Hogg
At 44, he’s the oldest player to ever grace the IPL. Hogg has been a surprise for Kolkata Knight Riders in the current season. With Sunil Narine still adjusting to his new bowling action and finding limited success, Hogg has become the lead spinner for the team. For a cricketer who announced his retirement eight years ago, the IPL has given him a second chance for the last hurrah.

Shane Warne
The master of leg spin and body tan, Shane Warne made an instant comeback by winning the inaugural IPL with Rajasthan Royals. He stayed in the IPL until 2011 and joined the Big Bash league in 2013 in Australia. Warne went on to make his second innings a memorable one.

Honorable mentions – Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid

IAF's top guns brave extreme Alaska

Some of Indian Air Force's best fighter pilots are squaring off with pilots from US Air Force and other top guns from Japan, South Korea and Germany to test their capabilities in the Joint Pacific Range Complex over Alaska.

Codenamed Red Flag Alaska 16-1, the exercises are being conducted in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, the largest instrumented air, ground and electronic combat training range in the world at more than 65,000 square miles.

RF-A provides US and allied pilots, aircrews and operational support personnel the opportunity to train and improve their air combat skills in preparation for a myriad of worldwide contingencies.

Here are some highlights:

An IAF Su-30MKI fighter aircraft assigned to the 15 Squadron, Sirsa Air Base takes off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, May 4, 2016, during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-1.Photograph: Staff Sgt Joshua Turner/US Air Force

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An IAF Jaguar jet attack aircraft assigned to the 14 Squadron, Ambala Air Base, takes off from Eielson Air Force Base. Photograph: Photograph: Staff Sgt Joshua Turner/US Air Force

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A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 18th Aggressor Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base takes off during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-1. Aggressor pilots are trained to act as opposing forces in exercises like RF-A to better prepare US and allied forces for aerial combat. Photograph: Staff Sgt Joshua Turner/US Air Force

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Maintenance airmen from the Indian Air Force, 14 Fighter Squadron (FS) from Ambala Air Base, India, work to change a shock absorber on their Jaguar attack jet aircraft April 29, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The 14 FS is one of 23 units from around the world who participated in RED FLAG-Alaska 16-1. Photograph: Staff Sgt Joshua Turner/US Air Force

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Three US Navy EA-18G Growlers assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 137, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wa., takes off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-1. RF-A enables joint and international units to sharpen their combat skills by flying simulated combat sorties in a realistic threat environment. Photograph: Staff Sgt Joshua Turner/US Air Force

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Two Jaguars fighters fly alongside an IAF Il-78 refueller over Alaskan terrain during Red Flag Alaska 16-1. Photograph: PRO/IAF

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IAF's Su 30s taxing on the runway at the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Photograph:PRO/IAF

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IAF Su30-MKIs break formation during the Red Flag Alaska 16-1 exercise. Photograph:PRO/IAF

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US Air Force Jan Stahl, 64th Aggressor Squadron pilot from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, refuels while augmenting the 18th Aggressor Squadron May 3, 2016, during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-1 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Photograph: Staff Sgt Shawn Nickel/US Air Force

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US Air Force Staff Sgt Joey Putis, an 18th Operations Support Squadron weather technician assigned to Kadena Air Base, Japan, checks weather conditions to build a briefing slide, May 4, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Putis works with members from the 354th OSS to deliver accurate weather conditions to pilots participating in RED FLAG-Alaska 16-1 from Eielson and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Photograph: Staff Sgt Ashley Nicole Taylor/US Air Force

www.pixelsolutionz.com

How to deal with a co-worker you dislike

Follow these 3 rules.

It is a well-established fact that being a good worker is not enough; one must also be a team player and share camaraderie with colleagues.

However, no matter how amicable you may be, it is practically impossible to be agreeable to everyone around you.

After all, you will have an opinion that may be vastly different from someone else's at some point of time.

Most of us end up having that one colleague we don't quite get along with.

So while it's perfectly normal to be in this pickle, you need a modus operandi in place to deal with unpleasant situations.

Let's see how we can agree to disagree, thereby co-exist without obstructing work or annihilating office environment:

1. Avoid concluding too quickly

It is generally a good idea to give people the benefit of the doubt at the first instance, because you will always have the option of forming an opinion and disliking them later!

