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Asma Khan is so successful in the kitchen that Netflix has dedicated its own show. In this she stands out not only for her culinary skills, but also because she resolutely fights against the oppression of women.
In the realm of the senses: Asma Khan in a market in Calcutta. “I measure with my hands.”
Browning onions is the easiest thing in the kitchen, do you think? Put them in the pan and fry them. But if you listen to Asma Khan, 51, you might believe that he is the ultimate discipline in the kitchen. The great British chef with Indian roots knows:
“There are no shortcuts to sautéing onions.”
So he proceeds with such care and tact with each step that one wonders how casually he has scorched onions so far.
Because: First, the onion rings should be cut as thin as possible and into rings of uniform thickness. Second, the oil should be exactly the temperature that it sizzles when you put the onions in the pan. Third, they need to be gently stirred in the pan so they start to shine after about 10 minutes. Fourth, the onions should stay in the pan for about 20 minutes until they look like pearls.
Asma Khan turns frying onions into a real art! But you will be rewarded, emphasizes the vivacious woman in the typical Indian sari:
“Because you can smell it when they are ready. Your kitchen, your clothes, your hair, maybe even your neighbors’ apartment smells like wonderfully caramelized onions! “
Pamper your guests in London with Indian cuisine
Asma Khan prepares everything else in her kitchen with the same dedication, feeling and joy. For example, your favorite dish, biryani, a kind of rice stew with lamb, or Macher Malaikari, fish in coconut milk, either for an intimate meal for two or for a large family celebration.
recipe
Makers Malaikari – fish in coconut milk
4 halibut, plaice or tilapia fish fillets (approx. 750 g)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, cut into thin croissants
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
1½ tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
¼ TL Chilipulver
1 THE Tomatenmark
400 ml of coconut milk
1 pinch of sugar
To decorate, green chilies cut into thin rings, chopped coriander leaves, place the fish fillets on a plate, sprinkle with half the ground turmeric and half the salt and rub. Let stand for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
Gently sauté the onions until golden brown and caramelized. Then drain on a plate and spread to crisp. Leave as much oil as possible in the pan to brown the other ingredients. Brown the fish fillets for 20-30 seconds, but do not fry them. Remove the fish from the pan and reserve on a plate.
Do not lower the heat, add the garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon ground turmeric and chili powder. When the mixture sticks to the pan, drizzle with a little water. Add the tomato paste, 4 tablespoons of warm water, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the fried onions and continue cooking for a few minutes until the oil settles on the edge of the pan.
Return the fish fillets to the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, then remove the pan from the heat immediately and carefully flip the fish fillets one by one. Season the sauce to taste and, if necessary, add sugar and / or salt. Garnish with chili rings and chopped cilantro before serving.
There was nothing in the life of the Calcutta Indian to suggest a career in the kitchen. The woman, who grew up in a noble family, received her doctorate as a lawyer before entering the restaurant business when she was only 50 years old. Khan, who describes herself as a “home cook”, put on a remarkable performance. Since she dedicated a show to the “Chef’s Table” series on Netflix last year, as the first British cook, people have known her kitchen and her Darjeeling Express restaurant in London. There she pampers her guests with authentic Indian cuisine based on recipes, flavors and preparation methods of the imperial ancestors.
Thanks to his cookbook “Asma’s Indian Kitchen” (AT-Verlag), which is now also available in German, you don’t necessarily have to travel to London, you can also enjoy your cooking at home.
Asma Khan: Asma Indian Cuisine, AT-Verlag, 184 pages, CHF 29.90.
Even if she prefers to entertain all the guests on her “Darjeeling Express”. “I have to see your eyes when you eat,” he said in an interview at this year’s St. Moritz Gourmet Festival. Cooking is personal. Say it while your wild black locks sway, your eyes twinkle, and your voice sounds soft. Asma Khan never trained as a chef. “I looked over the shoulders of the house cook, helped in the kitchen at big family celebrations and later in London I was in the kitchen to pamper my guests with local dishes,” he says of his entry into the food business. restaurants.
And he doesn’t cook according to a recipe, either. She explains:
“I measure with my hands.”
In this way, you can link dishes with experiences and stories. «I have never forgotten any of the dishes that I learned in this way. The recipes can be forgotten, the stories remain. ”Fortunately, her dishes have made it into a cookbook anyway.
Everything that Asma Khan needed and kept for her was precisely measured, weighed and recorded. In the book, whose cover is reminiscent of a book of fairy tales, he describes how to properly approach the basics of Indian cuisine. The chili, for example, is not only for the spiciness and the cinnamon for sweetening.
A refugee cafe established in Iraq
With the book Asma Khan wants to awaken understanding of India, its people and its food. And he has another mission with his kitchen: fighting against the oppression of women in the conservative and patriarchal society of India and also in Western Europe. “Our society is very unfair,” she says combatively. That is why there are almost exclusively women in their kitchens who all earn the same amount, including the boss.
It is not young women, but those who know life, who have also failed and had to go through it. “I want women to be valued and respected more,” he demands and raises his voice when he says:
“Break the chains. Sweep the stones that are in the way.”
Asma Khan
The best chef
Netflix made it possible for her to be heard. “I blatantly use it for my concerns.”
It is amazing how enthusiastically she is committed and how charming her mission brings people. She has created small projects like a refugee cafe in Iraq. “You can still achieve something in your 50s.” Passion is one of her mantras.
“For me, cooking is like meditating or praying, and when I cook for someone, it’s like a hug.”
So he wants to encourage people to take time to cook. Start by steaming the onions.
recipe
Nimbu Pani – Indische Limonade
5 tablespoons sugar or to taste
Juice of 6 lemons
1 generous pinch of Himalayan salt, crushed ice if desired
To decorate, some mint leaves, some lemon slices. Dissolve the sugar from the lemon juice in a jug. Add 1 liter of cold water and a pinch of salt and stir well. To serve, fill a glass with crushed ice and pour the lemonade on top. Garnish with fresh mint and a lemon wedge.
