The kitchen on the Old Airport Road supplies cooked food to the 101 Indira Canteens opened on Wednesday.

BENGALURU: It cooks 900kg rice in half an hour, 1,440 idlis in 20 minutes and 300 litres sambar at one go. The first state-of-the-art Indira Canteen centralized kitchen on Old Airport Road in east Bengaluru's Konena Agrahara is worth a visit.

The kitchen supplies food to the 101 Indira canteens that became operational on Wednesday.

The BBMP had finalized two caterers -Chef Talk and Rewards -to operate 27 centralized kitchens in Bengaluru. The kitchen on the Old Airport Road is operated by Rewards and has 22 workers.It gets Rs 32 from BBMP and Rs 25 from the public for a single meal sold. “The kitchen uses steam technology to cook idli, suji and rice-based dishes,“ says Manoj Rajan, special officer, BBMP who's in charge of Indira canteens.

AICC chief Rahul Gandhi visited the kitchen on Wednesday afternoon and hailed the state government for providing clean, fresh and hygienic food at affordable prices. When TOI visited the kitchen, the staff members wearing gloves, caps and aprons were busy preparing vangi bath to be supplied to the canteens for dinner. The kitchen has a cold storage unit for curd, vegetables and other perishable goods.

The state government has spent over Rs 61 lakh on each of the 27 centralized kitchens.