Sometimes, we can misunderstand people with our limited knowledge.

If your co-worker snapped at you or made a snide remark on some occasion, it may help to overlook it the first time.

Over-thinking can sometimes be counter productive and make non-existent problems look real.

However, if his/her behaviour persists, one can always keep the interaction limited to work and not let it affect productivity.

After all, it is humanly impossible to be friends with and liked by everyone.

Plus, let's face it, when you need to get work done sometimes you have to lose the congeniality and be an effective project manager.

It is also important to remember that we all go to work with the ultimate objective of doing well professionally, so staying focussed on your mission is critical.

2. Maintain work etiquette

No matter how much you may dislike a colleague, it is important to stay cordial and exchange pleasantries.

Returning calls and emails promptly is also a way of showing courtesy to colleagues (even if you do not like them).

You must be as objective as possible if you happen to work on a project together and not let personal opinions come in your way of accepting or extending work-related support.

It is also advisable to consciously keep personal conversations at bay to avoid impending conflict/argument.

Keep the conversation polite and yet to the point and you will manage to sail through without experiencing or causing any discomfort.

3. Maintain your dignity, that's what defines you

If the co-worker is evidently sabotaging your progress or constantly putting you down, turn a blind eye to it.

It is sometimes natural to retaliate, even more so to prevent this becoming a norm.

However, disengaging from an unpleasant discussion and walking away will actually help you take control and decide your course of action.

Rather than falling right into their trap, be as dignified and passive as possible.

This will not only take your colleague by surprise but also deny them the joy of ruining your day.

Coming across unfazed can, in fact, be the best way to get back at a colleague trying to act nasty.

It is virtually impossible t

Manmadurai-Rameswaram Rail Track To Become 1st Green Corridor

Railways have installed more than 20,000 bio-toilets in trains till now and has set a target to fit 17,000 more this fiscal. (Representational Image)

NEW DELHI: 

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Trials are on to ensure the 117-km long route becomes discharge free zone
2. A zero toilet discharge means all trains on the route to have bio-toilets
3. Railways have installed 20,000 bio-toilets, aim of 17,000 more this year

 Stepping up efforts to make rail tracks discharge free zones, Indian Railways will convert into green corridor and zero toilet discharge section the nearly 114 km route between Rameswaram and Manmadurai in Tamil Nadu by the end of this month.

"Currently the trial is going on the route to ensure that the section becomes the first discharge free zone in railways. It will be formally declared as green corridor in the last week of May," said a senior Railway Ministry official involved in the bio-toilet project.

A zero toilet discharge section envisages all trains passing on that particular route would have bio-toilets which eliminate open discharge of waste on the tracks.

There are about 14 stations between Rameswaram and Manmadurai and about 16 passenger trains use the track in a day.

All coaches of trains passing through the Manmadurai and Rameswaram section are now equipped with bio-toilets so there will be no waste discharge on the track, said the official.

Bio-toilets eliminate open discharge of waste on the track as the waste is digested by specially developed bacteria and only small amount of clean water is discharged in the process.

In the second phase, "Kanalus-Dwarka-Okha and Porbunder-Wansjalya section in Gujarat have been identified to be made zero toilet discharge sections.

"Our aim is to make tracks free from discharge of waste from toilets by installing environment-friendly zero discharge toilet system in the coaches and we will do it in phases," he said.

According to the plan, Jammu-Katra route will also be made a zero-discharge section.

Railways have installed more than 20,000 bio-toilets in trains till now and has set a target to fit 17,000 more this fiscal.

 It costs about Rs. 3.5 lakh to install four Zero Discharge Toilet Systems in a coach.

the Startup todays

How some IIT & IIM graduates are ruining it for all of us in the startup world

Source: http://twinfinite.net/2016/01/worst-season-passes/burningmoney/

It’s a Sunday morning and I am skimming through InShorts to get a quick overview of what is happening elsewhere. Amongst the 60 odd unread stories, I am not surprised to read of two startup shutdowns. Then, later in the day, I hear of another startup shutting operations. This one happened to employ a close friend (obviously he lost his job).

