Chaat time with Sarah Todd

Todd says Indian cuisine is one of the healthiest

You mention in My Indian Kitchen that every Indian state has been a learning experience. Which were most memorable?
Travelling through India reinforced the significance of food as a language. I travelled to remote villages, and even though we didn't speak the same language, we communicated through food.

Kashmir: I fell in love during my first visit. Everything about Kashmir is unique: its people, culture, and beautiful produce. Almost every household grows their vegetables, and cooks with this fresh food. I discovered a unique type of spinach that I've added to a delicious broth.

North East: I was invited to a Mising family's home in Assam. We entered through the kitchen, and cooked a meal over an intricate fireplace called the merum.

Lamb and fennel with lemon pickle, green chilli and coriander salsa. Pic/Chris Middleton

Goa: I fished in Goa's backwaters and cooked freshly caught crab xacuti with a family by a river bank. A version of this is on my menu at Antares [her restaurant in Goa]. Traditional Indian food is not only prepared to satiate the appetite but also has health benefits. Sol kadhi that is popular near Goa and Maharashtra's coastline, is an appetiser made from coconut milk and kokum and is usually drunk after meals. This cooling drink is a beautiful pink or purple colour, and is high in antioxidants. I prepared my version in the form of a dessert for my degustation menu at the Australian Open last year.

Rajasthan: I visited a village while researching for this cookbook. One of my picks is laal maas, a royal favourite. The dish was created around the 10th century. The royals loved to hunt and after these sessions, the meat was cooked in large cooking pots with whole spices, onions, and dried red chillies to mask the gamey odour. I incorporated this favourite in a course in the same degustation menu. I chose saltbush lamb because of its lean, juicy, tender flavour derived from their grazing on the native Australian saltbush plant. It was served with fat hen or pigweed, which is foraged spinach.

Sarah Todd loves to play with Indian spices in her recipes

What's your favourite Indian street food?
I am fickle about my choices. Currently, it is papdi chaat, and you will find the recipe in my cookbook.

How do you include children more in the cooking process?
To engage children in the kitchen, find a recipe or a dish that they like and include them in the process of refining it. The first thing that Phoenix [her son] and I cooked together was chocolate chip cookies. It took several attempts before we were both happy with the recipe; either it was too dry, too hard, not enough choco chips, etc. We now call them Phoenix's Choc Chip Cookies because they are made to his taste and exactly how he likes them. It gave him a sense of achievement.

Your tips to make fussy kids eat better.
My son is a fussy eater but it's about compromise. He has his favourites, so we mix it up through the week. Educate your kids to understand that eating healthy is what gives them energy to play sports and have fun. He loves lamb chops, so I ensure he has a healthy side of vegetables. One must accompany the other; it's as simple as that.

What are the biggest misnomers about Indian cuisine?
Indian food is often thought of as heavy, and that it should be eaten occasionally. On the contrary, it is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. The food is diverse with an emphasis on vegetables. Spices are an integral part, and in addition to adding flavour, they have numerous health benefits.

What's the best way to experiment with desi ingredients?
My advice is to not experiment with traditional Indian dishes. If you wish to incorporate desi ingredients into a meal, choose French, Italian, Spanish or Australian dishes. These cuisines have fewer ingredients, so adding a well-balanced spice or two will add an Indian touch.

When it gets safer to travel, which Indian destination is on the top of your visit list?
I would love to visit Amritsar, the home of the Golden Temple and explore more of Punjab that also happens to be my son's ancestral origin.

Log on to sarahtodd.com.au for signed copies of My Indian Kitchen Cost Rs 1,400 (plus shipping). The book will be available for purchase in India by the end of this month.