Madhur Jaffrey, the name is meant to bring in over a couple of prominent images. She is undoubtedly the grand old lady of Indian cookbooks, but an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she is equally at ease with Merchant Ivory films, a Hindi blockbuster like Saagar, and theatre. It is with the élan of a professional that she introduced those abroad to the intricacies of Indian cuisine, popularised them through her television shows and books. The United States-settled author is now out with her latest cookbook “Curry Easy” and over an e-mail interview says what it has been to be a food writer over the decades.
Excerpts from an interview:
As someone who has written nearly 30 cookbooks in the past 40 years, has the exercise evolved over the years? At the time you began writing on Indian cuisine, the genre was almost non-existent, while there is profusion now.
I have stayed on my own, merry path, not following trends but writing cookbooks on subjects that interest me, excite me, and make me explore a world, or an aspect of a world that I did not know about before. As far as the style of writing is concerned, when I look at my very first cookbook, I notice that I have not changed much.
With food blogs and social networking communities becoming the hub for recipe exchange and introduction of newer cuisines, there has been a revolution in the field. How do you view this deluge of information on food?
While there is a deluge of interesting information, the accuracy of the recipes is often questionable. What matters most in a recipe is that be well-tested and that it be written in a way that is clear, detailed enough to leave no doubts, logical and comprehensible. Many, many people can cook very well. Writing a recipe is a whole other discipline which I do not often see mastered on the web.
You started writing at time when there were a lot of misconceptions about Indian cooking abroad. The scenario has changed with everyone having a faint if not fair idea about the cuisine. What are the challenges for you as a writer now trying to delve deeper and put out more on the cuisine?
There is so much that I do not know and have still to learn. India is a vast nation, with specialties in almost every city and neighbourhood. My own excitement comes from discovering new aspects of Indian cuisine as well as the cuisines of much of Asia.
“Easy” seems to be the key word in cookbooks coming out now. A necessity of the times, do you miss the sheer joy and labour of love cooking sessions of the past were all about, especially in joint families? Any vivid memories of that from your childhood?
Yes, everyone is drawn to the word ‘easy.' But then, so am I! We are all so busy making a living. Time and energy are limited. My new book, “Curry Easy,” came about after decades of experimentation with traditional techniques to try and get the same results with much less labour.
Yes, it used to be a lot of fun, sitting around with the ladies of the house, several generations of us, cleaning rice or rolling out poppadoms, or stirring ice cream in wooden buckets filled with ice-chunks but it was the company and the stories exchanged that whiled away the time. Today, we are often on our own, except at festivals when at least I try to get my children and grandchildren together and we all cook. We have the same kind of fun that I had in India but this happens just a few times a year.
Over the years, the images of you that have stayed on are of television cookery shows. Do you think your identity as a gourmet specialist has overshadowed your identity as a theatre and film actor, who has done memorable parts?
Perhaps. But I keep acting. I had two films come out this year, “Hiding Divya” and “Today's Special.” Check them out. I have probably participated in more films, TV shows, TV films and theatre productions than the number of cookbooks I have published.
Does the future hold more cookbooks or acting assignments?
Both, I hope.
Curry Easy
“Curry Easy” by Madhur Jaffrey, published by Ebury Press, is a step towards simplifying Indian cuisine, about chopping back a few steps without bothering the quintessence of a dish. In the book, Madhur takes stock of how her cooking has changed in these hurried times and she says, “I now try to reach real Indian tastes by using simpler methods and fewer steps.” While focusing on Indian cuisine, she strings along a few dishes from the South Asian family and creates a shorter route towards them. Family specials like stir-fried peas in their pods and her party hit prawns with garlic and chillies make “Curry Easy.”
