the spice of life, E
ach month I am delighted to share some of the recipes from my menu. However, this time I thought you may be interested to hear a little bit about the origins of the food that we serve and the essential ingredients, which does not just mean meat, fish and vegetables, although it’s a good place to start. I personally visit the markets that supply my ingredients every week – it’s my way of ensuring the quality, which is the starting point. But as important is the passion to create excellent food. In a small town called Sylhet, in Bangledesh, I have responsibility for a restaurant that has been in my family for over 150 years. It is very different from Maliks in the UK, but it is part of my origins-of -taste story. Almost every day we have a different chef in Sylhet, each with their own ingredients, their own style and their own
My thanks to Ulrika and Peter for joining me at the British Curry Awards, which we were delighted to win in 2005, 2006 and 2008
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passion,which is the ingredient that is as important as the meat, fish and vegetables. In each of my UK restaurants I have four chefs – the Head Chef, the Tandoori Chef, the Side Order Chef and the Starter Chef. They all have one thing in common: passion and pleasure in cooking. Without that they would not be with me. So if you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it. But if you do, some tips for you when experimenting with Indian cuisine. If you are cooking fish, not so much spice. Maybe a little tamarind, chilli, salt and sugar. If it’s chicken or lamb, then it’s time to experiment with heavier spices - ginger, garlic, cumin, bayleaf, chilli, coriander powder, star spice, tamarind powder and fenugreek. Enjoy your cooking. Enjoy your food. And respect the origins of taste.
Art and magic – they have a lot in common with good cooking and these friends of mine share the other important ingredient – passion