It’s no secret that Asma Khan shares a strong bond with Bengali cuisine and her third cookbook will exlore the various elements of seasonal cooking in Indian cuisine, specifically Bengali cookery. The chef recently posted a video which was shot in kolkata, and highlighted some of the most iconic spots in the city and she talked about what makes her new cookbook so special.
“It fills my heart with pride to announce the release of my third cookbook Monsoon, in my hometown of Calcutta!” she wrote.
“This book is a celebration of the diverse flavours that shape Indian cuisine and a journey through the fundamental skills that make your dishes come alive. I’ve always believed that food tells a story, and with Monsoon, I hope to guide you through the changing seasons and the beautiful harmonies they create on the plate.”
Asma was and raised in Kolkata and attended the La Martiniere for Girls school and Loreto College. She abandoned a career in British constitutional law to pursue her culinary aspirations. She opened her restaurant Darjeeling Express in Soho London, in 2017 which celebrated Bengali-style home cooking as well as her family's Mughal roots. The restaurant started as a supper club in her home, but its authentic Indian flavors and warm hospitality quickly gained popularity, allowing her to transition to a full-fledged restaurant.
She gained international fame after appearing on the Netflix series "Chef's Table," becoming the first British chef to be featured on the show. Her new book Monsoon is set to be released soon and can be pre-ordered from the chef’s site. The book is structured around the six core ayurvedic tastes, namely, Tangy, Bitter, Hot, Sweet, Sour, and Salty and talks about how they correlate to the six seasons in Bengal. It is set to have 80 flavourful recipes, such as Chicken Cooked in Pickling Spices, Slow-cooked Lamb with Vinegar, Pumpkin Dal, and Rice Pulao with Oranges etc.
With core techniques including roasting, grinding and tempering spices, how to cook with ghee, chillies, and onions, and when to re-balance flavours in a dish, the book can help home cooks with the basics of a homecooked meal.. Including 80 flavourful recipes for Chicken Cooked in Pickling Spices and Slow-cooked Lamb with Vinegar, to the more veg-forward Pumpkin Dal, and Rice Pulao with Oranges, this book seeks to honour traditional cooking techniques and ayurvedic principles and ground them in the modern kitchen.
In her year-ender note last year, Asma shared that she plans to introduce more Calcutta dishes to her menu at Darjeeling Express and also teased the return of kathi roll on the line-up. “In the new year I will be introducing more Calcutta dishes and maybe we will see the return of the Kati Roll! Wishing all of you love and hope 2024 is the year which ends injustice, deprecation and hunger for all those suffering in conflict zones. That we find amongst us leaders who have integrity and humanity to bring peace to broken communities. Happy new year!” said Asma.
Last year the chef had also shared her happiness as Kolkata was named one of the 11 best culinary destinations in the globe. Asma, who’s also an author spent her early years in Kolkata and attended the La Martiniere for Girls school and Loreto College. She abandoned a career in British constitutional law to pursue her culinary aspirations. She opened her restaurant Darjeeling Express in Soho London, in 2017 which celebrated Bengali-style home cooking as well as her family's Mughal roots.