We do the shopping and chopping so you can enjoy the cooking!
– Ankita and Madhuri, founders of Saffron Fix

If you’re like me, you’re always famished and like any sane desi in America crave spicy Indian food. No pasta, burgers, meatballs or tacos for us.

For your Indian fix in America, you have four options:

1) Purchase the spices, meat and vegetables and cook at home

2) Order a takeout from the nearest Taste of India, Bombay Palace or Flavor of India via online services like Seamless, Delivery.com or Eat24.com

3) Visit one of those countless Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi restaurants

4) Buy one of those heat-and-eat Indian food packets at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Indian grocery stores like Patel Bros or Apna Bazaar

Now two charming Indian babes Ankita Sharma and Madhuri Sharma say their fledgling venture Saffron Fix will simplify the first option (see above) by eliminating the complexity out of cooking an Indian meal.

The essence of Saffron Fix is that they send you the spices, Naan/Roti, rice and chopped vegetables and meat along with a recipe card.

You can pick the day of delivery. Orders before noon are delivered the same day. Shipping is free.

While there are a million items in Indian food, Saffron Fix is starting with Chicken Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer, Punjabi Chole, Veggie Masala Burger and Paneer Bhurji Rolls.

No South Indian stuff. Tough luck if you’re bent on Upma, Avial, Bisi Bela Bath, Hyderabadi Dum Biryani or Gutti Vankaya.

Utter Nonsense

Let’s try and understand the Ankita-Madhuri modus op.

They want you to pay them $30 or $50 (meal for 2 or 4 respectively) and then do the cooking yourself.

Although Saffron Fix will ship you the ingredients and the recipe, you still have to sweat in front of the stove and then clean up the dishes (a chore no sane human enjoys).

Plus, in an era where there are countless Indian video recipes on the Internet and you can buy the spices online or at the local Indian grocery store why would an American or desi need Saffron Fix.

Somebody is missing two screws in the head and that’s definitely not you, dear reader.

To get Saffron Fix going, Ankita and Madhuri have gone the Kickstarter route with a project to raise $10,000. The money will go toward setting up operations, establishing a web site and launching a mobile app.

Won’t Fly

Much as we want these two delicious desi babes Ankita and Madhuri to succeed, their venture is doomed.

Most desis or Americans won’t pay $30 for a meal for two and then do the cooking and cleaning up.

Indian restaurants are all over the place in NYC, New Jersey, California, Washington DC/Northern Virginia and Maryland, the initial target markets of Saffron Fix.

For instance, in Jersey City you can get off the train at Journal Square, take a 5-minute walk to Newark Ave and pick from 30 or 40 Indian restaurants (South Indian, North Indian, Gujarati etc) for a takeout or dine-in.

As for Americans, I don’t see them so desperate for Indian food that they will order from Saffron Fix on a regular basis. Maybe once or twice, just for a kick.

The two pluses of Saffron Fix are that it removes the drudgery of shopping and chopping and the organic ingredients but in my not-so-humble-opinion they are not enough to override the tedium of cooking and cleaning when there are easier options available for your Indian fix.

Saffron Fix will initially be available in California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC.

I’d be extremely surprised if Saffron Fix gets funded and, even if it does, the chances of the venture succeeding under the present model are remote.

In case you’re tempted to support Ankita and Madhuri in their spicy (mis)adventure, keep in mind that their Kickstarter campaign ends September 14, 2014.

As of 2PM ET today, the two desi babes had raised $1,365 from 25 backers.

Related Saffron Fix Content:
OMG, Those Crazy Babes got Kickstarted
Saffron Fix – Kickstarter Page

  Kickstarter, Saffron Fix