Blissfully and Deliciously Vegan: 'Fry's Vegetarian', Nine cities

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What does it take for vegans to add on to their list of food options?

What does it take for vegetarians to eat delicious and nutritious egg-free, meat-free, and dairy-free protein-rich food?

What does it take for non-vegetarians to make an ethical, earth-friendly, healthy, and delicious food choice?

The answer to all the above is Fry’s. Fry’s represents a range of healthy, non GM, cholesterol free, artificial colorants free, added preservatives free, hydrogenated and trans fats free frozen foods made primarily from vegetable protein, wheat protein, wheat flour, and flavored with spices extracted from plant-based sources. Fry’s products are blissfully and deliciously Vegan!


The roots

Fry’ is an acclaimed international brand for a range of cruelty-free frozen foods started by Wally and Debbie Fry in South Africa in the year 1992. For more information on how Fry's was set up, you can click here. Fry’s has recently been introduced in India by Mr. Gurpreet Singh and his wife, Beena Kaur, entrepreneurs of Indian origin who lived in South Africa for over a decade.

Mr. Singh, who discontinued non-vegetarian food four years ago and naturally shed 18 kilos of unhealthy body weight as a result, has never felt healthier before. Responding to what motivated him to get Fry’s to India he says,

“When I was in South Africa, I became aware of the vast tracts of land that were being destroyed in the Amazon rainforests to make way for growing GM grains to feed factory farmed animals. It became clear to me that the destruction of the ‘lungs of the world’ is the number one cause for global warming.

I wanted to reduce my carbon footprint at any cost and stop contributing my bit towards global warming. Fry’s products gave me and my family a new life and helped us make the switch very easily. We are now healthier with a clearer conscience than before. I felt I could help others too to ‘see’ that what we eat impacts the environment. Being a businessman, bringing Fry’s to India was a logical step to take. Through Fry’s I wish to appeal to people’s compassion.

I feel that any intelligent person should stop and take a moment to think about what they are putting in their mouths. Consuming factory farmed animals harms everyone and cutting back or stopping altogether is good for animal rights, the environment, and especially health.”

We couldn’t agree more with that. Mr. Singh’s associate Srishti Handa who stopped consuming meat more than a year ago after reading blogs describing the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses, feels that there couldn’t have been a better job for her in India than to contribute in popularizing Fry’s. She explains,

“As an animal lover, giving up meat for me was a natural extension of my love for animals, there was no reason for me to think twice.”

Fry’s is not mock meat

While Fry’s products have provided a plant-based analogue to meat and may have assisted many non-vegetarians to eat ethically, it is not “mock-meat”.

Braai

“It is simply a healthy, wholesome, and delicious plant-based food in its own right that can be enjoyed by all,” says Mr. Gurpreet Singh.

In fact, we too were in for a pleasant surprise. As vegans who are certain that we can never enjoy a meat analogue, the texture nor the taste of Fry’s felt offensive. It is not like mock-meat products sold in the West where a lot of effort is put into replicating the texture of processed animal flesh and in its wake use food additives harmful for the body.

Rolls

Fry's lays more emphasis on the taste. In fact, Fry’s products help drive home an important point: that animal flesh does not have a taste of its own. It is only when the flesh is combined with plant-based food-stuffs such as different spices, onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes that it acquires the taste of “non-veg” food. The same taste can be replicated with plant-based foods. The taste is not an exclusive non-veg taste!

Fry’s products can mean different things to different people who have decided to eat ethically and responsibly. We leave you to try them!

Fry’s range available in India

Eleven products from Fry’s are available in India. They are as follows with brief cooking instructions from Fry’s. You can also click the product names for more information.

Strips

1. Fry’s Vegetarian Braai Flavour Country Herb Sausages: All Fry’s foods are winners for the barbeque, but this traditional boerewors-seasoned sausage brings home the taste and aroma of the true South African braai.

Nuggets

2. Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken Style Burgers: Tasty burgers made with Fry's famous protein, Protam, authentically spiced and flavoured, coated in crisp, golden crumbs.

Cottage Pie

3. Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken Style Nuggets: Each delicious Fry’s Vegetarian Protam Golden Crumbed Nugget is carefully shaped into a bite sized chunk, evenly coated with crumbs before pre-cooking.

4. Fry’s Vegetarian Chicken Style Strips: Slender cut strips made from famous protein Protam and authentically flavoured. Ideal for wraps, salads, and oriental dishes.

5. Fry’s Vegetarian Chunky Style Strips: Take a wok on the wild side, splash in and sizzle up some sesame oil, exotic vegetables and throw in a handful of these wonderful Strips—toss in some even wilder rice (pre-cooked of course), mix through and serve on a large palm leaf.

6. Fry’s Vegetarian Golden Crumbed Schnitzel: Each delicious Fry’s Vegetarian Golden Crumbed Schnitzel is carefully formed before being evenly and generously sprinkled with tasty crumbs.

7. Fry’s Vegetarian Original Hot Dogs: These Hot Dog Viennas are so close to the real thing, just put them in a roll, drizzle on your favourite sauce, and see for yourself!

