50 Great Curries of India

Product Information

Habib Rehman, former ITC Hotels supremo, who calls Camellia a buddy, identifies "her versatility in the knowledge of markets and products and passion, crowned by a very affable personality," as keys to her success. The last is in evidence as Camellia spots a child sitting at a table without any food. "Go give him something," she tells the staff. Future customers must be pampered. Thanks for the comment and compliments. To be honest, I’m not sure that Camellia Panjabi’s recipes are like what you might get in a British Indian restaurant, although the pathia was tasty. She tends to go in for more ‘authentic’ Indian cooking. But, I’ve just bought ‘The Curry Secret’ book, so look out for another version soon! It was the first restaurant in London, and quite possibly the world, to make the argument that - just like Western cuisine - Indian food could be elevated and served in a manner that was both upmarket and creative​​. If Camellia is a grand dame of Indian fine dining, she is remarkably unstuffy, saying it is fine to use some bottled ingredients (e.g. ginger and garlic) if you are in a hurry. She didn’t even raise an eyebrow when I confessed to the pork. “Sounds almost Hawaiian,” she said. “But that is creative. It is something they might do in Assam. They cook a lot of pork.”

She had far more influence over the culinary direction of each property than that title suggests, working with chefs to create new restaurants as the Taj Group converted some of the palaces she ate in as a child to upscale hotels. During this period Chutney Mary chalked up many firsts. It was the first Indian restaurant in London to serve foie gras and game and fresh seafood and the first to have a serious wine list. The food became even more refined and the prices went up commensurately. Chutney Mary’s original look was based on the India of the 1920s and 1930s. There were murals depicting the British in India and even the titular Chutney Mary herself dining with British officers. Staff were garbed in uniforms that continued the colonial theme. We have raised the ambitions of other Indian chefs and restaurateurs,” says Mathrani. “Some have imitated us; others have created restaurants that contrast with our own. But all of them have spent a lot of time at our places, and Chutney Mary especially. That's fine. We take it as a compliment.” Chutney Mary’s success is down to hard work, consistency of ownership and Mathrani’s impressive business acumen but perhaps most importantly the Punjabi sister’s encyclopaedic knowledge of Indian food.Camellia was still working at Taj Group at the time (she left in 2001) and was therefore not officially involved in the business when Chutney Mary launched, although she did have some input.

Camellia paved the way for a raft of superstar chefs such as Atul Kochhar, Vivek Singh, Vineet Bhatia and Aktar Islam. Could acclaimed restaurants such as Tamarind and Cinnamon Club (2001), Benares (2003), or more recently Opheem (2018), Pahli Hill (2020) and Bibi (2021) have opened were it not for Camellia and her questioning, determined ways? Arguably not. But the thing that really set the Chutney Mary kitchen apart from other Indian restaurants was its recruitment policy and the way the kitchen was structured. Camellia and Namita went to great lengths to secure chefs with exactly the right regional cooking experience to cook the dishes on their section. Namita Panjabi, her husband Ranjit Mathrani and her sister Camellia are the masterminds behind the award-winning Masala World restaurant group that specialises in authentic, regional Indian cuisine prepared by specialist chefs. Mathrani serves as chief executive and the Panjabis as group directors. Now that curry is the most commonly eaten meal, here is a book detailing how to cook an authentic curry at home, and opening our eyes to the wide variety of ingredients – from mango to lamb, from crab to aubergine – that can be made into delicious, flavoursome curries; it is needed on every adventurous cook’s kitchen shelf. There are 50 recipes to accompany to accompany the curry – from rice and lentils, breads and vegetables and chutneys. And there are enticing and mouth-watering desserts to finish off the perfect meal. Prior to Bombay Brasserie Indian restaurants did not exist, only curry houses,” she recalls. “The only middle-end restaurant was Gaylord in Mayfair. There were also a couple of good Pakistani restaurants in Knightsbridge.”The recipe serves four. As usual, I ate it all myself, with only a marginal downsizing of the ingredients. This research forms the underpinning of every restaurant at MW Eat, including the casual Masala Zone, where strict systems are in place so that the chain runs with just two Indian chefs. There’s also a fanatical focus on ingredients. At Amaya, sabut grilled gobi is done with baby cauliflowers procured from a single field in France, for instance.

A feast for the senses, this mini format of 50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi is the world’s best-selling curry book. It explains how to add taste, aroma and colour to create that perfect curry. Dishes are collected from all over India – from the classic Goa Lamb Vindaloo to the more exotic Gujarat Mango and Yogurt Curry and all are accompanied by tantalising photography to inspire and excite. Other features of the book include: The philosophy of Indian food, What exactly is a curry? Using spices, herbs and chillies, and Planning an Indian meal and suggested menus. This revised edition comes with more recipes than ever and full colour photography throughout. This is down to down to their privileged upbringing in Indian in the 50s and 60s – Namita says they are midnight’s children, a reference to Salman Rushdie famed book about India’s transition from British colonialism to independence. The one dish that is believed to be Indian and drunk all over India is Masala Chai, which we have recently imported into this country as a delicacy. But there was no tea in India, it was introduced by the British after a dispute with the Chinese authorities,” she said, highlighting the two-way culinary exchanges.

Shah Rukh Khan apologised with folded hands for coming late on video call, recalls King: ‘I was sitting on the sofa, I got down to the floor’ In 2001, she joined her family's restaurant company, Masala World, owner of Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy, Masala Zone and Amaya. They are responsible for devising for the restaurant and food concepts. Camellia refines the food offer and handles marketing and PR, while Namita fine-tunes the food presentation, décor (which features stylish Indian folk art) and kitchen management. To make the masala, toast the spices in a dry pan until aromatic. Grind to a powder in a food processor or pestle and mortar, and then mix in the remaining ingredients.