Peterborough's Spice Queen's new book of 'family favourites'

Parveen "The Spice Queen" and her new book

Here we catch up with her to find out what has been happening in her life since her last column and her time as a TV chef with her own show Parveen’s Indian Kitchen.

It’s been a while since we heard from you Parveen. What have you been up to?

I think it’s been around two years since I wrote my column. One of the main reasons that I have been so quiet is that we moved house and were busy building a new kitchen studio - in which I was supposed to film my second series. However, the series didn’t happen but that OK as I still have my beautiful kitchen studio where I actually cook and shoot videos in.

What is the concept of the book?

The book is called Parveen’s Family Favourites (Food Cooked with Love). I am a true believer that food cooked with love tastes better. The book is full of recipes that I cook with love for three adult children and so the book is dedicated to them. My children have supported me so much on my journey, they are my biggest fans but also my biggest critics.

The photographs are beautiful, how involved were you with the shoot?

I am super proud of the food photography. My photographer and I worked very closely to create beautiful photographs. We decided to keep the images realistic and every dish was cooked fresh, styled and shot straightway – I think that way you can capture the real essence of the dish. One of the best things for me is that the photoshoot took place in my own kitchen studio (you know, the one I moved house for).

Can anyone cook your recipes or do you have to be confident in the kitchen?

Yes, I think most anyone can cook my recipes. I have written them in simple words and not been too ‘cheffy.’ My focus and mission is to help people cook Indian food and not be intimidated by it. For me, I think one of the best things about the recipes, is that they really work…

What recipes can we expect to see in this book?

The book has seven sections; the usual sections that one expects to see in a cook book, e.g. Starters, Mains and Desserts but I have deviated slightly and included some fabulous fusion food plus a tasty little section called ‘my take on takeaways.’ This section was inspired by my youngest son who was missing his takeaways during the first lockdown. I also have a plant-based section as my daughter doesn’t really like meat unlike my eldest son, who is a complete carnivore. And of course there are some classics in the book like chicken bhuna and chicken dopiaza.

Do you have a favourite recipe?

I don’t have a favourite recipe but I do have a favourite story. Each recipe is introduced by a family story and my one is the one about banoffee pancakes. I wrote about when my children were young and I would make pancakes most weekends, I say of them “even with my ambitious ambidextrous pan-action, I could barely keep up with the appetites of the ‘ever-ready little Ashrafs!”

•Parveen’s Family Favourites costs £24.99 and is available at www.ParveenTheSpiceQueen.com

RECIPE FOR CHICKEN DOPIAZA

Cooking time 50 minutes (serves 4 to 6)

INGREDIENTS

900g chicken fillet (2cm pieces)

2 onions, diced

2 red onions, sliced

1 tin chopped tomatoes, 400g

6 garlic cloves, crushed

2cm cube fresh ginger, grated

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp ghee

2 tsp chilli powder

3 tsp Garam Masala

3 tbsp fresh corianders

2 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Heat the oil and ghee in a steel pan and add onions. Fry for 5 to 7 mins. On medium heat, add ginger and garlic, stir in and cook through for 1 minute.

2. Add chilli powder, garam masala and salt, stir fry for 30 seconds.

3. Add tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, keep stirring, if the sauce sticks, add a dash of water. Cover with the lid and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Add chicken pieces, stir well. Turn the heat to high and continue stirring for 10 minutes.

5. Finally add the coriander and two red onions, stir through and simmer for a further 10 to 15 minutes.