This month, we have the pleasure to meet Kris Dhillon, author of 2 cookery books to date and recently became a fellow blogger too. Pop over and take a look at Kris's site, The Curry Secret, here.
The rules:-
1. Simply post a comment here and explain why you would like to be the lucky winner.
2. Add in your comment a link to your blog so I can find your contact details.
3. Visit Kris Dhillon's blog The curry secret, here and add yourself as a follower.
4. If you feel kind enough LOL, I would appreciate it if you add yourself as a follower to my blog too.
The winner will be picked at random on Sunday 6th December 09, so make sure you have made your entry on or before Saturday 5th December.
The books will be posted directly to the winner, hopefully in time for Christmas. What a wonderful gift.
Please join me in thanking Kris for her time and especially for her kindness in providing, not one but two great cookery books.
Thanks Kris, from us all.
I have cooked up many of Kris's recipes, but not all have been posted yet. See recipes I have posted so far, by clicking the link here. Don't forget to visit Kris's blog too, by clicking the link here where you'll find many recipes. Many of which are not in her books.
That's all folks (until next month's interview)
I guess you're wondering how I have a photo of it already as it's not due to be published until April 2010. Well, the good news is you can pre-order now with Amazon, click on the link here for details.
COMPETITION TIME!
One lucky person will soon be the proud owner of these 2 fabulous books:-
That's all folks. Well for the interview anyway, I guess you're all eagerly awaiting instructions to win The Curry Secret & The New Curry Secret?
You'll have to wait a few more minutes, because firstly we have an announcement.
Kris mentioned that she has written a new book called 'Thai Cookery Secrets'.
So, let's say a big welcome to Kris, who has also kindly offered to give away both books to one lucky reader. But you'll have to read Kris's interview before receiving details of how to be our competition winner!
Debs - You were born in Punjab, what was life like as child growing up there?
Kris - I left for England just before I was 5 and don’t have much recollection of those early years, but my mum took me back when I was about 18 and I was completely smitten by the place. The peace and tranquillity of village life was a stark contrast to the pace of life in western society even in those days. I loved the sense of community, the relative simplicity of day to living, the ‘one-ness’ with nature and of course the bountiful, wonderful fresh food that region of India is renowned for. I learnt to milk cows (well buffalo actually), make fresh yoghurt, butter and cheeses, cook with just picked vegetables and exotic herbs and spices. I watched enchanted as my grandmother made the most amazing sweets, snacks and flavour packed pickles, and as the most delicious meals I have ever eaten were created from a few humble vegetables growing up the barnyard wall. Most 18 year olds these days, and even then I must say, would find all of this quite boring but I was hooked. That was how I wanted to live and I wanted the food I ate to be that good.
Debs - You moved to the UK with your parents. What age were you then and why did you go to the UK?
Kris - My parents were the first generation of Indians that migrated to England to find work and make “their fortune” with the intention of returning to their homeland and their way of life that much better off. Of course for most that dream didn’t materialise, the right time to return never did eventuate. My parents went back to India many times, built a new home and hankered to go back to live there when us (westernised) kids grew up, married and left home. Sadly, they never did.
Debs - You opened a restaurant. Tell us more about it, i.e the menu, where it was, how long you had it, did you enjoy it, would you do it again. Etc
Kris - I was very driven in my younger days and from about the age of twenty I had looked at various means of combining this drive with my love of food within the confines and restrictions that were imposed by the Indian culture on Indian girls at the time. The opportunity finally came when I was in my early thirties (and married) and together with a couple of family friends and relations, we opened a restaurant in Wolverhampton. The menu was pretty typical of Indian restaurants of the time – Butter Chicken, Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Masala, Sheek Kebab were all on the menu and enjoyed by the local, mostly Anglo-Saxon clientele. It was an interesting time and I lapped up the new cooking methods, techniques and ‘secrets’ of Indian restaurant cooking.
A part of me would love to do it again, but owning a restaurant means long hours of hard work. I have neither the drive nor energy for that and I’m pretty content doing what I’m doing now – for the present at least.
Debs - Tell us more about the catering business you had too?
Kris - After a few years the business partnership soured. My marriage had also broken down and I had two young children to look after. The catering was something I had developed as an off shoot from the restaurant and it gave me the flexibility I needed at the time so I continued to grow that. With the help of some good staff I ran the catering business for several years until I left England for Australia. It was around that time that I wrote The Curry Secret.
Debs - You now live in Australia, where abouts are you and why did you move there?
Kris - The simple and honest answer is I met and fell in love with an Australian! We moved to Sydney in 1993 and have lived and worked there since that time. About 5 years ago we bought 8 acres of land in the country about 10 kilometres west of a lovely country town called Orange. The main house is being built as we speak but we had a small cottage built nearly 2 years ago so that we could start establishing the vegetable gardens and orchards. We now spend more than half our time in Orange and the remainder in Sydney.
Debs - You've moved around a lot, do you intend to stay in Oz, or are there any plans to move again?
Kris - I have no intention of moving again. That would be incredibly hard and I really love living here. I’m finally doing what I’ve wanted to do since my first trip back to India – growing my own fresh food, writing about it and teaching how to cook some of the fantastic dishes I’ve enjoyed over the years.
Debs - If you had to cook just one dish, what would be your ideal choice of all time?
