AUTUMN 2020
ALLERGICO Happy Diwali ASMA KHAN: Allergico talks to the creator of the Darjeeling Express Restaurant.
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JOE&SEPH’S VEGAN POPCORN: Ahead of World Vegan Day, we have the lowdown on all the delicious varieties in their range.
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ASMA KHAN INTERVIEW: Allergico talks all things food with the founder of the Darjeeling Express.
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DIWALI RECIPES: Get your festival season off to a great start with these delicious snacks.
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Asma Khan and the Darjeeling Express team.
JOE&SEPH’S VEGAN RANGE: We check out the latest offerings from the popcorn company.
Joe&Seph’s
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PUZZLES & GAMES: Have a go at our autumnal brainteasers.
BBC Food Website My University lecturers who gave me the confidence to produce this publication.
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Manjula’s Kitchen
My parents and friends.
THE INFORMATION AND TIPS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT TO BE SUBSTITUTED FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.
CONTENTS
THE INFORMATION AND TIPS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT TO BE SUBSTITUTED FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.
Editor's Letter
AUTUMN 2020
Hello Allergicos! Well what a year it’s been so far, we’ve seen hope and heartache in equal measures and one thing’s for sure life won’t be the same again. The festival of Diwali is all about providing light to the darkness so we decided to dedicate our autumn edition to this festival. As well as delicious recipes, we are privileged to be able to interview the legendary Asma Khan, chef and founder of the Darjeeling Express restaurant in London. As well as this, we’re talking all things popcorn with Joe&Seph’s! So enjoy, stay safe and all of us at Allergico are sending all our love to you, wherever you are!
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We can't wait to hear from you!
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Allergico talks to....
ASMA Page 4
AUTUMN 2020
KHAN
From tiny supper clubs to featuring on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, chef Asma Khan has gone from strength to strength in the past eight years.The supper clubs turned into the Darjeeling Express restaurant, a fixture of London’s food scene. British Vogue also listed her as one of the 25 women who are making a difference in 2020. A few weeks ago, we got the chance to sit down with her and talk about all things food. Page 5
Why did you set up Darjeeling Express?
What kind of dishes do you serve?
I setup Darjeeling Express as a supper club in my home in 2012. It slowly progressed to becoming a pop up in a Soho pub. I was then given the opportunity to open a restaurant very close to the pub in Soho in 2017. I had not intended to open a restaurant because it seemed to be an unattainable dream. I was very fortunate to have had a lot of lucky breaks and this eventually led to the opening of the restaurant.
I serve a mix of food from my maternal and paternal families. The food of western U.P. where my father is from and Bengal where my mother is from. I also serve dishes from Hyderabad where I spent many years of my childhood. All the dishes are regional specialities. I also serve the street food of Calcutta where I grew up.
Why is it so important to you to showcase Mughlai cuisine?
My favourite dish changes often. Just before lockdown I was eating a lot of the Calcutta street food – especially the puchkas.
Indian Cuisine has been presented in this country by curry houses for many decades. The food that was served was an amalgamation of different regional Indian foods and even some new creations like Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti. I wanted to present my family’s food in my restaurant. This is a continuation of the food that I served at my home supper club. Mughlai cuisine is often presented in many menus inaccurately. The food I present is heritage recipes that have been handed down from generations in my family which I am very proud to share with my customers.
What is your favourite dish on the menu?
What allergy-friendly and/or vegan options do the menus have? Almost half of our menu is vegan. In our starters we have gluten free options like the Bihari Phulki and can serve the Channa Chaat gluten free if requested. Almost all our mains – meat and vegetable are all gluten free. Our Prawn Malaikari can be made dairy free on request. For those who are unable to eat wheat we have rice available. We also have dairy and nut free dessert on request. We list all the allergens very clearly on our menu. We are able to cater
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AUTUMN 2020 to almost all intolerances and allergies. As we do not use pre-made bases or sauces we are able to explain all the ingredients to our customers. We follow very strict food hygiene regulations and all our chefs have had requisite training in allergen safety.
in the current space I have to continue due to social distancing. At the current moment I am re-evaluating where we go next.
