Asma's Indian KitchenHome-Cooked Food Brought to You by Darjeeling Express
Feed your soul with Asma Khan’s collection of Authentic Indian Recipes.
Award-winning restaurant Darjeeling Express began life as a dinner party with friends; Indian food lovingly cooked from family recipes that go back generations. In this book, Asma reveals the secret to her success, telling her immigrant’s story and how food brought her home. The recipes pay homage to her royal Mughlai ancestry and follow the route of the Darjeeling Express train from the busy streets of Bengal, through Calcutta, where she grew up, and along the foothills of the Himalayas to Hyderabad.
Platters of dishes boasting texture and intense flavor encourage you to gather for a traditional dawaat (feast). Starting with simple midweek Feasts for Two, Asma then reveals the way to quick and easy cooking with less spice for Family Feasts. There are Feasts for Friends, for when you want to show off a little, and Celebratory Feasts. Many of the recipes are vegetarian, there are sweet treats and drinks, too, and all feature alongside lesser-known recipes and stories unique to Asma’s family.
This is more than just a collection of delicious and accessible recipes, it is a celebration of heritage, culture, community and quality. This is Asma’s Indian Kitchen.
Asma Khan is chef and restaurateur of London’s acclaimed Darjeeling Express, which began as a supper club, then a pop-up, before settling in its permanent location to wide acclaim. Asma’s food is homage to her royal Mughlai ancestry and the busy streets of Calcutta, where she grew up. An all-women team of housewives runs the kitchen at Darjeeling Express, which has been featured in Time Out, Harper’s Bazaar, The Guardian, and numerous others. In 2015, it was named as one of the best restaurants in London by the Evening Standard. In 2017, Eater named it as one of its most impressive restaurant newcomers.
Asma stars in Netflix’s award-winning series Chef’s Table.
“Khan, owner of London’s acclaimed Darjeeling Express restaurant and a subject of Netflix’s Chef’s Table documentary series, shares a delightful collection of personal recipes sure to entice lovers of Indian food. Khan divides her alluring recipes into feasts for two, family feasts, eating with friends, and celebratory feasts. Readers will discover a range of vibrant dishes suitable for busy weeknights or special occasions. Chingri bhaaja (shrimp sautéed with butter and chilis) and saag paneer (spinach with Indian cheese)—both for two people—reflect the savory diversity of the cuisine. A luscious cheese korma (in family-sized portions) and a hearty spiced red lentil dish called khichree (perfect for entertaining) will tempt those unfamiliar with the complex flavors of Indian cooking. For those intimidated by the spiciness of the cuisine—like the author’s son—Khan provides flavorful recipes for dum gosht (roast beef cooked with mild Indian spices) and boors chenni ki kheer (rice pudding with brown sugar). Cooks looking to make authentic Indian meals at home will not be disappointed. Khan cooks from the heart, and her appetizing dishes and expert guidance are not to be missed.” —Publishers Weekly
“Brought up in the stifling summer heat of Calcutta, Khan recalls the childhood joy and relief of boarding the Darjeeling Express. The railroad carried her up into the Himalayas’ cooling breezes. So when she opened her London restaurant, the first name that came to mind was that of this glorious train. Since then, Darjeeling Express has become Londoners’ Soho go-to for great cooking from her team of female chefs. Khan’s cuisine reflects that of the Mughal Empire, which used a subtler range of spices than common in later Indian cooking. Khan shares her own formula for spicing foods, and she explains how to make superior garam masala. She also instructs in the judicious preparation of chili peppers to please both the timid palate and the fire-eater. Another shared secret involves properly frying onions. Alongside brilliant color photographs, Khan uses clear directions and measurements; and, thanks to online resources, feasting like a royal Mughal can happen anywhere.” —Booklist
“Following the rout of the Darjeeling Express, Asma Khan’s highly anticipated debut cookbook takes us on a journey to preserve the historical tradition of Mughlai food.” —Independent
‘A celebration of heritage and culture that makes a feast out of every meal.’ – Woman & Home magazine
‘Asma is a force of nature: bold, funny, talented, philanthropic and unstoppable.’ – Evening Standard
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