Indian cooking lightens up

Anjum Anand stands in a test kitchen in Alexandria, stirring, tasting, adding a pinch of cumin, a dash of mustard-coloured turmeric, and then stirring again. All around are bowls of chopped onions, ginger and coriander, and the scent of cardamom and fenugreek fills the air.

Clad in an apron, her raven locks tucked behind her ear, the 42-year-old appears to be in her element, watching with joy and anticipation as food from her latest cookbook is being passed around to share.

Anand was in Australia from London last week to promote the book, Anjum's Quick and Easy Indian.

"I'm on a mission to change the perception of Indian food and better reflect the evolution of the cuisine," says Anand.

"I have two kids, and this is my seventh cookbook. When I come home from work each day, I'm tired and the kids are hungry, and I want to make healthy food in a hurry and empower other home cooks to do the same," she says.

Anand has been dubbed ''the Nigella Lawson of Indian cooking'' by the British press. Although she says she is not entirely comfortable with the tag, it's not hard to see why comparisons have been drawn between the two women. Both are enviably beautiful, incredibly clever and are talented culinary stars. But that's where the similarities end.

"It was my quest for a healthier lifestyle that launched my career. I realised that the healthiest part of my diet was Indian food, and so I started experimenting with healthier versions of my mum's cooking," Anand says.

"I was very overweight when I was growing up, and I lost that weight in my mid-20s when I made the connection that Indian cuisine is all about balance and about the herbs and spices which have all the health benefits," she says.

Although Anand's most recent cookbook is stocked with more traditional offerings such as tamarind chicken curry and beef rendang, there are contemporary dishes, too, such as spice-roasted poussin or Vietnamese spring rolls with crab.

Anand's commitment to her chosen profession was hard-won. Although she was born in London, she grew up in Geneva, before returning to the city when she was 14. When she left school, she completed a degree in business and languages before joining her father's business, importing flatpack furniture from Eastern Europe.

"I did a business degree because that's what was expected of me. I was working in an office and I thought, 'I'm not enjoying this'. I'd then go home and cook something and really feel so calm and grounded.

''There's something to be said for loving what you do. I don't think I'm very special in that regard. Although I started out on the wrong route, that didn't mean I had to stay on that path,'' says Anand, whose first book, Indian Every Day: Light, Healthy Indian Food, was published in 2005 and sold more than 30,000 copies.

When her book Indian Food Made Easy bumped Harry Potter off the bestseller list, Anand was sure she'd made the right decision.

Her passion and knowledge also resulted in a BBC2 six-part series of the same name, which aired locally on the LifeStyle channel.

"Cooking gives me such pleasure. I'm self-taught when it comes to technique, but I have all these Indian women who have taught me to cook and it's been a lovely way to connect with my family," says Anand, who lives with her husband and daughters, Mahi, 9, and Adi, 3, in north London.

"Ginger, garlic and turmeric … these are the aromas that I grew up with. These are the aromas that are part of my everyday life. I have not lived in India, but I have spent a lot of time there with my mum's five sisters. They thought it was very amusing that their foreign-born niece was interested in Indian food, but I go to see them every year and I have learned so much," she says.

Anand agrees that most Indian cookbooks tend to be very traditional. But she says her seventh cookbook tells the story about the evolution of Indian food, and the fact that a curry doesn't have to be drowned in ghee to taste good.

"My latest cookbook suits today's more modern, lighter style of eating. I'm always trying to bring down the fat content of Indian food and create recipes that are nourishing for both body and soul," she says.

Other easy and inspired dishes include roasted, spiced cauliflower; a grilled cheese and Indian chutney sandwich; spiced pepper and feta cornbread; and warm, crisp duck and cape gooseberry salad.

Anjum's Quick and Easy Indian is published by Hardie Grant and available from bookshops. Her sauce and chutney range, The Spice Tailor, is available from Coles supermarkets.

Herby quinoa and chickpea salad

Inspired by tabbouleh, this lovely salad contrasts creamy quinoa with mealy chickpeas. I like to serve it with a little crumbled goat’s cheese or feta on top.

70g quinoa

100g parsley leaves, finely chopped

30g mint leaves, finely chopped

3 spring onions, finely chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

3 tsp roasted ground cumin

400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 tsp red wine vinegar

salt

1 tsp castor sugar, or to taste

2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste

100g goat’s curd or cheese

1. Boil the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Leave to cool.

2. Mix the quinoa with the remaining ingredients, except the goat’s curd or cheese (if using), taste and adjust the salt, sugar and lemon juice if necessary. Leave for 10 minutes. If using goat’s curd, spoon dots over the salad, or crumble goat’s cheese over it. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4