LONDON: Impressed with the cooking of
his Indian mother-in-law, a Briton has published a cookery book that includes
wide range of traditional Gujarati dishes.
A self-taught home cook,
Simon Daley has used several of his Indian mother-in-law’s recipes in his
book
Cooking With My Indian
Mother-In-Law.
The book includes traditional dishes inspired
by his in-laws' Gujarati roots, influences from Islam and Africa and modern
adaptations so that the dishes are suitable for today's British cooks.
Daley is lyrical about his first meeting with Roshan Hirani, 63,
when he was taken to her house by her daughter, Salima, 38, who is now
Daley’s wife.
"I'll never forget my first visit. She welcomed
me into her home in the way she knew best --- by offering good food. The moment
I tasted her divine chicken curry, I was in awe," said Daley.
"Like
any Brit, I knew and loved Indian food, but the food I tasted on that day was
something beyond what I had come to expect."
"The flavours were
cleaner, brighter, and yet despite its depth and savour, the food was somehow
lighter than I had experienced before."
Over the years, he and
Hirani, 63, spent long hours in the kitchen as Daley faithfully recorded the
exact ingredients and methods.
The book features more than 100
recipes from classic dishes such as
tandoori
chicken, chicken
biriani
and
samosas
to unusual regional
specialities such as stuffed chillies and savoury vegetable cake.