For as far back as I can remember, I have always liked to cook. My mother often reminds me with great nostalgia, that as a toddler I could be found playing in the kitchen with pots and pans. Nowadays I am planning meals, weeks in advance; doing laps in the swimming pool, with my mouth salivating at the very thought of new menu options. And quite possibly, the most obsessive behaviour of all is, waking in the dead of night to text myself a new recipe idea.
I grew up in England into a large family, surrounded by aunts, uncles, grandparents and a virtual army of brown children (my cousins). Mum would always be cooking up a storm of crispy samosas, spicy pakoras and melt-in-the-mouth gulab jamuns in sweet sugar syrup. Life for me as a youngster seemed to rotate around mealtimes. How fortunate I was.
In my teens, Mum and Dad bought a fish and chip shop, part of which was turned into a small take-away restaurant, where I served up authentic homemade Indian curries to adoring punters. And this was when my love of food really took off.
As adulthood approached, I felt an urge to ‘fly the nest’, and left England for sunnier shores. I visited the Middle East, Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, sampling many culinary delights on the way. From charcoal-roasted kebabs in Dubai, to the desert cuisine of Rajasthan, and the fragrant delights of the Thai kitchen – I tried it all.
I stayed for the longest time abroad with my mother’s sister, at her home in Byron Bay, the easternmost tip of the vast continent of Australia. It was in Australia, where I learned of the gastro-delights of multiculturalism, discovering a food culture where a kaleidoscope of ethnic recipes had exploded into a single cuisine, combining the freshest ingredients with every possible cooking style known to mankind. Australia was my idea of a perfect food heaven.
After leaving Australia I headed for Turkey, and opened a restaurant on the Mediterranean coast, bringing together a passion for food, and a warm and sunny weather. I cooked passionately, using the finest Mediterranean produce to create Anglo-Indian restaurant classics.
In 2005, I was Head Promotion Chef at the first ever Indian Food Promotion held by the Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul. As Istanbul’s taste buds awoke to the exotic flavours of India, the media whirled into a frenzy. With my mission accomplished, I felt the time was right for a new adventure, and set my sights for the familiar shores of England.
It wasn’t too long, before I began to make culinary observations, concluding that we in England, now had low-fat versions of restaurant classics like chicken tikka masala and lamb rogan josh. All very good, but one question remained, could Indian food be made any healthier?
This was to be my new challenge. To learn more about it, click here.
