Indian cook and social-media star Maunika Gowardhan joins us for the latest instalment of The Chef’s Table.
To mark the launch of Gowardhan’s new book, Thali, the Mumbai-raised chef gives us a little taste of what to expect from her latest title, plus shares her food ethos, favourite dishes, and more.
How did you first get into cooking?
I moved the UK 20 years ago to study and missed my mother’s homecoming dearly. She used to email over recipes (with inaccurate measurements!) so I could try them and hopefully cook something warm and comforting.
What are some of your childhood food memories?
Too many to list! But a few that come to mind: eating my grandmother’s recipe for crab curry with rice with the family on Sundays. Savouring street food with friends across the streets of Bandra, Mumbai and savouring all the sizzling kebabs, tangy chaat, and freshly cooked wraps and also eating an unlimited thali until we were too full and couldn’t eat any more!
Who, what, or where most influenced your cooking?
Definitely the city I was born and raised in. Mumbai is a melting pot of communities, cultures, and it reflects deeply in the food that gets cooked each day within homes and at local eateries. I am lucky enough to have family friends from the Parsi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Bengali, and Bohri communities to name a few. I ate family meals that were reflective of these communities and, of course, at home I had my mother cooking Maharashtrian fare which was a prevalent part of my heritage.
The food that makes you happiest and why?
Home-cooking food for sure. Even a simple thali of curry, chapattis, pickle, and dal is one that brimming with joy, comfort, and feels good. A hot meal has magical powers!
Favourite cooking gadget?
My spice grinder. I have been through quite a few though!
Favourite cookbook(s)?
I didn’t grow up knowing of cookbooks and the only one that my mother referred to was one that was written in Marathi by Kamlabai Olge. I still have her first-edition copy from the 1950s and use it while translating it in English. I do love all of Nigel Slater’s cookbooks and it the first book I read when I moved to Britain.
Tell us about your new book, Thali…
Thali celebrates regional Indian cooking. Eating on thalis is part of every culture across the sub-continent but they vary based on regions; what’s locally grown, cooking techniques, spices used, and even the climate. All of these define how locals make the most of ingredients at hand.
Thali, my cookbook, also put a lens on what each platter includes – from diverse curries, fresh chutneys, breads, stir fries, and snacks. It’s a way to sample the very best of Indian cuisine on one platter. But more than anything, I want readers to know how accessible the recipes are and that creating your own thali does not have to always be elaborate, but most definitely be delicious. I always tell readers to use my recipes as a guide rather than the gospel.
What’s the one ingredient you can’t live without?
Cardamom. It’s in everything – curries, Diwali sweets, cha…
Where are the best places to shop for Indian produce in London?
Taj Stores in Brick Lane is great. Everything you need under one roof.
Do you have a favourite regional Indian cuisine?
That’s a tricky one, but if I had to choose, I’d say Goan. But not Goan cooking as it’s known but more the regional Goa fare which includes dishes from Hindu Goan and Muslim Goan communities. Dishes like Fofos and Apa de Camarao that are seldom heard off in the west!
How does travel influence your cooking?
I have been travelling the length and breadth of India for nearly two decades and if there is anything that keeps me going is visiting family homes, eating, and sharing home-cooked food. Listening to their stories and knowing that these stories need to be told; recipes need to be shared and celebrated. It comes with a sense of responsibility that you are ultimately their voice to get the word out for their local cuisine.
Where are your favourite places to dine in London?
Bombay Bustle, Gunpowder, Tayyabs, Brigadiers, and Darjeeling Express.
What do you always avoid ordering on a menu?
Salad! Feels like an afterthought with so much yummy food to try.
Why do you think it’s important to gather round the table to eat?
We lead very busy lives and have many triumphs and challenges that we experience. Especially over the last year. The one thing that unites us is the food we cook and eat. Despite everything going on in our life, individually, coming together, even just for one meal, means sharing in good food, [as well as] experiences, advice, memories, and laughs. It’s the simple things that have the greatest impact and I believe that in uncertain times it’s the one thing that you can count on as a constant.
What is your go-to meal at home when you’re low on time?
My Gujarati butter bean curry or Maharashtrian spicy garlicky potatoes in my cookbook Thali. Both speedy, perfect for midweek and so good!
Do you find cooking therapeutic?
Yes, I do surprisingly, even though it’s a job. I take time away on Sundays to cook for myself and the family. There are no interruptions, no deadlines and nothing is rushed. There’s an ease about cooking on Sundays for me when I’m home.
Advice for women thinking about starting up a business in the food or restaurant industry?
Do it! I get so many women asking how I got into food. The thing that has kept me going was always reminding myself why I got into this profession to begin with. As long as you keep that in your mind and you’re doing it for the right reasons it will steer you through even the most trying times. For me, it was always getting the flavour of home cooking to readers and writing regionals recipes that I know are such an imperative part of my culture.
Also keep reading, keep learning, travelling, exploring, and cooking. [Keep] a curiosity for food and life forever.
Feature image: Thali: A Joyful Celebration of Indian Home Cooking by Maunika Gowardhan (Hardie Grant, £22) Photography ©Sam A. Harris
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