Take a masterclass in Indian cookery, spiced with the colourful character of Madhur Jaffrey. Thirty years ago, the chef who introduced Indian cuisine to the West now embarks on her own exploration of Indian cuisine, as she visits the communities that carry forth these culinary traditions all over Britain.
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28 Feb 2014 - 1:35 PM  UPDATED 29 Dec 2014 - 3:07 PM

By travelling the length of the nation, Madhur covers the breadth of Indian cuisine. From Punjabi families, to those of Bengali, Parsi and Sri Lankan descent, Madhur tastes their traditional dishes and learns how to prepare these wonderfully vibrant meals for herself, being taught by the communities that first created them – and who are now adapting them.

 

EPISODES

Episode 1

Kicking-off her road trip through this Great British curry nation, Madhur Jaffrey discovers how Indian food has been both standardised and absorbed into UK pub culture, but also given exciting new flavours and approaches.

Episode 2

Many of Yorkshire’s South Asians are from a small area of Pakistani Kashmir called Mirpur; in this episode, Madhur Jaffrey meets members of this community and learns the secrets of their richly spiced curries.

Episode 3

Not all curries are rich, meat-based ones – as Madhur Jaffrey discovers when she explores the South Indian cuisine on offer in the UK, with its unique spice blends and delicious masala dosas.

Episode 4

Madhur Jaffrey explores the culinary history of the Guajaratis in the UK, uncovering the African influence in their food, and also finding classic Hindu recipes that are cooked here.

Episode 5

Bangladeshis traditionally ran most British High Street curry houses. In this episode, Madhur learns what they really eat at home – and discovers very different dishes to the ones so often served with a pint in a pub.

Episode 6

The Nepalese in Aldershot are Britain’s newest South Asian community – here because of the Gurkha connection. In this episode, Madhur Jaffrey explores their cooking with Pemba Lama, one of the Gurkha regiment’s master chefs.

Episode 7

Madhur Jaffrey explores Britain's best known South Asian community – the Punjabi area of Southall in North West London, and explores examples of the Sikh religious cooking and delicious home-cooked favourites.

Episode 8

Madhur Jaffrey’s road-trip around Britain takes her to Scotland, where she discovers haggis curries in Glasgow, and visits a community café selling home-cooked Punjabi recipes in Edinburgh.

Episode 9

The Pakistanis are well established in British Culture and, in this episode, Madhur Jaffrey explores two of their favourite dishes – spiced meats, and what they consider a true biryani.

Episode 10

As a young woman living in London, Madhur Jaffrey learned traditional recipes from the letters her mother sent her from India. Now, she meets with a new generation of young British Indians, to see what they are cooking today.

 

RECIPES

Episode 1
Chicken tikka masala

Episode 2
Sweet yellow rice
Chicken in a wok
Kashmiri-style rich lamb curry

Episode 3
Southern savoury pancakes (dosa)
Potato filling for masala dosa
Nagore chicken curry

Episode 4
Split pea and tomato sauce with noodles

Episode 5
Fish in Bengali-style sauce
Fish balls in masala

Episode 6
Whole roasted masala chicken

Episode 7
Cauliflower with potatoes
Mixed black dal

Episode 8
Lamb meatball curry
Fenugreek chicken

Episode 9
Braised lamb shanks
Lahore lamb biryani

Episode 10
Goan pork vindaloo with potatoes
Lamb browned in its sauce
Goan prawn curry