'Indian Cuisine Is Pretty Big In Britain'

"It has everything you would want to know about me, my father, grandfather and the history of The Brilliant. The book has some amazing recipes which are easy and tasty and can be made using all the ingredients present in your kitchen," she said.

From a young age, Anand, now 30, started taking a keen interest in cooking.

"I used to watch mum in the kitchen. Then when I went to the restaurant I was intrigued to watch my dad cooking in the kitchen. He told me stories about grandfather and how he used to cook for the Maharajas back in Kenya in the 1950s," said Anand, whose grandfather was originally from Gujranwala town of undivided India, now in Pakistan's Punjab province.

When asked why most of the popular chefs are men, she said: "Women at home do it more out of the love and care for their families. It exudes warmth. This is precisely why even if you are the best restaurant in the world abroad, you still miss the 'Maa ke haath ka khaana' (food cooked by the mother).

"While with the men, it is completely different. They take to cooking more as a profession. I would say they turn their passion into a profession. They undergo rigorous training and understand every nuance. For them it becomes a science first and then more of an art as the years go by. I guess this could be the reason why they seem to do well."

This is, however, changing, says Anand, and soon people will see the gender disparity fading away.

She believes that Indian food does not have to be unhealthy and that it depends on how you cook it and spice it.

"I am not asking you to eliminate all the fat; it's an art rather - of slightly adapting some of the ingredients to make the same dish in a healthier manner. Tandoori cooking is great because when you barbeque the food in a clay oven, excessive fat tends to drip off," she said.

When she makes a curry, she tries not to use saturated fat.

"I use vegetable oils such as rapeseed and corn oil in place of butter and ghee," Anand said.

READ MORE: Indian 'Highfliers' Set To Boost Student Numbers In US and U.S. Primed to Unlock Potential of Ties With India: Obama