This entrepreneur from Hyderabad in a bid to revive traditional dish ‘junnu’ 

Rama Krishna who started selling the milk pudding on mobile cart on streets of Yousufguda is now busy supplying more than 500 authentic pots to eateries in the city

Hyderabad: Once was a popular dish in many households, ‘junnu’ i.e., milk pudding, is now rarely seen or available.

Deciding to revive this traditional nutritious and wholesome dish, this entrepreneur who started selling ‘junnu’ on a mobile cart on the streets of Yousufguda is now busy supplying more than 500 authentic pots to eateries in the city.

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A graduate in computer science, Rama Krishna tried his hands at a variety of jobs and was even in Dubai for a job. But it was his passion to be entrepreneur that drove him to prepare and make available ‘junnu’ in authentic and traditional way. The path to success was not easy and he overcame challenges in foraying into sweet business with ‘Palakollu Junnu’ and market ‘junnu’ in earthen pots.

Junnu is traditionally made from colostrum (lactating milk) of a cow or buffalo and is sweetened with jaggery and flavored with cardamom and pepper powder, he explains.

The milk is then transferred into earthen pots and is slow-cooked on steam. “The dish has an exceptional and delightful flavour apart from being very nutritious and wholesome as it is filled with proteins, calcium, vitamins, and antibodies,” says Rama Krishna. His product became popular quickly among the locals as they started referring to him for parties and functions.

As procuring colostrum these days is a difficult task, some ‘junnu’ manufacturers prepare the traditional sweet in a different way. “They make it using milk powder, maida (all-purpose flour), and condensed milk. I have no objections about their preparation process, but only request people to taste our ‘junnu’ once to enjoy it’s unique taste,” he says.

Apart from areas around Hyderabad, Rama Krishna sources milk from Andhra Pradesh, for making the dish at his home. Every day he sells more than 500 pots, including supplying to bakeries, sweet shops, and restaurants and is also tied with Zomato and Swiggy to increase the reach of his dish.