Brand activity

Be prepared

Unilever Foodsolutions Knorr Patak's prepared sauces help pub caterers to bring an intense flavour to their meals.

Using a blend of traditional Indian herbs and spices known only to the Pathak family, the sauces put a host of authentic Indian dishes within easy reach of any chef.

Created using Patak's expertise on Indian food, the recipes have been developed exclusively for the makers of Knorr foods as part of a long-term collaboration between the two brands. The versatile sauces can be poured over prepared meat, fish or vegetables.

Five new sauces have been launched, including Knorr Patak's spicy tikka masala, sweet peshwari korma, low-fat tikka masala with less than 1% fat, and korma light sauce.

Each of the sauces is available in 2 x 2.2 litre cases with a 12-month shelf life.

For more information visit www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.uk or call 0800 783 3728.

Reality check

The Authentic Food Company and 3663 have teamed up to launch a range of dishes from the Far East, including duck in an Oriental plum sauce and aromatic Thai king prawn curry.

Originating from the central region of China, the duck is fragrant and aromatic in flavour and meets consumer demand for more innovative dishes. Aromatic Thai king prawn curry (350g) is infused with delicious flavours from choi sum, spring onions, red peppers and whole lime leaf, combining the sharpness of Thai seasonings and the smoothness of coconut.

All dishes can be cooked in an oven in less than 25 minutes from frozen, or in three minutes in a microwave.

For more information visit www.theauthenticfoodcompany.com or call 0161 4954115.

Perfect balance

Amoy, part of Heinz Foodservice, can help caterers to add a special Oriental touch to their menus.

Achieving the perfect flavour balance is essential to Oriental cuisine and Amoy has made it easy to create authentic-tasting dishes with its wide range of foodservice products, which includes cooking and ingredient sauces and dry noodles.

Amoy can be used as a delicious sauce for a quick-serve meal, or as a "secret" ingredient to add authenticity.

Amoy's Dark Soy is ideal for popular dishes such as stir-fries, chicken, soup, and seasoning rice; Light Soy - known as the salt of Asia - is great for sweet and sour dishes and adding flavour to vegetables, while chilli soy - the fiery version of the traditional soy - adds a spicy twist to a variety of dishes.

For more information visit www.heinzfoodservice.co.uk or call 0800 575755.

Asian adventures

Premier Foods Sharwood's has recently extended its Indian range with the launch of its mini puppodums and spiced puppodums - hand-made in India - and Bengal Spice mango chutney.

Sharwood's new range of Indian ready-to-use sauce and paste varieties include balti, korma and Madras.

The sauces can be used effectively in curries, as a different filling for jacket potatoes, a useful base for Indian-style soups and as a tasty sauce to pour over a variety of grilled meats and fish.

Ready to use straight from the jar, the Sharwood's sauces save valuable preparation time.

The sauces are available in 2.3kg jars, each yielding 25 portions.

For more information call 0800 3284246.

Delicious addition

Rice is the accepted accompaniment for the majority of eastern dishes - and basmati is the prince of rice, accounting for more than 47% of rice sold in the UK retail market.

Tilda Foodservice research shows that basmati can command a premium from consumers as they are aware of its culinary superiority. The company claims that by offering basmati as a side order with Eastern meals, sales could increase. One extra portion of rice sold at a GP return of £1.20 to £1.60 with sales of 100 portions per day will result in a profit of £43,000 to £58,000 at the end of one year.

Tilda's frozen rice range provides pub chefs with a simple solution when offering traditional side orders for Eastern dishes. The rice is simple to prepare and the single- portion sachets can be cooked to order on the hob or in the microwave, providing consistent, high-quality results with perfect portion and cost control.

For more information visit www.tildafoodservice.com or call 01708 717777.

Way out east

Daloon has launched a tasty range of dim sum snacks from the Orient.

The range includes five individual dim sum packs and one mixed variety pack, each containing 60 pieces per case.

Products include sesame prawn toast, tempura-coated prawns, chicken moneybags, vegetable potsticker, breaded fish bites, and a prawn dim sum selection, which includes prawn toast and tempura-coated prawns.

Ideal for serving as starters, side dishes and bar snacks, or on buffets at themed events or parties, the products are quick and easy to prepare by deep-frying them for a few minutes.

For more information email sales@daloonuk.com or contact 01636 701000.