06/03/2013
3/6/13 DNA: Lifestyle - A itti bit more
www.dnaindia.com/print710.php?cid=1803650 1/1
http://www.dnaindia.com/A litti bit moreDNA / Manisha Pande / Sunday, February 24, 2013 9:30 IST
When Arun Gupta (23) finished his MBA from Mumbai University, he decided to junk the comfy placement process to start his own venture. His risk-taking venture was a new productand, as far as world of IT is concerned, Arun’s idea was truly unconventional. He wanted to make the humble, rustic snack of litti chokha as ubiquitous and popular in Mumbai asthe vada pav. And thus was born Litti on Wheels (LoW), a street kiosk chain that serves fresh-off-the-fire litti along with a spicy mixture of smoked brinjal and mashed potatoes(chokha).Arun’s inspiration lay in his childhood in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. “I grew up on litti chokha and missed it a lot when I moved to Mumbai. I was also quite impressedwith the vada pav model and wondered if I could add litti chokha to the rich street-food culture here,” he says. Arun’s brother Tarun Gupta, a software engineer, felt the same wayworking in Bangalore. He wondered how it would be to get Bangaloreans to try something other than vadas and idlis.The litti chokha at LoW follows the traditional recipe that Tarun learnt from his mother, which he has taught those who run the kiosks. Litti is essentially a thick, baked round ball ofatta that is stuffed with sattu — roasted gram flour — and dipped in ghee. You can order litti with chokha, chola or chana. “Our littis are priced between Rs25 and Rs40 since wewanted to offer street food at street prices,” Tarun says.“The idea of opening a kiosk instead of a restaurant was precisely that we don’t burden our customers because of high investments,” says Arun. From September 2011, when LoWmade a humble beginning in Bangalore, the chain now has four outlets in the city and two in Navi Mumbai. While it would be an overstatement to claim that litti chokha is taking overidli or vada pav, the brothers assert that Mumbaikars and Bangaloreans are warming up to the new entrant. Few know this, but litti chokha is perhaps one of the healthiest streetfoods one can have. Sattu is a rich source of fibre, is easy to digest and cleans up the stomach. “If you’re health conscious, then litti is better than most street foods you’ll comeacross,” says Tarun. LoW is planning to open an outlet in Pune next month and has plans to expand to Delhi too.LoW is open from 4pm to 11pm in Bangalore and till midnight in Navi Mumb ai.For more information on its locations visit: http://littionwheels.com/locations/URL of the article: http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_a-litti-bit-more_1803650-allPermission to reprint or copy this article or photo must be obtained from www.dnasyndication.com© 2005-2013 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. All rights reserved.
Thanks Manisha Pande
Happy Eating,
L.O.W
When Arun Gupta (23) finished his MBA from Mumbai University, he decided to junk the comfy placement process to start his own venture. His risk-taking venture was a new product and, as far as world of IT is concerned, Arun's idea was truly unconventional.