Why is it important for you to have these dishes on the menu? I think everybody should be accommodated equally at my table. Making sure that I provide options for customers with allergens or intolerances is very important to me. It also makes the dining experience for the entire group much happier if they know that the entire group has choices and is able to eat without concerns.
I always noticed how in every household in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, it was women who were cooking but the moment it was about professional cooking – you hardly saw women in the kitchen in the east and west. The irony is that women have always been the custodians of family recipes and responsible for cooking for large number of family members. I understood that they had the skills I needed even if no one had ever had an all female kitchen before – that I knew of.
What’s a dish people might be surprised to find on the menu?
What is the message you want to present to people through your food?
The street food.
I want my food to be a conversation between my culture and the person eating. The food represents me, my heritage, and my roots. I want to introduce people to a style of cooking which many would be unfamiliar with – food that is cooked behind walls in the homes of families. I do not present a professional restaurant menu.
Where do you see the restaurant going in the post-Covid landscape? I think there will be a huge number of restaurants that will close. It is not necessarily the best who will survive. Those restaurant chains that could negotiate rent deals with institutional landlords will make it. Sadly – we will see a lot of independent restaurants closing. There
has already been a huge impact in China town where many restaurants closed before the lockdown. It is much more challenging for me
What made you start working to get more women into the culinary industry?
How does Darjeeling Express celebrate Diwali
typically? Many of my staff celebrate Diwali even though
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it is not my festival. In the past when were not working in the restaurant we would gather together in a house and eat a special meal, have special sweets, and set off fireworks. Now we only do the celebratory meal. Diwali is a Hindi festival, but has its popularity now led to it becoming popular across the faiths in India? I’m not in a position to comment on what happens in India. We celebrate every festival in our restaurant as we have a very diverse mix of people. Diwali is also one of the festivals we celebrate. What advice would you give for people celebrating Diwali in lockdown? Too many festivals have been celebrated in lockdown from passover to EID and now there is a prospect that Diwali will have to be celebrated with social distancing. The many weeks of being careful and not putting older family members at risk will continue and Diwali will still be celebrated with as much joy. Maybe not with the close physical proximity with friends and relatives that is common in Diwali. What is the best food for a Diwali feast?
As many people are vegetarian on Diwali – the Gobi Musallam from my cookbook Asma’s Indian Kitchen published by Pavilion is a good recipe as it can be a centre piece dish on the table and looks very elegant. All the dairy options can be replaced with non-dairy options. Asma’s Indian Kitchen is available from bookstores now.
Did you know? - The world’s largest Biryani was created in 2008 and weighed over 14 tonnes. - In the debate over the creation of the Scotch Egg, India has said they created it, citing the Nargis Kebab (eggs wrapped in meat) as the original version. - Dishes like “Balti” and “Korahi” got their names because of the dishes they are cooked in. - The Bhut Jolokia pepper (also known as the “Ghost Chilli) is so hot, it has been successfully used by the Indian Army as a form of pepper spray.
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AUTUMN 2020
RECIPE:
Courgette Sabzi This simple Bengali dish is usually made from leftover vegetables – whatever you have to hand that are ripe and big enough to cut up. In my home we often used young turai, a local Indian vegetable that is similar to courgette, but beans and carrots both work well cooked in this way because they are relatively quick to cook. In fact, because Indians are very frugal and don’t throw anything away, I’ve often seen this dish made with the vegetable peelings. It’s a great way to use up veggies and, equally, it makes what you have got go a bit further. I’ve used courgette here, which is not a vegetable commonly found in India, but it is available in abundance in other parts of the world. I love its colour and crunchy texture. Courgette Sabzi is very simple to make; you can easily chat to your dinner guest whilst chopping the veg, there is no frying of onions or garlic here – two things that prolong the cooking of Indian food – plus it doesn’t generate much mess. With the dried chillis, nigella seeds and turmeric, it looks and tastes great. Plus it goes with almost everything: meat, fish, I even like it as a filling in Indian bread. Courgette Sabzi is also delicious cold, although less crunchy. Any leftovers are perfect for chucking into your lunch box the next day. Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as an accompaniment
INGREDIENTS: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 dried red chillis, broken in half 1⁄2 tsp nigella (black onion) seeds 400 g/14 oz courgettes (zucchini) cut into 1-cm/1⁄2-inch cubes 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric 1⁄2 tsp salt METHOD: In a deep pan or wok, heat the oil over a medium–high heat. Add the dried red chillis and nigella seeds to the pan. Immediately add the diced courgette to the pan and stir. Add the ground turmeric and salt to the pan and then cook, stirring, over a high heat for 2–3 minutes. It is important not to overcook the courgettes: they should still be crunchy and have a little ‘bite’ to them. The best way to check is to taste a piece: the courgette should be cooked all the way through, but not even close to becoming soft and woolly. Take the pan off the heat while the courgettes are still glossy and firm as they will continue to cook due to the residual heat from the pan. Before serving, taste to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.
