We'd research local dishes. It’s important to bear in mind that there were very few restaurants and hotels in India at that point," says Camellia. "We were talking to former palace chefs and going into people's homes." Camellia paved the way for a raft of superstar chefs such as Atul Kochhar, Vivek Singh, Vineet Bhatia and Aktar Islam. Could acclaimed restaurants such as Tamarind and Cinnamon Club (2001), Benares (2003), or more recently Opheem (2018), Pahli Hill (2020) and Bibi (2021) have opened were it not for Camellia and her questioning, determined ways? Arguably not.

Chutney Mary’s success is down to hard work, consistency of ownership and Mathrani’s impressive business acumen but perhaps most importantly the Punjabi sister’s encyclopaedic knowledge of Indian food. Masala World served more than 500,000 customers in 2005, and Mathrani expects this to rise more than one million in a couple of years with the expansion of Masala Zone.

Midnight's children 

Karan Johar reveals only 18 people were invited to Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukerji’s secret wedding: ‘I had to lie to my mother’ Camellia Panjabi was born in Bombay. She read Economics at Cambridge and went on the become the Marketing Director in India’s most prestigious hotel group – Taj Hotels – known for spearheading new cuisines and culinary ideas in its Indian, Asian and Western restaurants. Shah Rukh Khan apologised with folded hands for coming late on video call, recalls King: ‘I was sitting on the sofa, I got down to the floor’ Indeed, the success of Chutney Mary paved the way for the creation of what is arguably the UK’s most successful Indian restaurant business. The trio launched two further Indian fine dining restaurants - grill restaurant Amaya in Knightsbridge and the more traditional Veeraswamy near Piccadilly Circus - alongside the seven-strong Masala Zone, which started out as a casual dining chain but has in recent years transitioned to more of a mid-market proposition.

The sisters are sanguine about why they work together so well as sisters, as Namita sees it, ‘We have very different strengths which dovetail well. Besides being a brilliant cook, Camellia [author of 50 Great Curries of India] is very good at taking a helicopter view, being intuitive and looking ahead, predicting trends. Whereas I am much better at setting style and thinking about the detail and presentation of dishes and the interior. We talk food all the time. Of course, we argue and disagree, yet we laugh a lot too. I couldn’t imagine working any other way.’ Travel is very much part of our lifestyle and the food is an accumulation of all of our travels. The very best food is to be found in the homes of our friends, at street stalls as well as Maharaja palaces. All provide inspiration,’ Namita explains.

The early days of the business

The food was both original and well-executed. “At the time it was unheard of for Indian restaurants not to use freezers,” says Camellia. “We banned them in our kitchen. The chefs would come in every day and start from scratch. This made a huge difference to the quality. We also used a much better class of produce than any other Indian restaurant.” Thanks for the comment and compliments. To be honest, I’m not sure that Camellia Panjabi’s recipes are like what you might get in a British Indian restaurant, although the pathia was tasty. She tends to go in for more ‘authentic’ Indian cooking. But, I’ve just bought ‘The Curry Secret’ book, so look out for another version soon! Put the pineapple into a bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients and a little water in a small bowl and sprinkle over all the pineapple. Mix well. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

This research forms the underpinning of every restaurant at MW Eat, including the casual Masala Zone, where strict systems are in place so that the chain runs with just two Indian chefs. There’s also a fanatical focus on ingredients. At Amaya, sabut grilled gobi is done with baby cauliflowers procured from a single field in France, for instance. Camellia was already part of the London scene having opened Bombay Brasserie in Kensington for Taj Group, itself a landmark Indian restaurant opening. As card-carrying members of the Indian elite, the pair travelled the subcontinent with their parents visiting maharajas in their palaces and experiencing regional specialities at their best. If Camellia is a grand dame of Indian fine dining, she is remarkably unstuffy, saying it is fine to use some bottled ingredients (e.g. ginger and garlic) if you are in a hurry. She didn’t even raise an eyebrow when I confessed to the pork. “Sounds almost Hawaiian,” she said. “But that is creative. It is something they might do in Assam. They cook a lot of pork.”Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan over a medium high heat, then add the onion. Fry until soft and lightly golden, then stir in the masala mix. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until you can really smell the spices, then stir in the tomato and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Camellia, who had been involved from the start, came on board full-time in 2001 when the group opened its first Masala Zone in Soho, followed by a second in Islington and a third, in Earls Court, in 2005. It was the first restaurant in London, and quite possibly the world, to make the argument that - just like Western cuisine - Indian food could be elevated and served in a manner that was both upmarket and creative​​. There are very few people that I know whose palates can span a whole continent," explains Mathrani, who was also born into an extremely well-to-do Indian family. "They can go from a Bengali dish to a Keralan dish to a Goan dish and pinpoint its very essence. They understand exactly how it needs to be."

They are responsible for devising for the restaurant and food concepts. Camellia refines the food offer and handles marketing and PR, while Namita fine-tunes the food presentation, décor (which features stylish Indian folk art) and kitchen management.To make the masala, toast the spices in a dry pan until aromatic. Grind to a powder in a food processor or pestle and mortar, and then mix in the remaining ingredients.