Good food starts with good stories.

There is a moment when cooking lamb chops becomes a little uncertain. The outside has developed a beautiful golden crust. The kitchen smells of garlic, rosemary and warm spices.…

A Bengali fish curry can look remarkably simple. A few pieces of fish, a little turmeric, some green chillies and a light gravy served beside steaming rice. Yet anyone who has…

A spoonful of masoor daal should not feel exactly like a spoonful of chana daal. One can become soft and creamy with relatively little cooking. The other may retain a pleasant…

A kilogram of chicken means different things in different kitchens. For someone living alone, it might cover several carefully planned meals. In a household with six people, the…

A paratha that tastes wonderful straight from the pan can become a completely different experience by lunchtime. Freshly cooked, it has delicate layers, a lightly crisp surface…

A roti can look perfectly round and still turn out disappointingly hard. You roll the dough, place it on the hot tawa and watch familiar brown spots appear. Everything seems…

A £3 takeaway can sound like a bargain until you realise it was only the side dish. Add the main meal, delivery charge and something to drink, and an inexpensive evening suddenly…

A whole chicken sitting in a roasting tray, boneless pieces sizzling in a karahi, and drumsticks coated in a fragrant marinade have one thing in common: they all begin with…

There is a particular pleasure in tearing a piece of warm chapati, scooping up a little sabzi and adding just enough mango pickle to give the next bite a sharp, spicy kick. The…

A packet of minced beef can lead to three very different dinners. Cook it with onions, tomatoes and spices, and you have the beginnings of a comforting keema. Mix it carefully…

At 8:15 pm, dinner can feel like an unreasonable request. The school bags are finally off the floor. Someone has just returned from a late shift. There’s a message about…