There exists a serious problem here that nobody is talking about and that is the unique nature of the Indian market which itself is an opportunity to innovate and thrive. Recent graduates from top notch schools in India believe they can clone businesses from other countries and that they will prove to be profitable in their entirety in India as well. Venture capitalists blinded by the founders’ alma mater have been following a hackneyed strategy to provide funding to entrepreneurs who are attempting to clone an idea or business model from USA or China. Their strategy goes something like this for early stage funding:

1. 1–2 founders from IIT/IIM fitting the criteria receive 1–2 million dollars.
2. 3–5 founders from IIT/IIM fitting the criteria receive 3–5 million dollars.
3. 7+ founders from IIT/IIM fitting the criteria and you’re in for a lottery.

Investors overlook the fact that Chinese entrepreneurs can afford to clone because their economy is closed, thus providing little or no competition. European entrepreneurs too can effectively clone, because the European pattern of consumption is similar to that of US(and the Rocket brothers are exceptional at their job).

Having failed to realize this, entrepreneurs, are squandering their funds on businesses that are completely unviable in the Indian market. It is impossible to imagine how you can fail so fast with so much money. The more people I talk to, the more apparent the problem becomes. This parochial approach to starting a business is what is causing investors to tighten their purse strings and this is going to hit the diligent entrepreneur hard. Given the current uneasiness in the market, this slump in investment is likely to continue for at least a year.

From my various conversations with entrepreneurs, investors and employees of startups, I have gleaned the following three fundamental issues contributing to the downturn.

1. High Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC)

There are startups (not taking names) spending close to 5000 bucks for customer acquisition. This is what FMCGs spend years into existence. The age old strategy of door to door marketing which the founder has to do is forgotten. As a result, founders are unable to reduce the CAC and end up spending an obscene amount on acquiring one customer who might only sign up without spending much time on the website or make just one transaction. Apart from the 5K spent on luring the customer to the site to conduct a single transaction the company ends up discounting the price of the service or the product to show higher Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). This in turn adds to the cost.

2. Media attention

Another issue I find in the startup ecosystem is the media attention startups and founders seek. Some founders forget that PR is a means to an end and NOT THE END itself.

Publicity is only a tool to be used to get the word out. An article in the paper does not amount to increased revenue. It is thus important for founders to be involved in the day to day functions and probably work more than any other employee at least for couple of years instead of focusing on media presence.

3. Slacking and expensive employees

Often as a startup begins to receive increased funding, the founders become lax and this results in slacking. Sometimes funds are mismanaged and disbursed as salary hikes or used to recruit expensive talent that may not really be required. Large amounts of money is also spent on food travel and entertainment for the employees. For God’s sake it’s still a STARTUP. What’s more important is to realise that a business takes 4–7 years to build and even then, money needs to be spent wisely.

Off the top of my head, here is a list of startups who have raised unnatural amounts as funding and have failed or are close to doing so:

Peppertap (IIM founders)

Grofers (IIT founders)

Housing (IIT founders)

Purple Squirrel (IIT founders)

Tinyowl (IIT founders)

Foodpanda (IIM founders)

Fabfurnish (IIT founders)

Amber wellness (IIT founders)

This shows one thing and that is, given the poor education system in India with no practical application of what you learn, the university tag doesn’t really matter. What matters are the soft skills, the ability to put pieces together and the hunger to learn.

Most people in this game are hoping to become wildly successful instantaneously without having to put in the hard work. Some entrepreneurs readily accept invitations to talk in events (not a problem if there is a business strategy linked to it) where they harp on about how they faced hardship in raising funds and the difficult time they encountered. If I was an investor, I would never invest in a founder who calls this a difficult time. It is an adventure, a story you are carving and this has to be enjoyed to the fullest. Entrepreneurship is not for the weak minded.

Maybe the time has come to look beyond the IITs and IIMs to find real entrepreneurs who can sense the pulse of the Indian market. The time for a new generation of entrepreneurs who can cause a metamorphosis in the startup ecosystem in India. The time for a revolution.

Disclaimer: The opinions mentioned above are mine and mine alone. Would appreciate if you can critically evaluate this piece. Drop in a line tokg@explorate.in.