‘Indian food cannot be learnt from a recipe book’
Former Masterchef Australia contestant Sarah Todd shares her love for dishes
By : shiba kurian
Update: 2014-10-09 22:25 GMT
It was love at first ‘taste’ for former Masterchef Australia contestant Sarah Todd when her partner, Devinder, a British Indian, served her a sumptuous Indian dish made from kheema. “It was the first dish that he cooked for me during the initial days of our relationship,” she says.“Ever since, the taste of Indian cuisine has stuck with me and has gone on to be my all-time favourite after French cuisine,” she beams, naming aloo gobi as her favourite Indian dish.
The model and chef is currently touring the country to explore traditional Indian food and the history behind them. “The diversity of the country and the iconic dishes of each region have always amazed me. During my stay in India, I will collaborate with a few chefs and do cooking demonstrations,” says Sarah, who is set to release her own cookbook soon.
It was during her heyday as a model that Sarah was exposed to the world of food, and she instantly took to cooking, starting off with French cuisine, and later Indian. However, according to Sarah, learning to cook an Indian dish is not a cakewalk. “If there is one thing I have learnt about Indian food is that you cannot learn how to make it from a recipe book, it has to be taught by an expert, especially the amount of spices that go into it. Luckily, Devinder’s mother has been tutoring me for more than two years,” she says.
She has also managed to sample some south Indian delicacies while in India. “I loved the crispy masala dosa, and the coconut chutney served with it. In fact, I had never seen a dosa before. I was startled by it’s length,” says Sarah, who also loves making pakoras and semiya payasam for special occasions.