How to Make Your Favorite Recipes Vegetarian: Top Chef Asha Khatau Shares One of Her Go-To Dishes

“Always use authentic ingredients of any cuisine…use the best products from the best brands” In another installment of “Not Your Average Kitchen”, today’s woman dreamer, Asha Khatau, one of the world’s top chefs known for her use of authentic ingredients, and talent for making recipes vegetarian friendly without compromising on flavor. A well-known figure of gourmet vegetarian cooking, she is the author of multiple cookbooks and founder of Epicure cooking classes. She shares her top tips to beginner chefs, how she built her cooking empire, and one of her favorite recipes (Roti Canai and Malay Curry) Enjoy her story!

image9 (1).jpeg

1. Your journey started when you cooked some mexican food and sent it over to friends who loved it and from then to now, you have travelled all over the world, learning and mastering various cuisines. What was your motivation to start cooking classes?

Some friends and their children tried my food and they all made a group and asked me to teach them , so in order to help them I taught them Mexican food and I thought that was it, but to my surprise, the following week. there were more people wanting to learn. So in order to help people learn, Epicure cooking class was born..

2. You have been named one of the world's Top Ten Chefs, won multiple awards and written numerous vegetarian recipe books. What are some tips you would give a novice cook?

image7 (1).jpeg
  1. Hard work is the key to success.

  2. Always use authentic ingredients of any cuisine.

  3. Don’t be afraid of failure, it teaches you to do better.

  4. Go marketing yourself and select fresh produce.

  5. When you try any recipe, arrange all the ingredients and keep them ready so you don’t have to run around while cooking.

  6. Remember practice and only practice makes one perfect.

3. Your foods and recipes have delectable taste and you do not compromise on your ingredients, and source ingredients from all over the world.What advice would you give to a chef looking to start their own business?

Use the best products from best brands, do a little homework on prices to get best results at affordable prices.

4. You cook cuisines from all over the world, but keep them strictly vegetarian. Please tell us about the time you converted a chicken and lamb shawarma recipe to a vegetarian version without compromising on flavor?

I was sitting in a Lebanese restaurant abroad and saw a huge pies of meat on rotating rod, over burning coal. I was quite fascinated with the whole procedure, and I thought to myself why couldn’t I make this vegetarian? ! And to my surprise, I managed to marinate the cottage cheese, same way, same spices and give a charcoal smoke to give non veg flavour. I was very excited when I achieved this to everyone’s approval.

5. What’s your next big dream?

My dream is to have a cooking school which can educate students who can further pursue the same and have a career or Business.

6. Share a couple of of your most popular/go-to recipes for vegetarians below.

Roti Canai with Malay Curry

roti canai.jpg

Part 1: Roti Canai

Ingredients - Roti Canai

  • 500 gms​Plain flour, sieved

  • ½ cup​(each) ​Milk and water

  • ½ cup​ Butter

  • 1 medium​Egg or ¼ cup milk

  • ½ tsp (each)​Sugar and salt

To Serve Malay Curry  (recipe follows)

Directions - Roti Canai

  1. Mix together flour and salt.

  2. Make soft dough with water and egg or milk.

  3. Make small balls, cover the dough with ½ the butter and keep over night.

  4. When you want to make the rotis, take 1 portion at a time; knead and then roll it as thin as possible.

  5. Cook it on an inverted round vessel or iron griddle till brown specks come on.

  6. Brush little butter on each one while cooking. Turn over and cook the other side as well.

  7. Serve hot with Curry.

Makes 6 rotis

Part 2: Malay Curry

Ingredients - Malay Curry

  • 3 cups ​Thin coconut milk

  • 6-8 pieces​Shallots, chopped

  • 2-3 tbsp ​Tamarind pulp

  • ½ cup (each)​ Blanched broccoli florets and cubed potatoes

  • 2 stems​Spring onions, cut into 2” pieces

  • 2 tbsp (each)​Curry powder and red chilli-garlic paste

  • 2 tbsp​ (each)​Oil and brown sugar

  • Salt to taste

Directions - Malay Curry

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry shallots and chilli-garlic paste.

  2. Add curry powder and fry for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Now add spring onions, broccoli and the potatoes.

  4. Bring to a boil. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Makes 3-4 cups. ENJOY!!!!

Thank you Asha for sharing your lovely recipe and story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!

WHO WE ARE

WOMEN WHO WIN IS THE GLOBAL ONLINE MEDIA PLATFORM AND NETWORKING GROUP FOR WOMEN, WHERE WE SHARE THE DREAMS OF DYNAMIC WOMEN ACROSS THE WORLD, AND THE INSPIRATIONAL SECRETS BEHIND THEIR SUCCESS.

CO-FOUNDED BY DR. MANJU SHETH, A PHYSICIAN, COMMUNITY LEADER, AND WELL-KNOWN MEDIA PERSONALITY IN BOSTON. SHE IS THE CREATOR OF THE CHAI WITH MANJU INTERVIEW SERIES, AND PRESTIGIOUS NEW ENGLAND CHOICE AWARDS.

CO-FOUNDED BY DR. DEEPA JHAVERI, AN EXPERIENCED PODIATRIST AND LEADER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS INDIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IN BOSTON.

AND CO-FOUNDED BY SHALEEN SHETH, A SHE IS A FINANCE MAJOR INTERESTED IN FIN-TECH, AND HAS WORKED SEVERAL DIGITAL MARKETING ROLES DURING HER COLLEGE YEARS.

FOR MORE ON OUR FOUNDERS, CHECK OUT FOUNDERS TAB.

IF YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE, REACH OUT TO WOMENWHOWIN100@GMAIL.COM

WOMEN WHO WIN #DREAMCATCHERS, ALONG WITH THE NAMES OF ALL 3 CO-FOUNDERS MUST BE CREDITED WHEREVER ARTICLE CONTENTS ARE SHARED. COPY-PASTING THE STORY WITHOUT THESE CREDITS IS PROHIBITED