We are Bala and Shiva, a couple living in Arnhem. Our home is in Schuytgraaf, where life moves between work, school runs, and two little ones who keep us busier than any recipe ever could.
No matter how packed the day is, cooking has always been the one thing that brings us back together.
For us, cooking has never been just food. It’s the table people gather around, the laughter when friends share a plate, and that quiet pause when someone takes the first bite and nods. That’s the spark that keeps us going.
Our journey started long before Mooral had a name. Back in India, food was already part of our daily conversations. Recipes were passed down, tested, and reimagined.
When we moved to the Netherlands, cooking became more than a way to keep traditions alive. It became our way to connect with people. And almost every time friends came over, they asked the same thing: “When are you starting something with this food?”
We didn’t jump in right away. Life with kids, work, and a new country was already full. But the thought never left us.
What started as weekend cooking for friends slowly grew into bigger experiments. Larger pots, larger batches, new dishes. The joy wasn’t just in the cooking, but in how people received it.
Mooral was born out of those moments. We wanted to share the kind of food we serve our closest friends and family. It’s food rooted in tradition, cooked with care, and presented in a way that makes you pause before you take the first bite.
Today, when a box leaves our kitchen, it carries more than rice and roasts. It carries stories of late-night recipe debates, kids running around while we layer biryani, and us tasting “just one more spoon” to be sure it’s right.
It carries our journey as a couple who discovered that the greatest joy comes from seeing others happy through food.
And as founders, that’s what we want Mooral to stand for: food that feels close, because it comes from a place close to us.
If you’ve read this far, the next step is simple: come and taste what we’ve been talking about.
