Nov 2, 2018
$10,099 – that's how much someone is asking for their copy of Christine Manfield's Tasting India cookbook on Amazon. Sure, India Today called it the book to give native newlywed couples once they head overseas, so it's a prized publication – but luckily, the new updated version of the award-winning book is much more budget-friendly (and includes new chapters on Hyderabad, Punjab and Gujarat, too).
While Christine Manfield is known as the acclaimed chef behind
restaurants such as Paramount, East@West and Universal, we spend a lot of this podcast
talking about her travels to India – a country that she's
constantly visited for more than two decades. She has vivid stories
of spice markets (and mountains that are literally fragrant with
cardamom being grown) and the home cooks she's met, whose
dishes she documents in her cookbook. Plus, we cover the regional
(and religious) differences that shape the food on the plate. And
what you have for an Indian breakfast (it is way better than toast
and cereal).
It was also great to talk to Christine about gender representation
in the industry (particularly after she was a judge in the
S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition last year and was quoted in the
Herald as saying: "Where the
f--- are the women?"). And I loved hearing about how Christine is
still recognised on the streets of India because her Gaytime Goes Nuts dessert
appeared in the finale of Masterchef Australia in 2012. (The dish
is not only delicious, it's also a statement in support of the gay
community, too.)
You have a rare chance to eat Christine’s food again because she’s running Tasting India dinners across Australia in November, at much-loved restaurants such as The Agrarian Kitchen outside Hobart, Anchovy in Melbourne and Lankan Filling Station in Sydney. For details, visit Christine Manfield's website.