New Year 2023: These DIY meal kits will make partying this weekend easier

Khow suey; (right) Khow suey components in the kit

Who is ever ready for the new year? We can't help with the upkeep of resolutions but here's a platform that sorts your NYE party needs. Kook, a Delhi-NCR and Mumbai-based meal delivery venture which launched in August, offers well-priced DIY meal kits that are pre-portioned and semi-prepared along with the required components and a recipe card. Co-founder Arpitta Jerath shares that their aim is to recreate the experience of having a restaurant-style meal at home - right from the recipe to the way it's served and eaten. "We want to encourage people to eat as fresh as possible," Jerath notes. And that makes these kits a better option than relying on junk food or frozen meals, amid all the NYE prep rush. So, instead of ordering in, or if you're too late to book reservations for January 1 celebrations, you can prepare a three-course meal at home, using recipes developed by cuisine specialists.

Burger; (right) Burger ingredients in the kit

With a longer list of kits available for Gurgaon-based orders, meal kit options for Mumbai include a Thai papaya salad with raw papaya and mango, roasted peanuts and a sweet chilli and tamarind dressing; a burger kit with a patty mix, milk buns, kale slaw, onion jam, pickled cucumbers, and garlic mayo; and a Burmese khow suey kit, which is a bestseller. The latter is packed with vegetables or chicken stewed in a Burmese coconut chilli broth, a spice paste, chilli oil and a flavour bomb of condiments and spices, which have been developed by experts collaborating with the platform. Other offerings include a banoffee parfait kit; a sushi kit complete with a sushi mat; a ramen meal box; and cookie and cupcake decoration kits for a festive touch this season.

Arpitta Jerath

The instruction cards cover all bases - from how to refrigerate the ingredients to how to plate the final dish. Their website also details cooking time, the equipment needed, serving quantity and the ingredients that aren't included such as water, salt and oil - small but essential additions to ensure you're absolutely prepared for a meal.

Last-minute preparations are more common than you think. The platform offers next-day deliveries if you order by 10 pm. You can opt for a box that serves two or four diners, or customise quantities for party orders.

Log on to letskookup.com
Cost Rs 299 onwards