In the end, I scooped out about five cups of water and cooked the dal for a while longer to cook off the excess water and trust it turned out about how it should have. Had wanted to get a copy of book after hearing Asma Khan talk about it at the Jaipur literature festival in 2020. There are Feasts For Friends for when you want to show off a little and Celebratory Feasts to feed a crowd. This is more than just a collection of delicious and accessible recipes, it is a celebration of heritage, culture, community and quality.

I saw Asma on chef's table and was inspired and uplifted by her story and I couldn't wait for this book to come out.The recipes are split between simple mid-week meals for two, family feasts for quick and easy cooking with less spice, feasts for friends for when you want to show off a little and celebratory feasts. Had to almost double the powdered spices and add more chili - even with the gravy reduced right down it tasted very bland without these additions.

Platters of dishes boasting texture and flavours encourage you to gather in the style of the traditional `dawaat' (feast). Whether fresh or dried, vegetables are major players in Asma's Indian Kitchen by London chef/restaurateur Asma Khan. That’s not the end of it though, as she also launched Calcutta Canteen in Market Halls, Fulham Broadway this year and I’m confident there are more new projects to come soon.

Regulars of her restaurant will be pleased to spot some of their favourite recipes from the menu – such as her delightful beetroot raita and a personal favourite of mine, her tomato chutney. 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. Starting with simple midweek Feasts For Two, Asma then reveals the way to quick and easy cooking with less spice for Family Feasts. I don't know if I did something wrong with this, but I followed the recipe and the lentils were not cooked in even 2 hours rather than 40 minutes.

In ihrem Fall war es das unbestimmte Gefühl des Fremdseins, der Einsamkeit im Land der ehemaligen Kolonialherren.These pages are not glossy (which is my preference in cookbooks and larger nonfiction titles), but I find that the matte paper really works with the cover, as well as the overall look, and photographic style used inside of the book. I recognise so much of the food in this book from my childhood it sadly never had the chance to learn from my mother but now I can through what Asma has shared with us. Before I talk about anything else, I just want to make it known that I am a very big fan of Indian food! Divided into chapters devoted to dinners-a-deux, family meals, cooking for friends, and celebratory feasting, the book draws both from Asma’s diverse – and noble – family heritage (Rajput, Bengali and Bihari, with close links to Hyderabad) and her time in cosmopolitan (then) Calcutta; a city of notorious epicures, where good food is universally adored and embraced irrespective of its origin.