'Indian Cuisine Is Pretty Big In Britain'

NEW DELHI: She comes from a family of chefs and co-owns Southall-based Brilliant Restaurant that specializes in Punjabi cooking with a Kenyan twist. Dipna Anand, a London-based Indian chef, says the city has welcomed Indian curries with open arms.

 "Indian cuisine is pretty big in the UK. So much so that the national dish, fish and chips, has been replaced by curry. Fridays have become curry days as people look forward to eating Indian food on weekends. London is full of Indian restaurants," Anand told IANS in an email interaction from London.

"Indian food is synonymous with chicken tikka masala and curries. However, awareness is increasing by the day. The new generation is a little more adventurous. They are trying out other dishes on the menu, especially fusion foods wherein the Indian cuisine is fused with ingredients from around the world," she added.

Most of the recipes on the menu at Brilliant, which has been host to popular names like Kevin Costner, Prince Charles and Cliff Richard, date to 1950 and were created by Anand's grandfather Bishen Dass Anand when the first Brilliant Restaurant opened in Nairobi.

"We are the only ones to offer this. We use a lot of East African vegetables and ingredients," said the chef, who has also unveiled her new cookbook titled "Beyond Brilliant", which is divided into five parts - Welcome and Our Brilliant Career; A Brilliant Student and Teacher; The Brilliant Restaurant; The Brilliant Family; and The Big Brilliant Wedding.

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