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Allergico recommends....
Diwali Recipes Looking for inspiration for your Diwali snack selection? New to the festival and need foodie guidance? Well here we’ve got two of our personal favourite snacks to help start your festival of lights off the right way!
Dahi Puri Chaat Recipe and images courtesy of Manjula’s Kitchen
INGREDIENTS: 16 crispy puffed puries golgapa (available in Indian grocery stores) Filling: ½ cup yellow moong dal ½ cup potatoes (boiled peeled and cut into small pieces) ½ cup tomatoes (chopped in small pieces) ½ cup cucumber (chopped in small pieces) 1 tbsp green chilli (finely chopped) 1 tsp ginger (finely chopped) ½ tsp salt ½ tsp roasted cumin seed powder 1 tsp lemon juice For Garnishing: 1 cup yogurt (whipped) ¼ cup tamarind chutney 1 tbsp soy sauce ¼ cup boondi 1 tbsp green chilli (finely chopped) ¼ tsp red chilli powder
METHOD: Spread the puries on microwave safe plate and microwave for about 20 seconds, this will make the puries crispier and give the freshness. Set aside. Wash moong dal changing water 3-4 times and boil it in 2 cups of water over low medium heat until dal is very soft and tender but not mushy. After dal is at room temperature mix all the filling ingredients together, dal, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, green chilli, ginger, salt, cumin powder, lemon juice. ASSEMBLE DAHI PURI: Whip the yogurt and add the water as needed to make it consistency of thick batter. Mix tamarind sauce and soy sauce together. First make a hole with your thumb in the centre of the golgapa, fill with 1 tablespoon of filling. Drizzle with yogurt tamarind chutney, few pieces of green chilli, and few boondi, red chilli powder and drizzle some more tamarind chutney.
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AUTUMN 2020
Pea Kachori Recipe and images courtesy of BBC Food website.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING: 4cm/1½in piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 2 fresh green chillies, roughly chopped 600g/1lb 6oz frozen peas 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing 1 tsp mustard seeds 1¼ tsp ground cinnamon 1¼ tsp garam masala ½ tsp ground turmeric 1¾ tsp salt ½ tsp chilli powder FOR THE PASTRY: 300g/10½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing 175ml/6fl oz hot water METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Lightly grease a baking tray with a little oil. For the filling, blend the ginger and green chillies to a paste in a food processor, then remove from the food processor and set aside. Blend the peas in the food processor (there is no need to wash the bowl). Remove and set aside. Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry, covered with the lid, until they start to pop. Take care to keep your eyes and face away from the pan. Add the ginger-and-chilli paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the pea purée and continue
to fry, stirring well, for a further 4-5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, garam masala, turmeric, salt and chilli powder and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until there is little to no moisture left in the pan but the peas are still bright green. Transfer the pan contents to a bowl and set aside. For the pastry, put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the salt and oil to the well, then rub the mixture together using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in 120ml/4fl oz of the water and stir the mixture until it comes together as a dough. Gradually add the remaining water, kneading it into the dough until it feels firm and pliant. Roll the dough into a ball, then rub your hands with a teaspoonful of oil and pat the dough all over to cover it in the oil - this will keep it moist. Pinch apricot-sized pieces of dough and roll each piece into a 10cm/4in circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place 1 heaped teaspoonful of the filling mixture into the middle of each pastry circle and bring the edges of the pastry up tightly around the peas. Seal at the top by pinching the edges closed and trimming off any excess pastry. Roll each parcel into a ball and place onto the prepared baking tray. Gently roll the kachori balls around on the baking try to coat them in the oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown.
