Q. First and foremost, do you agree that chicken tikka masala is an iconic British dish?

 

Yes I do. Chicken tikka masala is truly a British dish to suit British palates. It is an amalgamation of two different cultures as well as two different cuisines, and proves that Brits like to be adventurous and bold with new flavours.

 

Q. Why do you think as a nation we love our curry so much?

 

Socio-economic reasons play a massive role of course; the fact that a big Bangladeshi community settled in Britain explains why curry first settled, and then snowballed, in this country. But our collective love of curry has persevered for many years now. Once again I think the reason for this is because British people have an adventurous palate. As a nation we are very open to suggestion, new and innovative ideas, and an open culture. Also, spices are addictive! Seriously, I think we subconsciously crave curries.

 

Q. What do you really make of so-called ‘hybrid recipes’ such as chicken tikka masala and balti? 

 

I think they are totally ok. In my opinion if you like the flavours and the taste, it doesn’t really matter from where the dish originates. For example my recipe for Baked Bean Balti in Brit Spice uses ingredients such as tinned baked beans and tomato sauce, so is nowhere near the real McCoy, but then a balti is not a real McCoy dish either. It’s a hybrid dish in the same way chicken tikka masala is, and stands as another great example of an Indian-style dish tailored to British tastes. Basically I think as long as there is creative use of flavours and spices going on and a dish tastes good - it’s great to experiment, to play around with different ingredients and generally spice things up a bit. Chicken tikka masala was created to satiate British desire for gravy-based foods, with less spice more sweetness, and more cream and tomatoes in the sauce. It’s a dish tailored to preference and there’s nothing wrong with that.

 

Q. You have created a brand-new style of “Brit-Indi” cooking; who and/or what was your inspiration?

 

When I was a kid I went to India and whilst I was there I tried new foods and new flavours which really inspired me. Back at school and living in England, my mum would make stuff like baked bean balti (yes, my mum was the brainchild of the BB Balti!) and we’d have it with chips and squash. Friends from school would always love coming to my house for tea! My mum was very adept at mixing Indian flavours and spices with British staple foods – stuff everyone would have in their cupboards. I definitely obtained (then further developed) this skill from my mum - she’s a massive inspiration to me. I learnt by watching her cook and we’re a very experimental family when it comes to cooking and food. For example, even spam can be turned into something edible with a few spices in my house! Just add a little cumin you’ll see…

 

Q. Are you a fan of chicken tikka masala?

 

We never ate chicken tikka masala when I was younger. I had it for the first time in a restaurant in England. I recall being intrigued by the fact that it clearly represents a very different approach to Indian food. Interestingly, chicken tikka masala in India is totally different. It is a lot more spicy as it contains chilli, plus the sauce is richer and more potent. So you see, chicken tikka masala has changed according to different taste yet again! I think on the whole, Indian restaurateurs have introduced chicken tikka masala on to Indian menus to satiate visiting Brits’ appetites.

 

Q. What made you decide to try and make a career out of fusing Indian and British cuisine? And what did people make of your Brit-Indi cooking at first?

 

I used to write recipes for my friends, work colleagues, for friends of friends. Then someone suggested I write a book. I also won the BBC’s Food and Drink competition in 1999 with my coriander chutney. Subsequent to which I cooked with Antony Worrall Thompson on BBC2, and was invited back a second time. Going back to the idea for a book, I decided to draw upon my own unique Brit-Indi style of food which is all about easy Indian home cooking, my mum’s influences, my own experiences past and present, and as a result I came up with plenty of recipes for my first book Brit Spice. My mum’s friends were a bit dubious about my Brit-Indi recipes at first but then once they’d actually tasted my dishes they liked them.

 

Q. What does the future hold for Brit-Indi cuisine?

 

To follow my second book India with Passion, I have a new book Easy Indian Cookbook coming out in April (2008).  It’ll be available in the UK, India, Australia and the US and it has a soundtrack to accompany it so you can sway while you stir!

A few years ago I went to India to make a series called ‘Cooking Isn’t Rocket Science’ for one of India’s leading broadcasters NDTV. Its concept is about introducing British food to India. The response was brilliant and the majority of people seemed to love it. I adopted a similar approach to my Brit-Indi cooking (Indian dishes with an British twist) but the other way round, so British dishes with an Indian twist. I made cauliflower cheese with cumin, Irish stew with dahl, crumble with mango. The dishes worked really well, and went down really well too! India is definitely open to British cuisine now - it’s very exciting.

 

Consequently, I’m hoping to set up a British restaurant in Delhi. I have lots of ideas and I’m looking forward to flying the flag for British cuisine. I want to dispel the myth that all British food is bad. Will I be putting chicken tikka masala on the menu? Of course, but I would spice it up a bit. Going down particularly well are our puddings and comfort food dishes, as well as our traditional cakes, biscuits and the idea of afternoon tea. Indian and British palates definitely seem to share a sweet tooth. The older generation are a little slower to be convinced that British food is actually very tasty and delicious – old habits die hard I suppose. But things are definitely changing, and as they say, the proof is in the pudding!

 

Q. You have been billed as the next Madhur Jaffrey, what do you make of this?

I think that’s high praise indeed. She’s brilliant. She basically introduced Indian home cooking to Britain, she made it feasible and made people want to give it a go. I look up to her for sure.

 

Q. What is your favourite Indian restaurant in England?

 

I like them all! But I really love home-style cooking so I like Chutney Mary a lot and Masala Zone is good too.

 

To find out more about Manju Malhi and for her Brit-Indi recipes go to: www.manjumalhi.co.uk