The number of Indians living in in Kuwait has quadrupled in the past decade to an estimated 650,000 – making them the country’s largest foreign population. For a long time seen as blue collar workers – now a new generation of Indian businessmen are changing the perception of their community by being partners in some of Kuwait’s top firms. Howard Johnson has been to Kuwait to explore the secret of the Indian community’s success. [YouTube]
Note to self: I need to try Amman Bhelpuri.
50 replies on “BBC report: The Secret of the Indian Business Community’s Success in Kuwait”
Amman is one of the most famous Indian snack place, so you really need to like Indian snacks to enjoy it. Let me know if you want recommendations 😉
sure would love recommendations 🙂
I don’t think its the best place honestly but it been around forever (not many places in 80’s) so there is nostalgic value to the place. I love their ‘aloo samosas, kachori and dhoklas’ but when I take my non Indian friends to such places I generally start with things they may be familiar with so samosas generally work 😀 There is something called ‘Chaat’ which is a concoction of sweet, salty and spicy chutneys, yogurt and some kind of deep fried fritters. In that category, Dahi sev puri is not bad.
My first visit there was disappointing but I think there has been some improvement lately. Of course nothing beats the street side chaat in India.
How you can forget to mention Chana Puri… ohh my…. Their puri is really nice and Fresh. And i like to eat their chana with the spices (Achar, Chili) yum yum
No doubt rite now there are so many indian restaurants in salmiya, but the most old ones are Amman(1971), Thakkar, and sagar (thali specialist).
My father and owner of Amman Mr joshi had started their career together in kuwait in 60s at the SAGAR Jewelers.The owner of sagar jewelers Mr GokalDas Sagar came to kuwait first time in 1950s.
all the old memories came fresh today.
what great time we had in our childhood.
Don’t go there! Its addictive 😛
Amen! VERY addictive.
A lot of Kuwaiti families used to live in India back in the 40s,50s, and 60s! Indians are the largest number of expats in Kuwait, then its Egyptians! The ties between Indian and Kuwaiti busiensses goes back a long time!
Very interesting BBC Coverage! Need to check out that restaurant as well!
even in the 80s
my grandfather was a diplomat in india for a very long time and two generations of my family grew up in india as a result of that. i love anything indian, the food, bollywood, their beauty and most importantly their peaceful nature.
Some of my favourite people :O) They work very hard, have great work ethics and are more trustworthy than most. A must try is a masala dosa; it’s spicy onion and potato in a crispy crepe like wrapper.
Great post Mark!
I would love to visit some chaat places, please list them y’all!
Don’t go there u should vist kwality sweet and snacks on next lane which is the best !
No offense to Indians or anything, but for some reason I thought that the Indians would soon overpower and rule our economy.
I have frequented Amman quiet often, it’s the best you’ll get here but nothing compared to the actual cuisine. Having said that, I do love their ‘Aaloo Tikki Chaat’ – It’s a spiced potato cutlet dish.
I must add… Indian businessmen do not dine at Amman.
you should always except something to be scripted.. 😛
expect*
Right on..I was hoping someone would bring that up!
can some one please give us Amman Bhelpuri`s address?
Here you go, used Salmiya “Garden” as the starting point.
Point B is your destination!
maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Yousef+Al+Bader+St&daddr=Easa+Al+Qatami+St&hl=en&sll=29.326856,48.065177&sspn=0.005304,0.010568&geocode=FSB8vwEdt2vdAg%3BFWaLvwEdUFndAg&t=w&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=17&z=17
well, that didn’t work out to well.. here’s a shorter link -_-
https://goo.gl/maps/k32E
hi , coming to salmiya via 4th ring road,at the first station take right, go straight from the signal take left, drive straight , pass the first signal , at the second signal take right , drive a few meters , and on you right hand side u will see amman and thakkar restaurant together.
enjoy
Nothing to get excited about.
What’s the fuzz here all about ? Everyone know’s Indian Business men are doing quite good in Kuwait and it’s strange that BBC portrays business men dining there, which is so not true. Maybe its the less successful ones :-P.