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Allergico features....
egan Day just around V d l r o the hW t cor i ve g a s n g n popcor th i l W l a ne g n n i w k i l t h Jo r.... ta e r e& e’ w Se . ... ph ’s
!
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AUTUMN 2020 Since arriving on the food scene a decade ago, Joe & Seph’s revolutionised the popcorn world with their innovative flavours. Last year, they released a vegan range and ahead of World Vegan Day, we’ve got the low-down on the full collection.
Olive Oil, Sea Salt & Black Pepper If savoury popcorn is your thing, this deliciously combination is perfect for you. Alongside the peppery kick, it has a delightfully earthy finish, making it the ultimate connoisseur’s popcorn. These are a perfect dinner party snack.
Olive Oil & Sea Salt If you prefer your popcorn on the milder side, but with big flavour kicks, this is the perfect choice for you. With a deliciously savoury taste on the palate, finishing with a moreish olive-oil note, they work well when consumed alongside cocktails such as Martinis.
Vegan Salted Caramel The vegan version of their fan-favourite Salted Caramel popcorn is both vegan and gluten free so suitable for a range of allergies. Much like its non-vegan counterpart, it’s got the classic salty-sweet combination that makes it the ultimate mo0rish treat.
Vegan Coconut & Cacao Decadent and exotic, the Coconut & Cacao popcorn provides a creamy chocolatey flavour mixed with bursts of coconut. It’s a deliciously different take on popcorn.
Vegan Toffee Apple & Cinnamon This is a vegan take on a classic autumnal treat which delivers all the warmth and sweetness you expect from sweet apple and an enticing cinnamon finish.
With popcorn this good, we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years have in store for Joe & Sephs! The vegan range is available online at www.joeandsephs.co.uk and various stores. Online prices vary from £1.99 to £5 depending on pack size.
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Have a go at our fiendish Autumn-themed brainteasers and let us know how you do on social media. Good luck!
Pigpen Cipher Use the key at the bottom of the page to crack our Autumnal Pigpen Cipher!
ANSWER: “DIWALI IS KNOWN AS THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS”
We hope you enjoyed this issue’s Pigpen Cipher! How did you do? Let us know or suggest one for us via our social media channels!
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Puzzles and Games
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Trivia time!
Test your knowledge in this quiz about Indian food! 1. TRUE or FALSE: The samosa did not originate in India. 2. TRUE or FALSE: Chilli peppers were only introduced to India in the late 15th century. 3. TRUE or FALSE: The Bhut Jolokia chilli pepper is the hottest in the world. 4. TRUE or FALSE: The first curry house in the UK opened over 200 years ago. 5. TRUE or FALSE: Chicken Tikka Masala is considered one of Britain’s national dishes. 6. TRUE or FALSE: There is a British Curry Museum in London. ANSWERS: 1. TRUE: It is said to have originated in the Middle East, then travelled throughout Asia with the Mughal empire. 2. TRUE: Chillis were brought to India by the Portuguese. 3. FALSE: Whilst it briefly held the crown, the Carolina Reaper chilli is the hottest. 4. TRUE: The Hindoostane Coffee House in London was opened by Sake Dean Mahomed in 1810. 5. TRUE: Despite not originating in Britain, it regularly holds the title alongside Roast beef. 6. FALSE: Sadly there is not yet a British Curry Museum.
RIDDLE: "If you use me to cook, beware of my heat, using me is no mean feat. What am I?" ANSWER: CHILLIS!!
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AUTUMN 2020
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Thank you for reading....
....see you at Christmas!
