50 Great Curries of India

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A feast for the senses, this mini format of 50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi is the world’s best-selling curry book. It explains how to add taste, aroma and colour to create that perfect curry. Dishes are collected from all over India – from the classic Goa Lamb Vindaloo to the more exotic Gujarat Mango and Yogurt Curry and all are accompanied by tantalising photography to inspire and excite. Other features of the book include: The philosophy of Indian food, What exactly is a curry? Using spices, herbs and chillies, and Planning an Indian meal and suggested menus. This revised edition comes with more recipes than ever and full colour photography throughout. The chefs asked me to give them recipes to cook the regional food I was demanding, so I went and researched classical food from the best families,” says Camellia, even as we spoon up a rarein-restaurants tahiri, the recipe of which apparently came from Sheila Dhar, writer, singer, gourmand, Madhur Jaffrey’s cousin and wife of PN Dhar, advisor to Indira Gandhi. From the royal families of Rajasthan and Hyderabad to Delhi society, all were quizzed for recipes.

Habib Rehman, former ITC Hotels supremo, who calls Camellia a buddy, identifies "her versatility in the knowledge of markets and products and passion, crowned by a very affable personality," as keys to her success. The last is in evidence as Camellia spots a child sitting at a table without any food. "Go give him something," she tells the staff. Future customers must be pampered. The Sharma family don’t just bring authentic Indian street food to the city but do so much in the community too, including their all-female chef team training many better cooks than us,” the Prince and Princess of Wales said in a statement to mark their visit to the Indian Streatery in the city in the West Midlands region of England, run by husband-wife duo Meena and Rakesh Sharma. But the thing that really set the Chutney Mary kitchen apart from other Indian restaurants was its recruitment policy and the way the kitchen was structured. Camellia and Namita went to great lengths to secure chefs with exactly the right regional cooking experience to cook the dishes on their section. If using fresh prawns, wash and remove the veins. ( ¿Qué? It’s not a vein, it’s the intestinal tract.) 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.This exchange was also at the centre of another key royal tour in the lead-up to the Coronation, when Charles’ son and heir, Prince William and wife, Kate Middleton, tried their hand at making naan at a popular Indian street food restaurant in Birmingham earlier this week. Although both are delicious, I think that without frying the masala you lose some of its aromatic qualities – after all, to take just one of the ingredients, garlic is far more flavourful fried than poached. I do love the tadka in Menezes' dish though: curry leaves, ginger and mustard seeds, fried in hot oil until sizzling and aromatic, then stirred into the finished dish: it really lifts the flavours. The more spice the better, as far as I'm concerned. Other ingredients In 1982 she set up the Bombay Brasserie in London, serving straightforward Indian dishes, such as aloo tuk (potatoes with yogurt and tamarind), and paneer goli kebabs (cottage cheese and potato balls with pomegranate and fig chutney). In 1992 the restaurant served its millionth customer. Heat the oil in a shallow pan. When smoking hot, add the pinch of mustard seeds and when they pop, add the curry leaves and stir. They will release their fragrance into the oil. After a minute or so, add the red chilis and stir. After a few seconds (and before red chilis turn very dark) add the pineapple. Stir for 10 minutes. During this period Chutney Mary chalked up many firsts. It was the first Indian restaurant in London to serve foie gras and game and fresh seafood and the first to have a serious wine list. The food became even more refined and the prices went up commensurately.

But how did she develop such an obsession with food? "My mother loves food, but it was my grandmother who really taught me to cook. The whole family would talk of food and ingredients - what we were eating that day - constantly."Once there are 10 Masala Zones in London, the group plans to expand outside the capital, starting in the South-east. Mathrani is also examining ways to develop the brand through other outlets such as pubs and takeaways and is piloting a home delivery service at the Earl's Court branch.

Camellia is legendary for both her intuitive understanding of her customers as well as brave decisions to go with new ideas in the face of opposition. She was the first to introduce street food in restaurants and persuaded chefs to cook regional dishes at Tanjore that opened at the Bombay Taj in 1973. “It was the first restaurant to serve pan-Indian food. Most restaurants were doing only Punjabi till then,” recalls chef Hemant Oberoi, who began his career at that time. “While there were disagreements between her and us, as chefs, we respected her insight and research,” he says. Pak court acquits Nawaz Sharif in Avenfield case, NAB withdraws appeal against his acquittal in Flagship caseThe trio were born in India, where Camellia launched 40 restaurants over a 30-year period as marketing director of Taj Hotels, including the Bombay Brasserie and the Ile de Kashmir in Paris.

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. Mathrani believes his sister-in-law’s version of events is an oversimplification, and that he and Abraham - who would go on to found highly successful national French restaurant chain Chez Gérard - had discussed the possibility of going into the restaurant business long before his and Namita’s nuptials. Her sister and brother-in-law had similarly high-flying careers. Namita worked as a fashion buyer for major department stores including Harrods and Saks Fifth Avenue. The role saw her travel the length and breadth of India, allowing her to further her knowledge of regional Indian cuisine. Chhagan Bhujbal should resign, CM should take a stand on him, says fellow Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil

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The name Chutney Mary referred to the kind of Indian woman of the British era who enjoyed the Anglo culture and was very modern and playful. To the Panjabi sisters, this epitomised Chutney Mary’s approach; something very different to other Indian restaurants in London at the time. ‘We were considered quite racy and radical,’ laughs Namita. I first tasted pineapple curry atVeeraswamy, on Regent Street,London’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant. Camellia’s family owns Veeraswamy, and while this recipe differs from the restaurant’s, Camellia says there are similarities. Fruit curries are popular in Assam and along the westcoast of India. Camellia says she got this version from a Brahmin chef at the Taj hotel in Mangalore. While neither of the Panjabi sisters have ever cooked in a professional kitchen, both understand precisely how specific dishes should taste. On top of that, Camellia has a detailed understanding of Indian technique: her debut cookbook 50 Great Curries of India has sold in excess of one million copies. Camellia opened the Bombay Brasserie in London, in 1982, introducing regional Indian cooking to the UK for the first time, and changing the way Indian cuisine is perceived in Britain.