Australians' love of Indian food is on the increase. Indian cuisine is our fourth favourite food (behind Chinese, Italian and Thai), with more than half of Australians saying they enjoy eating it, according to 2016 data from .
But while it has become a popular take-way or restaurant food, many Australians still feel intimidated when it comes to cooking Indian dishes at home.
They needn't be, says UK-based Indian chef . She is on a mission to change perceptions of Indian food, and encourage people into their kitchens to make a warming Keralan curry, a batch of , a cooling or a refreshing lassi.
"I think there's been a lot of misconceptions about Indian food, and I think they've lasted way too long," Anand tells SBS during her latest visit to Australia.
"So when I say I want to bring it up to date, it's actually bringing everyone up to date with where India is at. I think we still think Indian food is butter chicken and rice. Yes, we love our curries, but there's so much more to do it than that, and there's so much that I think people would love to try and cook. So that's what I'm try to do."
UK-based Anand's parents are Punjabi, from the northern region of India.
"It's a really fertile land, so I grew up eating lots of curries, but also lots of spinach, lots of paneer because there's a lot of dairy there, chicken curry, lamb curry, fish curry, but tandoori foods as well," says Anand, who has just released her eighth cookbook, . [Read our extract, including delicious recipes from the book, .]
"It's a lovely mix of everything. And lots of vegetables. Perhaps more vegetables than in any other part of India."
Her husband and children are vegetarians, so she is mindful of preparing healthy, balanced dishes for her family.
As a busy working mother - as well as her books and televisions shows, Anand created a range of Indian sauces, daals, chutneys and naans called - she has a theme for her home-cooked meals: keep it simple.
Source: Supplied
"I think we think of Indian food and restaurant food, but it's not," she says. "That is not how we eat at home in any part of India."
Here are Anand's top tips for creating restaurant-quality Indian meals at home.
Patience is a virtue
"A little bit of patience goes a long way, to be honest. Sometimes a curry can do with a bit of extra time on the hob. Give it a few more stirs than you would perhaps a pasta sauce, because all of that helps," Anand says.
"I love onions because they just add so much flavour to everything. I've even seen professionals who have never cooked Indian food and they're like 'oh that looks good, [but] I'll move on'. Because cooking onions can be really boring. If you're cooking a really big pot, it can take 15 minutes.
"People look at them at they're like, 'they're still cooking, I'll turn the heat up a bit'. What happens if you turn the heat up - you'll brown your onions on the outside but the inside will be raw. And we all know the difference between raw onions which are kind of crunchy and harsh, and really lovely soft caramelised onions. So taking the time out to cook those properly, that changes the entire flavour of your curry, and it really gives you the depth that you want from a good curry."
Spice up your life
"I can understand if you see a recipe with lots of unfamiliar ingredients it can be quite scary. But spices are not scary," says Anand.
"If you have a decent recipe, you just put them in when it says. And with spices, you might have a list of eight, but they go in in about two seconds, so they're quite easy to throw in.
"So I would say just start with something that looks familar. So if you love fish and cook fish a lot, start with a recipe that's like simple spiced grilled fish, or pan-fried fish, so the only thing new is the spices. Then you know the cooking techique already, and then you just get used to cooking with spices. And as your confidence grows you cook more and more things. The next thing you know, you know how to cook the whole cuisine."
"Don’t be put off by the long list of spices, it is a really easy dish to make and just happens to be my Dad’s favourite curry,” says Anjum of her.
Source: Anjum’s Australian Spice Stories
Think quality and think fresh
"I think good quality ingredients make a difference," says Anand.
"People forget that with Indian food. They think 'we'll just throw in the spices'. But actually fresh spices that you grind at home makes a massive difference.
"I think Indian food is the healthiest food, because it's fresh food, it's normally seasonal - in India you only cooked what grew near you because there was no transportation or refridgeration. So it was seasonal and regional. And for me, all the ingredients they use are superfoods - ginger, garlic, chillies, tumeric, fresh green vegetables.
"People think Indian food is heavy, but it's not. It's full of lentils and beans and greens and all the best things in the world."