Anyways Amman Is owned by my close friend , anyone who wants to go there can get in touch with me.
The only people who dine at Ammaan are students who do not want to go or have to wait for tuition classes in Old Salmiya and selective families that got there after the service at the St. Therese Parish
And why isn’t anyone talking about Thakkar? Wasn’t that around longer?
I never got this. My Indian friends refuse to eat at those places because “It’s street food” but I know some well off Kuwaitis that are fine eating there.
SO Mr. Bhasin (Bhasin & Co.), Mr. Sunny Mathew(Sefeena General Trading) and Mr. Anant Kapadia who are shown dining in the video are less successful ones for you. Please get your facts right. Mr. Sunny Mathew was instrumental in getting Toyota to Kuwait initially hence the nick name “Toyota” Sunny…..
Haha those were the guys in there? “Less successful” hahahahaha those guys speak Kuwaiti Arabic they’ve been here so long
Mark,
If not for you, I wouldn’t have watched this report from BBC.
More than the report, I liked your open minded ness in publishing the report, given the fact that you have a much larger audience online in Kuwait than BBC.
Thank you for publishing the report and KEEP BLOGGING….
I’m sure the whole community enjoys reading your blog…
Having developed your site thus far, think BIG…
Star your own TV channel…..
Spread over middle east…
Prosper mate…. Carry those who helped you all along…
emotional much?
embarassment
hey..the only thing that you must try is the chickpea(chana) curry with hot puri(bread)!!its the best! and yes go to Kwality Sweets to try out their crushed ice dessert!but go in the evening since its only available then! its called the *gola*
here is the list of some of best indians restaurants in kuwait
https://www.q8india.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=18&Itemid=110
hmmm…
Day1: ok so you got to start from Amman (not really my fav).. have sev puri or dahi wada..
then go to sargam and have some aalu chaat..
walk towards edee and get some cheese somosas to bite while you are walking (or driving)..
by now you have had enuf to eat..
go to kwality and give the final touched with the big A## kulfi that they have or a Gola.. (The non south east asian community should really try having gola)
Day2: Go to sagar restaurant in Salmiya and just sit. you dont really have to order.. it’s understood that you are there for the Thaali. eat as much as you can for 900 fils ;)..
go to sargam and have a chai (100 fils)
your dinner is sorted in just 1 kd 😉
Day3: get your girl or somebody you want to impress… go to Zafran in salmiya.. (center point bldg).. it’s a way too expensive by Indian food standards.. but its neat.
Day4: go to white rose (salmiya) order chicken manchow soup (its indian chinese :P)… then go to Udupi in Salmiya and have dosa..(any type).. end with a chai or coffee in udupi that they serve in the steel cups 😉
Weekend (Breakfast): go to any Keralite restaurant and order chapaati & half fry… end with a nice cup of chai 😉 your breakfast would cost aroung 600fils.
Weekend (Breakfast): go to a pakistani restaurant.. wah ji wah (salmiya), faisal edee (salmiya), safina (salmiya), tabaq (city), mann salwa (city)
order for paaya, keema paratha, nihari or bheja (one should try everything atleast once) you bill shouldnt be more than 1 – 1.25 KD.
I think it was 8 or 9 years ago, White Rose had like the best tandoori chicken I’ve ever had from any restaurant in Kuwait.. somehow it all got messed up later on :/
i remember how good it used to be. but i’d put it at about 20 years ago when it first started.
Wooohh… Lucky Amman Guy…
Well these are typical Indian Fast Food. And there are many joints. Amman & Thakkar are 2 of the oldest.
The Street behind that is full of Indian Snacks and Fast food. And these are for those who like Spicy food.
If you are eating this junk food and taking spice out of it, it’s like taking Falafeel out of Mashakkal Sandwich.
So Spicy Lover … Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Dahi Bhala, Chana Bhatura, Aalu tikki, on.. n on.. n on.. Eat Spicy Live Spicy
Its so fake! Because Ive never seen these people eat at Amman/Thakkar.
