The Hindu Kitchen

My passion for Indian cooking stems from the clever and simple flavour creation in the vegetarian dishes. In food shacks in India the majority of the menu is great vegan and vegetarian fare, while the minority eating pursuit is the meat section, often given the ignominious menu heading ‘Non-Veg Dishes’. Hilarious and wonderful. Indians rank their meat dishes as second-rate cousins, overshadowed by the absence of vegetables. How different the emphasis is on the menus across Britain.

For Mowgli I never wanted that apology of a lower-case ‘(v)’ after vegetarian and vegan dishes. No, these are the dishes that are most precious to me. These are the dishes that I eat every day in my home, as did my ancestors. I was tempted to employ the ‘Non-Veg’ phrasing for meat dishes, but it felt a bit churlish. So the titles ‘Hindu Kitchen’ and ‘Street Meats’ demarcate my dishes and leave both with the dignity they deserve.