From dal-chawal to donburi: How kimchi and K-pop are spicing up India's foodscape

RC Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki, recalls that when they were starting the company in Gurgaon in the 1980s, one of the biggest problems was, quite simply, food. The joint venture required the presence of a large number of Japanese staff, and they couldn’t be fed on dal-chawal. “When we began operations, it was relatively challenging to access authentic Japanese food and ingredients. The availability of specific Japanese ingredients—soy sauce, miso or sushi rice—was limited then,” he says.

In the 1990s, Korean companies faced the same problem. Several were starting operations in India, in the auto and consumer durables sectors, but again a stumbling block was finding appropriate food for the Korean staff. Which might be why, in 1997, a young Tamil named K Palani was unexpectedly presented with an opportunity. He was on a flight to Sri Lanka, he recalls, when he met a man involved with supplying the upcoming companies. He asked Palani if he would be interested in supplying food products like ramen noodles to them.

K-SOUP FOR THE SOUL
Palani soon found himself making trips to Bangkok to stock up on noodles, special brands of coffee and other Korean packaged foods available there, and bringing them back to Chennai, which was where many of the first entrants were coming up. “I would go door to door to their homes to do deliveries,” he recalls. Soon he was doing well enough to fill a container load of food. Today, Seoul Stores, the retail brand he launched, has nine outlets across India, mostly clustered around the operations of Korean companies.

Palani says there are around 40 Korean restaurants in India now—which he should know, since he supplies them many of their ingredients. “About 20 are run by Koreans, and 20 by Indians.”

Japanese restaurants would outnumber them, not least because they have become hugely popular with Indian customers. There are supermarkets selling Japanese products and even regular retail stores stock products like Kewpies, the addictive Japanese mayonnaise brand. Socalled gourmet stores in India now have racks of Korean ramen, in various fiery and fishy flavours, for consumers looking for a change from Maggi.

Cosmopolitan food trends are usually led by upmarket consumers who have travelled and acquired a taste for foreign foods. Restaurants serving French or Italian food are examples. At the other end of the income spectrum, they are led by refugees or migrants following the job trail. Examples are the original tandoori restaurants after Partition, or the Burma bazaar stalls in Chennai following the exodus of Indians during World War II. A more recent trend is the surge in eateries offering vaguely Arab/Lebanese foods linked to Indians working in the Gulf.

The boom in Japanese and Korean food has been led by corporations and is based around industrial hubs like Vithalapur (Gujarat), Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu), Manesar (Haryana), Neemrana (Rajasthan) and Sanand (Gujarat). As global companies like Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Toyota and Maruti Suzuki and durable majors expand their operations in India, an influx of expats is reshaping the food landscape. Restaurants and stores come up to cater to them, and then Indians take interest as well.

The trend is not just about food; it’s about creating a micro-ecosystem tailored to the unique needs of these expats. Nandivardhan Jain, CEO of Noesis, a hospitality consulting and investment advisory firm, says, “We are witnessing the evolution of micro-ecosystems built around expat needs. This includes niche F&B formats, specialty retail and mid-scale hospitality offerings.”

In Vithalapur alone, there are about 15 Japanese restaurants, and the area’s hotels are reporting occupancy rates of 75-80%. The opening of branded hotels such as Marriott, Radisson and Hyatt in this industrial hub further signals the longterm cultural and culinary impact of this wave of authentic cuisine. The hotels have also embraced the trend, launching their own Japanese restaurants to cater to the growing demand.

THE REAL MEAL
At the core of these offerings is authenticity. From kimchi fermentation stations to ramen broths simmered for hours, the focus is clear— traditional, home-cooked flavours. A basic reason for this was that it was not just the corporate workers who were moving but, after a point, their families as well. Palani notes that there are now three consumer segments: bachelors, who just want basic food and personal care products and alcohol (see box); families, who want products for kids, like candies and flavoured yoghurt drinks, cosmetics and home care basics; and institutions, like the Korean restaurants he supplies.

This focus on authenticity means the food in these restaurants can subvert expectations. Japanese food, for example, is often seen as very sophisticated and expensive, and this kind of food does exist in India, at high-end independent restaurants, like Izumi, or offerings from fivestar hotels. But Chennai’s Dahlia, the oldest Japanese restaurant in India, is more like a canteen, serving hearty stews, rice bowls and simple dishes like omurice, an omelette stuffed with ketchup-flavoured rice, which is Japanese comfort cooking. “Many menus feature donburi, bento boxes and communal grills, ensuring cultural practices remain intact,” says a senior official from a Japanese car company. Eating in these restaurants can be like having a satisfying homestyle meal, rather than a refined restaurant experience.

PLATE FOR DESI PALATE
The challenge for these restaurants is whether, and how, to cater to Indian customers. Initially, some tried to remain exclusive to expats, with staff sometimes accused of being unfriendly or unsupportive to Indians. But as they have grown in scale, they have realised the value in having a local customer base—even if this means tweaking dishes for Indian tastes. To strike the right balance, many restaurants serve authentic dishes, importing sauces, condiments and rice directly from Japan and Korea, while also offering fusion or Indianised versions of these dishes to cater to local tastes.

Anurag Katriar, CEO of deGustibus Hospitality, who is about to open his first Japanese restaurant, Otoki, in Mumbai, says, “There is a growing demand for Japanese food, which is why so many new restaurants are opening.” He highlights robata grill, udon noodles and one-pot ramen, which appeal to Indian tastes. Dishes like sushi and matcha desserts are now becoming mainstream. “The hospitality sector must recognise this as a long-term opportunity to create culturally immersive experiences and unlock new demand pockets beyond traditional urban centres,” says Jain.

Seoul Stores is doing just that. While their initial growth was dictated by the operations of Korean companies based in India, Palani recently opened a store in Aizawl, far from any such presence. From the customers coming to his older stores, he says, he realised there was a huge interest in Korean products and culture in the Northeast. K-pop, the slickly produced music from South Korea, is huge in the Northeast, and that has sparked greater interest in all aspects of Korean culture. “The response to our store in Aizawl has been so good that we are planning one in each state in the Northeast,” he says.

Palani is also opening another store format called Seoul Lifestyle, with the first two stores in Coimbatore and Bengaluru. “The focus is on Indian consumers,” he says. The social media-driven trends that took Korean culture to the Northeast are being picked up in other parts of India as well. It isn’t just food now, but products like skincare cosmetics where Korean brands are at the cutting edge.

South Korea, even more than Japan, has realised the value in social media-driven soft power, and is investing in spreading it. Palani says that some initial trips and stays were sponsored by the South Korean government though he avoids that now to get more freedom in purchasing. What also helps is that he employs Koreans, both in India and South Korea. His story, from home-delivering ramen packets to running Korean stores across India, shows the surprising ripple effects Korean and Japanese manufacturing companies have had, in spreading their culture in India.