the doosra story

doosra means the “second” or “the other” in Hindi & Urdu.

doosra is a decidedly non-traditional take on classic Indian chai-time snacks. The originals are great, but we craved something a little different, a doosra iteration. We decided to complement classic Indian ingredients like boondi, amchur, and Kerala-style banana chips with sweet, indulgent flavors.

We hope doosra introduces anyone unfamiliar with Indian snacks to the wide array of both sweet & savory treats we and the broader South-Asian culture has to offer. On the flip side, doosra would like to show fellow South Asians that the complexity of our spices and textures pair deliciously with more than just raisins and dried fruit.

The best part? Our snacks are meant to be shared. With friends, family, and strangers alike over chai, a glass of wine, or at an ice cream party. Wherever you eat our snacks, we hope you’re smiling and having a blast with those who mean the world to you. That’s what chai-time snacks were made for.

My name is Kartik, and if you haven’t realized, I love to snack. I grew up in Singapore, and during my year-end holidays, I’d visit family in India. My favorite time of day was chai time. Not because of the chai or other beverages on offer, but because of the large array of snacks from mixture to murrukku, banana chips, jackfruit chips, peanut brittle, and an array of Indian sweets like jelabi and athirasam.

I used to pair the sweet stuff with the spicy mixtures or savory crunchy bites (murukku) because I loved sweet & savory combinations; they excited me. Not everyone understood it, but I was always a little different, and I loved being different.

Fast forward 20+ years and after I left corporate America and looked for my little space in the food world, I found myself thinking back to those sweet & savory combinations. While Chicago-style popcorn existed, nothing in the Indian snack space had scratched that itch. So several over-complicated mixes later, our original white chocolate boondi mix was born under the label “kitchpaps.” I tested, I learned, and we became doosra. Now I’m excited to share decidedly different flavors with anyone who’ll try them.