Her Indian Kitchen

Australian celebrity chef-restaurateur Sarah Todd is an Indophile, especially the food, culture and movies (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a personal favourite). Remember her ‘aloo gobi’ recipe in the sixth season of MasterChef Australia? Well, she has come a long way. She owns two restaurants in India now—Ant­ares Restaurant & Beach Club in Goa and The Wine Rack, Mumbai. Her new cookbook is, as you may guess it correctly, My Indian Kitchen. Sarah speaks with Lachmi Deb Roy about her book that goes bey­ond the tandoori chicken truism…and her travels across India. Excerpts:

Favourite Indian food: Difficult question because I have a favourite dish from every region; laal maas and bajre ki roti from Rajasthan, xacuti from Goa, Kashmiri spinach from Kashmir, chole bhaturey from Delhi, bhel from Mumbai, Madras curry and so on.

My Indian Kitchen: Six years ago, I fell in love with the people, food, and culture of India.  I was welcomed and the country adopted me, as a fan said, as India’s daughter-in-law. The past years have been life-enhancing.  I got opportunities and experiences I could never have dreamt of, the pinnacle of which was opening Antares in Goa. It helped shape the person I am today.

While travelling across India, I marveled at the diversity of cuisines. I was welcomed into the home of a family in Assam and stayed with a tribe in Nag­aland. I participated in a cultural festival in Kashmir and cooked freshly caught crab xacuti with a family on a riverbank in Goa. These travels have influenced my cooking.

My book represents these experiences and showcases the India I know and love. In a way, it is my way of saying thank you. In everyday India, you will find just that, recipes inspired by everyday people. I have drawn inspiration from street food vendors and families who have shared their meals with me. I have used tips I gleaned from chefs of family-owned restaurants and ingredients I discovered in the most unexpected places. The opportunities presented to me by India helped me step outside my comfort zone and this chapter of my life inherently shaped my book.

Country staples, bases and condiments: This book is primarily for young adults and people unfamiliar with cooking Indian cuisine…those who have moved out of the family unit and have little or no cooking skills. Anyone can cook these recipes (in My Indian Kitchen).

Cooking Indian food: I have been cooking Indian food for ten years and I have a long way to go. I bel­ieve I will never fully master this diverse cuisine, but I will spend the rest of my life exploring.

Indian flavours, French techniques: The masters of any craft always say one thing, ‘Find your personal style’. For years I was lost between being classically trained in French cuisine and self-taught in Indian cuisine. I truly believe I have now found “my own style”. It will continue to evolve for years.

Simple and fun recipes: I want recipes to be accessible and easily created at home in a short time.  We are busy and cooking a healthy meal should not feel like a chore.

South Indian Chicken Rasam Soup: The flu-busting chicken soup is a dish we grew up with in Australia and whenever I was unwell my mother would have a pot on the stove. This is what gave birth to the concept of a spiced-up, India-inspired soup. Now I make this for my son.

Indian culture: Generous hospitality and love of family. I am extremely close to my family, which is large and extended. I believe we have that in common.

Favourite Hindi film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. This is the first I watched, and it touched me. I had goosebumps the entire way through.