Asma Khan Interview

Allergico talks to....

ASMA KHAN

From tiny supper clubs to featuring on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, chef Asma Khan has gone from strength to strength in the past eight years.The supper clubs turned into the Darjeeling Express restaurant, a fixture of London’s food scene. British Vogue also listed her as one of the 25 women who are making a difference in 2020. A few weeks ago, we got the chance to sit down with her and talk about all things food.

Why did you set up Darjeeling Express?

I setup Darjeeling Express as a supper club in my home in 2012. It slowly progressed to becoming a pop up in a Soho pub. I was then given the opportunity to open a restaurant very close to the pub in Soho in 2017. I had not intended to open a restaurant because it seemed to be an unattainable dream. I was very fortunate to have had a lot of lucky breaks and this eventually led to the opening of the restaurant.

Why is it so important to you to showcase Mughlai cuisine?

Indian Cuisine has been presented in this country by curry houses for many decades. The food that was served was an amalgamation of different regional Indian foods and even some new creations like Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti. I wanted to present my family’s food in my restaurant. This is a continuation of the food that I served at my home supper club. Mughlai cuisine is often presented in many menus inaccurately. The food I present is heritage recipes that have been handed down from generations in my family which I am very proud to share with my customers.

What kind of dishes do you serve?

I serve a mix of food from my maternal and paternal families. The food of western U.P. where my father is from and Bengal where my mother is from. I also serve dishes from Hyderabad where I spent many years of my childhood. All the dishes are regional specialities. I also serve the street food of Calcutta where I grew up.

What is your favourite dish on the menu?

My favourite dish changes often. Just before lockdown I was eating a lot of the Calcutta street food – especially the puchkas.

What allergy-friendly and/or vegan options do the menus have?

Almost half of our menu is vegan. In our starters, we have gluten-free options like the Bihari Phulki and can serve the Channa Chaat gluten-free if requested. Almost all our mains – meat and vegetable are all gluten-free. Our Prawn Malaikari can be made dairy-free on request. For those who are unable to eat wheat, we have rice available. We also have dairy and nut-free dessert on request. We list all the allergens very clearly on our menu. We are able to cater to almost all intolerances and allergies. As we do not use pre-made bases or sauces we are able to explain all the ingredients to our customers. We follow very strict food hygiene regulations and all our chefs have had requisite training in allergen safety.

Why is it important for you to have these dishes on the menu?

I think everybody should be accommodated equally at my table. Making sure that I provide options for customers with allergens or intolerances is very important to me. It also makes the dining experience for the entire group much happier if they know that the entire group has choices and is able to eat without concerns.

What’s a dish people might be surprised to find on the menu?

The street food.

Where do you see the restaurant going in the post-Covid landscape?

I think there will be a huge number of restaurants that will close. It is not necessarily the best who will survive. Those restaurant chains that could negotiate rent deals with institutional landlords will make it. Sadly – we will see a lot of independent restaurants closing. At the current moment, I am re-evaluating where we go next.

What made you start working to get more women into the culinary industry?

I always noticed how in every household in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, it was women who were cooking but the moment it was about professional cooking – you hardly saw women in the kitchen in the east and west. The irony is that women have always been the custodians of family recipes and responsible for cooking for large number of family members. I understood that they had the skills I needed even if no one had ever had an all female kitchen before – that I knew of.

What is the message you want to present to people through your food?

I want my food to be a conversation between my culture and the person eating. The food represents me, my heritage, and my roots. I want to introduce people to a style of cooking which many would be unfamiliar with – food that is cooked behind walls in the homes of families. I do not present a professional restaurant menu.

How does Darjeeling Express celebrate Diwali?

it is not my festival. In the past when were not working in the restaurant we would gather together in a house and eat a special meal, have special sweets, and set off fireworks. Now we only do the celebratory meal.

Diwali is a Hindi festival, but has its popularity now led to it becoming popular across the faiths in India?

I’m not in a position to comment on what happens in India. We celebrate every festival in our restaurant as we have a very diverse mix of people. Diwali is also one of the festivals we celebrate.

What advice would you give for people celebrating Diwali in lockdown?

Too many festivals have been celebrated in lockdown from passover to EID and now there is a prospect that Diwali will have to be celebrated with social distancing. The many weeks of being careful and not putting older family members at risk will continue and Diwali will still be celebrated with as much joy. Maybe not with the close physical proximity with friends and relatives that is common in Diwali.

What is the best food for a Diwali feast?

As many people are vegetarian on Diwali – the Gobi Musallam from my cookbook Asma’s Indian Kitchen published by Pavilion is a good recipe as it can be a centre piece dish on the table and looks very elegant. All the dairy options can be replaced with non-dairy options.

Asma’s Indian Kitchen is available from bookstores now.

Did you know?

- The world’s largest Biryani was created in 2008 and weighed over 14 tonnes.

- In the debate over the creation of the Scotch Egg, India has said they created it, citing the Nargis Kebab (eggs wrapped in meat) as the original version.

- Dishes like “Balti” and “Korahi” got their names because of the dishes they are cooked in.

- The Bhut Jolokia pepper (also known as the “Ghost Chilli) is so hot, it has been successfully used by the Indian Army as a form of pepper spray.

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