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 he Guardian has described Manju Malhi as the next Madhur Jaffrey. Her cooking is fresh, exciting and fun, combining traditional Indian food with a contemporary British twist. In Brit Spice you can find out how to rustle up Manju's favourite Indian meals using ingredients such as bread, bacon and baked beans! Make her infamous coriander chutney, as seen on BBC2, and learn how to quickly prepare concoctions of mixed spices. Manju also gives timings at the start of each recipe to show that an Indian meal can be made at home in literally fifteen minutes. Quicker than a trip to the local takeaway!
In our exclusive interview Manju talks to penguin.co.uk about Brit-Indi cooking, her favourite recipes and how it feels to be compared to Delia …
You started off in cooking in a rather unusual way by beating hundreds of
other contestants to secure a guest cookery slot on BBC2's Food and Drink.
How did that come about?
Food and Drink asked viewers to send in a VHS of under 5 minutes demonstrating a recipe in an interesting way. It was a challenge I couldn't resist. But I had a problem. I didn't have a kitchen. What was I to do? So, I thought how about the back garden. I couldn't drag the cooker outside so I decided to prepare a simple Indian chutney using fresh green coriander. On a windy and cold January morning with all my ingredients flying about the place, I asked my friend Jane to film me on a cheap camcorder, which had problems focusing. I had no way of editing the tape so I had to record it all in one take with no breaks.
Eventually after the fifth take I posted it off to Food and Drink and forgot about it. A few months later I got a call saying I'd won. I couldn't believe it. I never thought I'd win but they liked it. After all the setbacks, there I was cooking with Antony Worrall Thompson. A great experience!
You've presented your own television show for Taste called Simply Indian.
Is that where you developed the inspiration for Brit Spice?
As a teenager I'd always thought of creating simple Indian recipes and I developed a database from which I offered easy cooking suggestions to friends. The show on Taste was an invaluable platform where I was given the opportunity to demonstrate some of my ideas for Brit Spice.
Brit Spice is described as being a brand new style of Brit-Indi cooking - what does it involve?
Brit Spice is all about trying out a few simple ideas with a few spices and adding that little bit of extra flavour to your food. It's what I was brought up with. It's a celebration of two cultures. Its British Indian cooking as we know it, or Brit-Indi food.
Were you brought up eating 'traditional' Indian food, or a combination of British and Indian meals?
My Mum and Dad were always open to various ideas. They loved trying out different foods and experimenting. Hence Baked Beans Balti and Spam Masala. However I was also familiar with traditional Indian cooking - chicken curries and spicy vegetable delights.
Bread, bacon and baked beans are just some of the ingredients in your
recipes. This sounds more like the beginnings of a fry-up than a curry - how
do you come up with such creative combinations?
A lot of my recipes come about out of necessity and lifestyle. I also experiment with English and Indian foods to give them a slightly different edge. The two styles of cooking are now part of our British culture. It's almost become second nature to have spices in our food. I reckon we're the most adventurous in Europe when it comes to trying out different cuisines. We're not afraid to be daring.
Bread easily absorbs all kinds of flavours and when you combine it with a few spices like turmeric and mustard seeds to make a Spicy Bread Snack, it tastes divine. My mother used to prepare a simple dish of onions seasoned with a dash of cumin and coriander, which is where I picked up the idea for my Baked Beans Balti. Although I'm a fan of fry-ups, the recipes in Brit Spice use very little oil. Bacon is one of my favourite ingredients in English cooking so I thought why not use it in an Indian recipe and it has worked. Bacon Rice is particularly yummy.
Have you ever had any taste disasters when combining Brit/Indi
ingredients?
I tried something with fish fingers and cumin once and it was awful! It embarrasses me even to think about it. This story is just between you and me.
It seems so much easier to pick up the phone and order a takeaway than
cook a curry from scratch. Is it possible to make an Indian meal at home in
the time it would take for a takeaway to arrive?
If its not a lamb or red meat dish, you're organised enough and you have all the right ingredients and utensils in front of you, I reckon you could rustle up an Indian meal of rice, one vegetable dish and a chicken curry within 40 minutes. And there'd be enough time to make a quick salad and microwave your poppadums.
Are the ingredients in Brit Spice easily available in supermarkets?
I've tried to ensure that all the ingredients in Brit Spice are widely available. I frequently shop in supermarkets and whatever I find is what I cook with. However I used one or two exotic spices in a handful of recipes which can be ordered from anywhere in the UK. I've included the telephone numbers and websites of these spice sellers.
What is your favourite recipe or combination of recipes from the book?
I love Baked Beans Balti, my Fresh Green Coriander Chutney and practically all my rice dishes because they're so easy to make.
How do you feel about being compared to Delia Smith and Madhur Jaffrey
by the critics?
I find it an honour and extremely flattering to even be mentioned in the same breath as Delia and Madhur. It's a lot to live up to but they're unique. I grew up watching them on telly and they've been great role models to me when my ambitions were only a dream.
What are you working on next?
Right now I'm concentrating on Brit Spice and flying the flag for easy Indian food. I have developed many more recipes and food ideas from my experience of working on the book and hope to use them on TV. |
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Tuck into these exclusive recipes
Whether you're looking to whip up a quick meal or planning something a bit exciting to entertain friends, Brit Spice has all the Indian flavor you'll ever need. Manju Malhi has created simple, quick and yet fantastic Brit-Indi recipes which will become firm favorites with any household. We've got three quick recipes from Brit Spice for you to try out … |
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Ten Minute Chicken Curry and Spicy Salad
This quick and easy Ten-Minute Chicken Curry and Spicy Salad is perfect as a starter or a main course …
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Baked Beans Balti
Great as a snack or a filling main meal …
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Bread and Butter Pudding with Papaya and Saffron
This fusion of traditional English dessert with a twist is the perfect
summer pudding …
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