Kris - Mmm, I think I would find that quite difficult. I love the changing seasons, the new produce and styles of cooking that come with them, but if I had to cook just one dish I think it would be some type of dhal. Dhal is tasty, nutritious, satisfying and really simple to cook.
Debs - Do you cook and/or experiment with other types of cuisines, or do you stick to asian?
Kris - I read cookbooks and recipe books like most people read novels and whilst the food I was bought up on, i.e. Indian, remains my favourite I couldn’t possibly refrain from delving into other cuisines. I am simply enthralled by the various foods from around the world and love to cook different things. I particularly adore Italian and Thai cuisine. In fact, in our household Indian only gets a look in once in a while.
Debs - If you were to go to a resaturant, what foods would you choose to eat?
Kris - Even though I enjoy eating out, I don’t all that often. Most Sydney restaurants try to out do each other with the complexity of their dishes rather than the quality and freshness of the ingredients. There are a couple of really good restaurants in Orange serving locally produced meats, olive oils, cheeses, quality breads and tasty vegetables and I really enjoy long Sunday lunches at these every now and again.
Debs - As you have approx 8 acres of land which you are turning into an oasis for growing organic fruit & veg, plus herbs & spices, tell us more about it and did you acquire the land solely for that purpose?
Kris - It wasn’t the sole purpose but it was a major factor. We wanted somewhere away from Sydney where the pace was slower, the people friendlier and the environment cleaner. Sydney is a great place for young, ambitious, outgoing individuals but not so good when you want to slow down a little and smell the roses. However, I only want to slow down, I don’t want to stop. Orange is such a ‘foodie’ place with dozens of boutique vineyards, several olive groves, cherry, pear and apple farms, small livestock producers etc. etc. etc and they do a lot to showcase what they proudly have with various activities throughout the year that bring people in from all over the state. The region also has a good climate with reasonable rainfall (most years but not this year) for growing a wide of variety of fruit and vegetables. It’s perfect for someone with a passion for good food.
Debs - You have 2 books to date. Any plans for a third?
Kris - My third book Thai Cookery Secrets is due to be published April next year and we are in negotiations to do a fourth book based on slow cooking.
Debs - Tell us more about your business where you teach others to cook.
Kris - I’ve been holding classes at the Orange Regional Cooking School. It’s a pass time rather than a business although I intend to do more of it once the house is completed. I’ve designed the kitchen to enable me to have groups of people in for cooking demonstrations while they enjoy a glass or two of the local wines before savouring the dishes we prepare and a tour of the gardens.
Debs - What is the best meal/and the worst, you have experienced whilst dining out.
Kris - There have certainly been many memorable meals, but the best of them were usually prepared in someone’s home. The best meal I’ve eaten out was probably at Lolli Redini’s in Orange. She is such a good, innovative chef who doesn’t try to be too clever. The flavours of the dishes she served were lively and fresh and the combinations of ingredients unusual but cleverly balanced. From memory, I had an entrée of King Prawns on a bed of shredded papaya, avocado, mint and red onion in an Asian style dressing. A sprinkling of crispy fried onion bits over the top gave a lovely contrasting crunch to the creamy avocado. The flavours and textures were just divine. The main was a deliciously moist duck breast on a truffle mash with a sauce that was both sweet and savoury. Served with a side of fresh tender-crisp vegetables it was perfect. A delicious, light chocolate mousse completed the meal. The worst meal was probably also at Lolli Redini’s some months later! She lost interest in the restaurant for a while and her replacement just didn’t have it. The entrée was greasy and lacking flavour, the duck was raw, yes, almost completely uncooked and the steamed vegetables just didn’t arrive.
Debs - There are a lot of people out there who would love to write a cookery book. Tell us your experiences of this and are there any tips you would offer those who would like to do the same?
Kris - If you have an idea that you believe will appeal to people, put it down on paper and send it off to a handful of publishers who publish in that category. Don’t become despondent if your idea isn’t accepted straight away. Keep trying. I was so convinced that an Indian restaurant cook book would be popular when I first wrote The Curry Secret, I was prepared to self-publish if necessary. However, I didn’t have to. I sent a synopsis to 6 publishers and one of them, Elliott Rightway, liked it. I think if you believe in something enough, you can make it happen.
Debs - Tell us a little more about yourself for instance your family etc.
Kris - Not much more to say other than what I’ve already said and what is on my website and blog. I have two beautiful daughters, Lisa and Nicolla, both of whom live in Australia and a gorgeous little dog who is the baby of the family and goes with us everywhere.
Photo of me and my doggy.
About 3 years ago, my good friend, Fran, invited us over for a curry. I was blown away as it was so good. I said to Fran 'this is the best curry you've ever made for us, can I have the recipe'. This was when I discovered Kris Dhillon's first book, The Curry Secret.
Thanks Fran, for introducing me to Kris's book. I ordered the book from Amazon and very shortly afterwards discovered a new book was due to be published (April 09), so I waited patiently for April to arrive and ordered Kris's latest book, The New Curry Secret.
April happens to coincide with the birth of my blog and I very quickly started to publish some of Kris's recipes.
Shortly afterwards, Kris contacted me via email to thank me for publishing her recipes and also to inform me she now has a blog too.
We quickly became friends and hence my excitment when Kris agreed to be this month's victim for an interview.
