Storming into the male-dominated culinary industry in full swing, Chef Asma Khan is all about breaking barriers. As a owner of Darjeeling Express in London’s Covent Garden, the Indian-born British chef elevates home-cooked meals to gourmet levels; with Netflix’s Chef’s Table, the cookbook author spoke about shattering conventions; and as the judge of the ongoing Plate of Love culinary contest spearheaded by Culinary Culture, the unstoppable force calls for a social change in the food industry. By Bayar Jain
T+L India: Tell us a little bit about Plate of Love and how it came into being?
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Chef Asma Khan: Plate of Love stemmed from the concept of how love for food can unite a whole nation together and how a contest like this on a national platform will empower home chefs and food enthusiasts to fuel their culinary dreams. Talented home chefs are often hidden away in the remote corners of the subcontinent and their incredible cooking prowess gets restricted to just their home kitchens. Plate of Love will elevate everyone to an equal platform and will give them a chance to showcase their stories on a plate. I am thrilled to be associated with this philanthropic initiative, and more so as I had started my journey as a chef with secret suppers at home, back in London.
T+L India: A dish that is sure to feature in your ‘plate of love’ and why?
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Chef Asma Khan: That dish has to be my family’s legendary Dawaati Biryani. This is cooked in a big pot or degh, and once served, the family gathers around the table to partake in this feast. This particular dish finds a place on my restaurant menus, supper clubs and culinary pop-ups. Whether I am at the restaurant or cooking from the kitchen of my own home, my goal has been consistent—that my guests go home happy and satisfied.
T+L India: When did you realise cooking is your calling?
Chef Asma Khan: In my early cooking days, when I returned from India after having learnt to cook, I could see people’s reaction when they ate. I felt the food took them home, especially for students who had to wait many months before they could go home. I knew I had the ability to nourish and heal, and that this was my calling.
T+L India: You’re known for breaking into a largely male-dominated industry. What are some challenges you had to overcome during the journey?
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Chef Asma Khan: My food journey is very unconventional. I began from my home cooking with women, and did not have to work with anyone else—male or female—outside of my own team. I still feel that I am on the fringes of hospitality in the UK as I do not have the network that most chefs have as they have worked together, and [because] most of those chefs are male.
T+L India: As an Indian chef based out of London, how have you adapted your cooking to cater to global palates?
Chef Asma Khan: I have not! I wanted to celebrate the food of my heritage and my family, and I didn’t think I needed to change things.
T+L India: What, according to you, is the future of dining?
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Chef Asma Khan: I hope after the difficult year we have all had around the world, fine dining becomes less pretentious; that chefs who have struggled to recruit staff after the pandemic in countries like the UK are more compassionate to their teams. I also hope that, with the readjustments that are happening because many businesses have closed down, the spaces open up for new cuisines and new chefs who may not necessarily have had the network of the past.
T+L India: What are some of your fondest food memories of India?
Chef Asma Khan: Eating pakoras during the monsoons in Kolkata, and [savouring] the Langra mango ice cream that was made in my house using an old wooden had churner.
T+L India: Some of the tastiest and the weirdest ingredients/dishes you’ve tasted?
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Chef Asma Khan: It took me a long time to like sashimi as the idea of eating raw fish was too alien for me. It is still not my favourite thing to eat!
T+L India: How do you ensure sustainability at your restaurants?
Chef Asma Khan: We try to fly down minimal ingredients from India and Africa. Our menu changes seasonally to promote what is in season in Britain. As much as possible, I try to reduce the carbon footprint on my menu by getting all the core vegetables from farms just outside London. We do not throw away leftover food from our customer’s tables and encourage all of our customers to take any leftovers home. All of our disposable packaging material is sustainable and biodegradable as well.
T+L India: Any tips for budding chefs, especially women?
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Chef Asma Khan: The most important thing for anyone wanting to become a chef is to believe in themselves. It is important to follow your own instincts and not to be swayed by what is trendy or fashionable. It is also very helpful to have allies and build a network of supportive people around you who do not try to drag you down. It is much harder when you are a woman as there are very few women around who are also chefs. We are very lucky in the Indian food industry to have stalwarts like Vineet Bhatia, Vivek Singh, Cyrus Todiwala who have always been very helpful in supporting me and I know that, for future female chefs, they will always find established and well-regarded male chefs to give advice.
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