They were trying to impose a ‘restaurant ethos’, they were not getting it, so I got rid of all of them. I cooked all afternoon, packed up my Tupperwares and had the pleasure, that evening, of eating in a student sitting room perched on sofas and chairs with plates on our knees.

Best Recipes Asma Khan Ammu | Indian Cookbook 2022

I could not resist trying the saag ka raita – a spicy spinach and yoghurt dip which is so versatile and colourful. Where there is bullying and racism, where there is sexual harassment, where staff don’t feel safe, people should boycott those restaurants.When she did eventually marry and move to Cambridge to join her husband in 1991, she couldn’t even boil an egg. With the red pop of pepper, crunchy carrot and flourish of crisp spring onion, it’s as colourful as it is delicious.

Asma Khan - Penguin Books Australia Ammu by Asma Khan - Penguin Books Australia

I have to admit that I had no idea that a clove could swell and watched with rapt attention until I noticed how it does. She is a die-hard Francophile – speaking French helps tremendously – but put her anywhere and she is happy. I stand on their shoulders and all the voiceless women before me; I hope everything I do makes it easier for another woman of colour to know that she can dream and rise.Not only does Ausma Zehanat Khan try to bring to the readership’s attention the issue of immigration and liberty of expression, but as a woman coming from a family rooted in a culture of ancient traditional outlooks, she has much to say about them as well. For anyone following the topic, this might seem like shaky ground to stand on, for any position that could be taken on these issues might seem provocative or even spurious. I almost always roast cauliflower and it was a welcome surprise to taste such a deeply comforting dish with cauliflower that had briefly boiled, albeit in a most aromatic spiced sauce.

Asma Khan | Cookbook Corner | Nigella Lawson Ammu by Asma Khan | Cookbook Corner | Nigella Lawson

The place I’d left behind was so abundant, so loving and warm, and suddenly I’d moved to this cold country in winter with a person I didn’t really know. I also picked a few recipes from the celebration section which Khan describes as being prepared for weddings, birthdays and the like. Her hard work, her generosity, her sense of ready connection with others, her direct and full-throttle character, which seeks to lift up and nourish those around her, are all immediately apparent when you eat her food at her restaurant, Darjeeling Express, or when you read her words or follow her recipes. And as for those recipes, there are many I’ve earmarked, from the very first one in the book, the Onion Fritters (Pyaz ke Pakora), and taking in Potatoes with Peas (Aloo Mattar Sabzi); Friendship Bread (Dosti Roti) in which two rotis are rolled together with butter, and which on cooking, separate into two; the simple but sumptuous Fish Omelette (Machher Mamlet); Pumpkin with Red Chillies (Mishti Kumro); Stuffed Meat Kofta (Bharwan Kofta); Bengali Roasted Moong Dal and Rice (Bhuna Khichuri); Cashew Nut and Raisin Bengali Pulao (Sada Pulao); Prawns Cooked in Coconut Milk (Golda Chingri Malaikari); Spicy Duck Curry (Hasher Mangsho Bhuna); Shredded Cabbage with Peanuts (Bhuna Niramish); Calcutta-Style Noodles (Mushroom Hakka Chow); Spinach with Roasted Almonds (Saag Baadam); and French Beans with Ginger (Adrak Phulli). In this book, Ausma Zehanat Khan represents yet another secular ideal which we must pay attention to, and that is that minorities within our modern societies need special treatment.A year later she became the first British chef to be filmed for her own episode of the Netflix series Chef’s Table, aired in 2019. I want to leave a powerful ripple so people will see that it’s possible for them to succeed too, no matter how inferior they are made to feel.