8. Fry’s Vegetarian Polony/Slicing Sausage: Fry’s Vegetarian Polony is so versatile and delicious! Use it in sandwiches, pizzas or by itself, the possibilities are endless!

9. Fry’s Vegetarian Spiced Burgers: Delicious Fry’s Vegetarian Spiced Burgers have a truly unique and subtle South Indian flavour created with a complex blend of spices.

10. Veg Express Cottage Pie: A perfectly nutritionally balanced, low fat, mouth watering meal! A traditional pie topped with light, fluffy mash potato and filled with hearty Fry’s Vegetarian Mince, lentils, peas, carrots, and rich onion gravy.

11. Veg Express Sausage Rolls: Absolutely delicious! These special crisp puff pastry encases a delicious Fry’s Vegetarian Sausage with wholegrain mustard.
 

Where available?

Below is the list of stores in the different cities where Fry’s products are available.

Bangalore

• Hypercity
• Namdhari's
• Spar
• Subway: Seven Subway stores where you will find Fry’s in the menu by the name ‘Veggie Supreme’.
• Total

Chandigarh

• Punjab Stores

Chennai

• All areas: Splendid Fine Foods Outlets
• All areas: Tanny’s Outlets
• Besant Nagar: Mercado Gourmet Store, Nilgiri’s Super Market (Whitefield)
• Chamier’s Rd: Amma Naan
• Chetpet: Vitaan Super Market
• Gandhi Nagar: Nilgiri’s Super Market (Suhail Enterprises)
• Gemini: Elite Bazaar Convenio Store
• Harrington Road: Mercado Gourmet Store
• Kellys: Hot Chops Cold Storage
• Kilpauk: Nilgiri’s (Limras Enterprises)
• Moolakadai: Essen Store
• T. Nagar Super Market: Hot Chops Cold Storage

Delhi

• All areas: Modern Bazaar
• All areas: Nature's Basket
• Alaknanda: Green Chick Chop, Honey Money Top
• Ashok Vihar: Sardar Meat Shop
• Chanakya Puri: Kishan Sons
• Chattarpur: Chick 'n' Salsa
• Civil Lines: Exchange Store
• Defence Colony: Green Chick Chop, The Taste
• Greater Kailash M Block Market: HM Morning Store
• Jor Bagh: Steak House
• Kailash Colony: Fresh & Frozen
• Khan Market: Meat by Blanco, Sugar & Spice
• New Friends Colony: BNW Hospitality
• Rajouri Garden: Soni Bakers
• Rohini: More
• Saket: Chick 'n' Salsa, Le Marche
• Subhash Nagar: Spar
• Vasant Kunj: Green Chick Chop, Le Marche

Gurgaon

• Green Chick Chop
• Modern Bazaar
• Nature’s Basket
• Picasso: Central Arcade, Galleria

Hyderabad

• Hypercity
• Q-mart
• Ruchi Idoni
• Spar

Mumbai

• All areas: Nature's Basket
• Hypercity
• Tata Star Bazaar

Noida

• Debon
• Levenere
• R&R

Pune

• All areas: Nature’s Basket
• All areas: Spar
• Dorabjee’s

 
Fry’s for a cause

From our conversation with Mr. Gurpreet Singh, it becomes increasingly clear that he has helped bring Fry’s to India with a vision. He explains,

“Our school contact program will get underway very soon where we take the opportunity to make young minds aware of the issue of global warming and how our food habits contribute towards it. We are open to teaming up with any group or individual who feel about the issue.”

You can read more about Fry’s business position in the context of global warming by clicking here and Fry’s commitment to Mother Earth by clicking here. You can also get connected to Fry’s page on Facebook for updates, activities, etc. by clicking here and on the Twitter page by clicking here.


Some tips to use Fry’s products

• All Fry’s products are pre-cooked and require minimal effort to produce mouthwatering concoctions. These extremely versatile products can be grilled, baked, steamed, barbequed, or even fried. However, we recommend that you avoid cooking in a microwave oven as microwave cooking compromises on the taste.
• You can also combine them in curries especially using the strip. A simple concoction with ginger, garlic, onions, tomatoes, vegan yoghurt, garam masala, potatoes, and fresh coriander leaves produces a finger licking curry all set to go great with hot steamed rice.
• You can also take inspiration from the numerous recipes on the Fry’s website by clicking here.
• Try the Veg. Express Cocktail Sausage Rolls and watch them as they puff up in the oven, an absolute delight to watch as well as to eat!

Endnote

Fry’s is one product of its kind in India. It exists on the shelves of stores with other similar if not same products that are neither vegan nor from 100% ethical companies. Fry’s represents a brand that is Vegetarian/Vegan, conveying the larger message that in this age of globalization and capitalism, an ethical large-scale business is possible.

Prices will drop considerably after Fry's factory comes up in Asia (coming months). Cheers to Fry’s!

Did you know?

A 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow concludes that global animal agriculture contributes more greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalents), an astonishing 18 percent of the total, more than all forms of transportation. Furthermore, the global warming potential and effect of these gases is more striking since methane and nitrous oxide are 23 and 296 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.