Asma Khan takes a culinary journey through the bustling streets and colorful markets of Kolkata, India to explore the nostalgic smells, flavors, and ingredients of her ancestral Bengali heritage. She chases childhood memories and meets with inspiring women, all on a quest to understand the influences behind the foods that define the chef she has become.
For the first time ever, Asma is making her family’s recipe with Middle Eastern and Persian roots. A recipe that has been cooked for generations, but never written down. She serves it with a refreshing cucumber and pomegranate salad.
Add some extra excitement to your plain white rice and learn how to make this simple, straightforward, and ultra flavorful side dish. ‘Matar’ is Hindi for green peas and ‘pulao’ means pilaf, and when you put those two words together, you get ‘matar pulao’ or ‘peas pulao’ the classic and insanely popular Indian rice and peas dish. If you want to learn more about masalas (spice blends), this lesson is a must watch!
"It's rice pudding on steroids," Asma says about ki kheer, a traditional Indian rice pudding that uses Gulab (baby basmati rice), and jaggery (palm sugar), and is known for bringing good luck and fortune. Learn how to make this delicious spin on the classic dessert, which makes Asma think back on her fondest memories and happiest moments. Every bite brings Asma joy and will make you want to celebrate, too.
Take a ride on the Darjeeling Express with Asma as she teaches how to make Mutton Railway Curry, a local traditional recipe with deep roots in her Bengali heritage. The story of how the Railway Curry came to be is the perfect analogy for the story of Kolkata. Learn how to make the Indian version of meat-and-potatoes as Asma teaches life-changing cooking skills like how to properly blend spices, infuse oils, and layer flavors.
Eat your greens! Asma prepares one of the most popular paneer cheese dishes with saag, fresh winter spinach. This Indian version of creamed spinach is the perfect vegetarian side dish. It’s packed with flavor and so easy to make. While Asma uses spinach, this recipe also works great with kale, arugula, or swiss chard.
Asma teaches how to make India's favorite street food, Bengali-style samosas (known as singara), that are stuffed with an aloo gobi filling of cauliflower, potatoes, peanuts, and seasonings like ginger and turmeric. She pairs it with a fiery tomato chutney.
Mustard and seafood is a classic Bengali combination. Learn how to make this regional specialty with jumbo fresh tiger prawns. Asma teaches how to make a traditional turmeric and salt marinade and Bengali-style boiled rice, a method, which according to Asma, is the healthiest way to eat rice.
Asma serves this lentil and rice dish in her restaurants and loves it for its complex simplicity, a sweet and sour dish with balanced flavors.
Asma teaches how to infuse saffron, blend masalas, build flavor profiles, and she even reveals her secret tips on making the ultimate homemade garam masala.
Sandesh is one of Bengal's favorite desserts. There are many different types, but Asma likes to infuse it with saffron to give it a delicate floral flavor.
Asma became famous worldwide for her Indian supper club in London. Now, for the first time ever, she has returned to Kolkata to cook an outdoor dinner party. She is joined by journalist and dear friend Kounteya Sinha to prepare a special menu cooked entirely on an open-fire grill. This wonderful meal includes something for everyone: skewered fish and cheese paneer marinated in a delectable yogurt sauce, smoky eggplant dip, sweet potato salad, and freshly made parathas.
“Paratha is not just bread or something you eat, it is an emotion.” Whenever Asma thinks of home, she thinks of parathas, her favorite bread. Learn as Asma shows how to make this incredible Indian flatbread and teaches two methods of how to roll and cook it on the tawa, a flat griddle pan.