A week is a long time. I was all glow post new book. Until the UK General Election knocked it out of me.

Let me make a brief attempt to summarise the drama that has unfolded.

A week is a long time. I was all glow post new book. Until the UK General Election knocked it out of me.

Let me make a brief attempt to summarise the drama that has unfolded.

Published by Harper Collins, my new book is a lifestyle and narrative cookbook for anyone who wants to cook Indian food while juggling a busy social, professional and family life. This is what my publishers have to say about it:

Born and brought up in Kolkata, India, I arrived in England for university at the age of 18 and stayed on. I live in central London. And I cook a mean Indian meal (according to my friends and family).
All this while working as a public relations director

Cuisine: Any

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 10 minutes

• 6-8 floz double cream
• 125 g soft cream cheese
• 1 tsp icing sugar
• 2-3 floz orange juice
• 1 capfulcointreau (optional)
• 12 ginger biscuits
• 200 g soft seasonal fruit

1. Whisk the cream in a bowl until firm. Fold in the cream cheese and icing sugar.
2. Mix the orange juice and cointreau in a soup bowl. Soak the ginger biscuits for about 1 second per side (don’t overdo this or they’ll break). Place biscuits in large balloon wine glasses (3 per glass), forming a fan shape up the side of the glass.
3. Spoon in the cream and cheese mixture. Decorate with soft fruit.

Cuisine: English

Serves: 8

Cooking time: 30 minutes

      Ingredients Method

• 200 g plain flour
• 100 g butter
• 100 g sugar
• 4 cooking apples
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180° C.
2. Peel, chop, and core the apples.
3. Rub flour and butter together until they are bread crumb consistency. Mix in the granulated sugar.
4. Place the apples in a dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Sprinkle crumble mix on top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with custard or ice cream.

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 20 minutes

• 250 g coarse semolina or sooji
• 150-200 g ghee
• 500 ml boiling water
• few strands of saffron (optional)
• 150 g sugar (to taste)
• 50 g almonds or cashew nuts, blanched or chopped
• 1 Tbsp raisins, dry redcurrants, or blueberries (optional)
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder (optional)

1. Dissolve sugar and soak saffron in hot water. Keep aside.
2. Measure all other ingredients and keep aside (separately).
3. Heat ghee in a frying pan or kadhai. Add semolina. Fry on medium heat until golden pink in colour and it gives out a distinctive aroma of roasting semolina. Ghee should begin to separate from semolina.
4. Add sugared water with saffron. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Avoid scalding hands by wearing oven gloves or other protective wrap.
5. When mix becomes thick and begins to come off the pan, add 3/4 of nuts and cardamom powder. Mix and pour into a serving bowl.
6. Garnish with remaining nuts. Serve hot.

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 1

Cooking time: 5 minutes

• 1 tsptukmaria
• rose or ‘RoohAfza’ syrup
• small packet of rice noodles, cooked and soaked in ice cold water plus 1 Tbsp of rose syrup
• 1 cup ice cold water or milk
• 1 scoop of crushed ice or vanilla ice cream

1. Cool tall serving glasses in fridge.
2. Wash and soak tukmaria in warm water for 30 minutes to an hour. Tukmaria will swell, looking ’slippery’ and translucent.
3. Put 1 Tbsp rose syrup (or to taste) at bottom of glass. Add 1 Tbsp swollen tukmaria seeds and 1 tsp of softened noodles in glass.
4. Pour in 1 cup milk and mix well. Add crushed ice or vanilla ice cream on top.
5. Serve immediately. For garnish, add a few chopped almonds or cashew nuts on top.

Cuisine: Universal

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 10 minutes

• 2 large bars chocolate (milk or dark*)
• 20 Strawberries
• 4 Bananas
• *Tip: For perfect texture of dip, try using dark chocolate plus 2 Tbsp of milk

1. In a double boiler, boil water in lower pan.
2. Melt the chocolate in the pan that fits on top of double boiler. Make sure that the boiling water does not get into the chocolate.
3. Mix the chocolate while it melts. When finished, will be smooth.
4. Dip your fruits into melted chocolate.

Cuisine: Universal

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 6 minutes

• 100 g dark chocolate
• 100 g butter
• 100 g sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g chopped white chocolate*
• *may substitute with nuts , Smarties, Maltesers, or other ingredients

1. Melt butter and dark chocolate in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, for 1-2 minutes.
2. Lay the chopped white chocolate in the bottom of a square microwavable dish.
3. Once butter and dark chocolate is melted, add other ingredients and beat well. Pour mixture into square dish over white chocolate.
4. Cook in microwave for approximately 6 minutes (depending on power). Top will be just sticky to the touch and brownie will have pulled away from the sides when ready. If you are unsure pop it back in for 30 seconds at a time.
5. Cool, and then cut into squares. Serve warm with cream or ice cream or cold with coffee