Even as some Mumbai restaurants were forced to temporarily shut operations due to a shortage of commercial LPG cylinders, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has issued an advisory to eateries on how to conserve fuel and explore alternative cooking methods to keep kitchens running.
In an advisory sent to members, the industry body said ongoing geopolitical developments have severely disrupted the commercial LPG supply chain and warned that restaurants could face “serious operational challenges” if the situation worsens. The NRAI urged eateries to rationalise menus, conserve fuel and temporarily prioritise dishes that require less gas and shorter cooking cycles.
Among the measures suggested are batch cooking instead of repeated small cooking cycles, using lids and pressure cooking to reduce cooking time, pre-soaking grains and legumes, switching off pilot flames or burners when not in use, and using the right-sized burner for utensils to avoid flame wastage. Restaurants have also been advised to streamline menus, optimise burner use, consolidate prep schedules and reduce gas consumption during non-peak hours.
The advisory also encourages restaurants to explore temporary alternatives to LPG, including induction stoves, electric griddles and fryers, combi ovens, convection ovens, rice cookers and steamers. Even a partial shift of certain cooking processes to electricity could reduce dependence on LPG, the body said. Restaurants have also been advised to introduce limited “crisis menus” with faster-cooking dishes and consider limiting operational hours to conserve fuel.
The situation has already forced some eateries in Mumbai to improvise.
In Byculla, New Sunrise Restaurant found itself in a soup on Monday evening when their last cylinder got over. Its owner Imran Kadiwala did everything, he reached out to friends and peers in the business, even requested gas suppliers but when nothing helped, he had no choice but to shut the eatery on Tuesday morning.
“At 10 o’clock on Tuesday, we had to shut operations after we ran out of the last cylinder,” Imran Kadiwala told The Indian Express in a WhatsApp message. Desperate, he started to look for alternatives. “I found an electric stove in Sevri, I purchased it for Rs 6,300. Later in the day, I also found a bhatti at Mohammad Ali Road for Rs 2,000, which can be used with coal,” he shared, adding that he was finally able to resume the service by 3 pm. “I am serving only running item like keema, egg bhurji, chicken masala and mutton masala. I have stopped dosa, Chinese items and chapati.”
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In Girgaon, the 95-year-old cold drink house that reopened last year as The Girgaum Kitchen has also begun altering its menu to conserve fuel.
“The gas agency is not taking the empty cylinder for refilling,” said co-founder Omkar Narvekar, who has only one cylinder left.
“Our eatery is known for freshly fried items, but we have discontinued them. We have also decided to make items that can be prepared in one batch, like usals, and keep them in a bain-marie,” he said.
“We have only two options — to fight or to figure out. I can’t fight this war, so I am figuring it out,” he added.
