Nandini springs a surprise, launches ready-to-cook idli, dosa batter blended with whey protein

Bengaluru: Karnataka's homegrown brand Nandini on Wednesday launched its own ready-to-cook idli and dosa batter blended with 5 per cent whey protein, aimed at making traditional South Indian breakfast dishes more nutritionally balanced. 

The product was officially launched at the Vidhana Soudha by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of ministers K Venkatesh, Krishna Byregowda and Dinesh Gundu Rao. 

Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) Managing Director K Shivaswamy and Chairman Bheema Naik were also present. The Nandini brand is part of the KMF.

"Keeping in mind that most of the common people in urban areas lack time to prepare daily food at home due to their work pressure, consumers are increasingly clamouring for ready meals that can be prepared instantly. So we have decided to provide healthy idli and dosa batter," the KMF said in a statement. 

The batter will be available in two different packs — 450g will cost Rs 40 and 900g Rs 80. 

The KMF aims to sell 3-4 tonnes of batter daily. 

"Traditional South Indian breakfasts like idli, dosa and upma only have carbohydrates and lack protein, which is an important nutrient. Since whey is a byproduct of paneer, we wanted to blend it with idli and dosa and make it available to consumers," a KMF official said. 

Shivaswamy said that whey protein-blended idli and dosa batter was the first of its kind. 

The KMF will review the market demand based on the performance of the product in Bengaluru before expanding to other cities.

The KMF had planned to launch idli/dosa batter in October but pushed it to December. It also plans to launch the product in Delhi and other markets outside Karnataka where it has already introduced milk and milk products.