TRUE
hi
nobody here actually thanked Kuwait for their goodness so I just want to .. I was born in Kuwait and lived here for 18 years now I am at uni abroad however I visit frequently! Kuwait has been very kind to me and its one of the best country’s … it might have problems but still every country isnt free from problems! Keep going Kuwait may you be strong!
The official Kuwaiti currency used to be the Indian rupee until 1961….
https://www.indiansinkuwait.com/ShowArticle.aspx?ID=8994&SECTION=12
They sent rupees here and now they’re sending dinars there. 🙂
Hey Mark
Amman Bhelpuri is my favorite place in Kuwait. It’s teeny tiny which is a shame, but the food is amazing…every time we go I order:
Chaana Puri
spicy/savory chick peas with a big balloon type bread…my kids POP it with their fork!
Dhay Bala – Yogurt salad featuring two balls/dumplings made of fried bean flour and it has like onions, tamarind sauce and spices..yum
Poperdi chaat – yogurt salad that features some kind of crispy things in the bottom and then sprinkled with more crunchies on top…to die for. Oh and tamarind sauce and spices.
I love going there when I just want to have a vegetarian meal and when we’ve spent too much money shopping…lol..it is VERY inexpensive..the last time we went we paid like 5 kd for a family of SIX!
Oh and avoid going on FRIDAY..you will not find a table..period.
Enjoy and please write a review….
excuse my spelling..lol..no idea how to spell the names properly!
That’s
Chole Bhature
Dahi Wada
Papdi Chaat
great choice! And it’s good to know Indian street food is so popular.
Indian chinese is to die for. I don’t think I enjoy authentic chinese cuisine anymore.
The Indian business community in Kuwait is trying very hard to emulate the runaway successes of their cousins in Dubai, Hong Kong and South Africa. Good on them.
I thought the tv article was about business not about the best places to eat in Kuwait?
If this entry was embedded advertising for Amman Bhelpuri then it has worked like a bomb. How ingenious of the Indian Business Council?!
There’s more to Amman Bhelpuri than just food. Go figure that one! 🙂
Howard Johnson’s assessment of the rise of the Indian community in Kuwait does not entirely map with mine. In fact, I find BBC’s a tad uncharitable characterization of Indians as a largely blue collar workforce when so many have always been in middle and senior level management as well as in leadership positions in corporate finance, engineering, medicine and the IT sectors especially, in the last quarter of a century. Of course, the flight of Palestinians and Jordanians and of many Arab Americans from Kuwait in the wake of Kuwait’s liberaton is helping matters for Indians; those who continue to rise through the upper echelons of management- this has allowed many of them to break the glass ceiling with far less resistance than in years past. Further and more, the new wave of Indian enntrepreneurs which he waxes lyrical about isn’t just a crop of new start-ups and wannabes who have hit pay dirt in Kuwait as has been the case in the Silicon Valley. Many are scions of Indian trading families based out of Kuwait. The Jashanmals, the Mirchandanis, the Malhotras (of Zahem and Malhotra fame), the Lambhas, the Bhasins and so on and so forth being a case in point. Last I noticed these have all been prominent Indian trading families in the emirate probably since before Howard Johnson’s conception. BBC shouldn’t get carried away running such poorly researched stories as this. It is one thing running a feature on the rags to riches story of the Bangladeshi community in Kuwait who have gone on from being blue collar workers to the drug lords and sex trade godfathers they are today controlling large parts of the taxi and the gold trade in Kuwait today and quite another to report on the Indian community’s dynamic in Kuwait which is both varied as it is complex. As for the Bangladeshis, I see in them the most promising entrepreneurs in Kuwait today, like it or not. I say more power to them, the Bangladeshis!
Hi Rohit and Rashi,
CONGRATS AND WISH YOU GOOD LUCK ….
REGARDS
SREEKUMAR PATTATHIL,PRIYA & KRISH
Hi Amman team,
keep it up.we always enjoyed your food and your service.
Regards
Sreekumar Pattathil