In entrepreneur Lisa Suwal’s Delhi home, momos were eaten as routinely as dal chawal. On days when friends and family would visit, they’d be served on request. “Everybody loved our momos. Some even suggested we start a business,” she remembers. It is a versatile dish, afterall—one that doubles up as a snack or meal, and can be steamed, pan-fried, or deep-fried.

But frozen momos? Suwal faced skepticism when the fresh and frozen deli meats brand launched Prasuma Momos, “ready-to-eat fresh and frozen momos” in October 2019. It sounded like a paradox to many, says the 34-year-old, who is Chief Product Officer with her company. She was intent on disproving the belief that frozen is unhealthy. “When it comes to health, frozen meals get a bad rap. The truth is that fewer preservatives are needed for frozen foods because freezing naturally preserves food,” she explains. Suwal ensured that her claim was supported by R&D that lasted five years. Along with sourcing top grade raw material, her team relied on technology to retain the nutritional freshness. “While the main technology, that is freezing, is fairly simple, there are a host of other factors that go into fine-tuning it. For instance, the size of the momo so that it’s the right level of plump is an important factor, as is what temperature should it be frozen to and at what point in the process should it be removed from the deep freeze.”