If someone asked me, ‘tomar bari koi?’ I’d say Kolkata: Chef Asma Khan
Asma Khan has had a truly magical year! She received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London, her book of monsoon recipes received rave reviews from none other than Nigella Lawson, and she hosted the King of England for a splendid biryani meal at her restaurant during Ramadan. But when in town, Chef Asma knows exactly where her priorities lie. “The first thing I eat when I’m in Kolkata is a kathi roll!”
“I always say you should be grateful you eat, there is starvation in the world, and there are mothers in war zones who are running on an empty stomach to make sure that children eat. But I don't have to make these choices; I can eat, and my children can eat. What a privilege that is! Whether it’s fast food or something that's taken a long time, I never criticise it because I think that all of us have our role to play in the stage,” says Chef Asma. At a city event, the chef, author and activist spoke to us about what truly matters to her and what she means by homecoming:
You have a new cookbook out about monsoon recipes that are rooted in Bengali traditions and seasonal eating. How different is it in terms of storytelling?
All three cookbooks have some similarities, and they talk about the story of my people, of Bengal, of Kolkata. And about the beating heart of our cuisine, which is feminine. Feminine energy, the shakti, the anapurna of our food, is a female form and in every religion, nothing auspicious or important starts without something being given to someone else. Either to the goddess, or we feed the fakirs.
Every faith in our part of the world will always feed the hungry, and I think that the sacredness of food, somehow, we lost our way. In the book, I talk about how love and patience are actual ingredients. Yesterday I had Chholar Dal, and I was waiting to eat it and I was hoping that it would be the way I remembered it, so food is also nostalgia and memories. The people, the house could be gone, and the loved ones are gone, but there is that continuity, which is food.
We know you love a few classic Kolkata eateries. Do you also explore new spots?
I do, so there’s Sienna, they’re just unbelievable. There's Peter Hu, there's Glenburn. I was delighted to see that there are a lot of new places that have come up. But, of course, I am very nostalgic, and I go back to the classics. But it’s still great to see they are not just sitting on what they have done; Kolkata is really moving ahead. I personally feel Kolkata is the food capital of India. Kolkata is more layered and more sophisticated than Bombay.
They are both port cities, and yes, Bombay has had great food influences. But we've had the Portuguese, the British, you know, something like the ‘dolma’, which bears the Armenian influence. And then there’s Rezala…the Mughlai food of Kolkata is truly unique, and it’s superior!
Do you really think Kolkata Mughlai is easier to eat?
Of course! It’s not drowned in ghee and cream because these things were never in abundance here. You cannot compare it to the grandeur of Awadhi recipes and the abundance of Persian and Turkish influences; Bengal never had that kind of abundance. In that process, we have layered it in subtle ways, and that’s what makes it so unique.
Is cooking trickier than entrepreneurship or running a business?
I think running a business is much worse, especially in today's times. The economy in the UK and the US is taking a battering, it's hard to find people to work, taxation is very high, and some of the great and good restaurants are closing. It’s not that you're competing with other restaurants, you're competing with delivering home service, you're competing with Netflix, you're competing with people having saved their money and choosing to spend their money on holidays.
Earlier, the only game in town was to go for an expensive tasting menu, but all of these places are closing. Because I think the world is shifting, and the faster hospitality changes and catches up with the better it is. It’s not like I'm criticising a highly expensive one-inch food on a 10-inch plate, where by the third plate, you've forgotten what you ate. After 17 items, your mind is dead. This, it is an ego trip… of a chef showing his (it’s mostly his) cooking prowess on a plate. On a plate, I want to see love, devotion, spirituality, laughter and happiness!
Would you consider opening a restaurant here someday in Kolkata?
Yes, of course. At some point, the train has to come home! I'm so tired of meeting people in my restaurant who say, I've been to India and you ask them where they've been. It's the usual suspects, the Golden Triangle, Kerala.
And I tell them, you've not been to Bengal, you've not seen Kolkata! So I really kind of see myself championing Bengal, to championing Kolkata. Because I think that this is the best food, it satisfies your soul, it fills your tummy, and you leave a different person. I think that is the beauty of Bengal. I've lived in London for over three decades, but if someone tapped my shoulder and asked me, ‘tomar bari koi?’ I’d say Kolkata!
That is because when I walk on the streets, through these trees that are growing through these broken houses and the dust that flies from the Maidaan, they recognise who I am. I may become anything in London.. In February, the king was in my restaurant and the king was serving biryani in my kitchen… Kolkata biryani. It doesn’t get better than that!
But yet, for me it will always be there. So there's a different emotional thing. And I, I guess that that, that would mean that in the end, at the end of it all, I will come here.
Are you working on something big or exciting that we should know about?
I am working on something very, very big, and possibly the first time, the idea of me crossing the ocean and going somewhere else. But I feel that just like I tell other people, you know, you should step out of the echo chamber where you have had your impact and go into spaces where, in my accented immigrant voice, I can speak about justice, love and equality.