Jikoni means 'kitchen' in Kiswahili, a word that perfectly captures Ravinder Bhogal's approach to food.Ravinder was born in Kenya to Indian parents; when she moved to London as a child, the cooking of her new home collided with a heritage that crossed continents. What materialised was a playful approach to the world's larder, and Ravinder's recipes do indeed have a rebellious soul. They are lawless concoctions that draw their influences from one tradition and then another - Cauliflower Popcorn with Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce; Spicy Aubergine Salad with Peanuts, Herbs and Jaggery Fox Nuts; Skate with Lime Pickle Brown Butter; Tempura Samphire and Nori; Lamb and Aubergine Fatteh; or utterly irresistible Banana Cake accompanied by Miso Butterscotch and Ovaltine Kulfi. These proudly inauthentic recipes are what you might loosely call 'immigrant cuisine', with evocative stories from a past that illustrates the powerful relationship between food, people, place and identity. The tastes and smells of this brazen new world are sophisticated, welcoming, fresh, exciting and bold.
Review
This book is a total joy -- Nigella Lawson
This is a wonderful mess of a book: inventive, fresh and deliciously irreverent. Duck Rendang and Paneer Gnudi with Saag are at the top of my cooking list -- Yotam Ottolenghi
'Crazily, gloriously, life-affirmingly delicious . homely, warm, kind but inventive (in the best way), rule-bending and thoughtful' ? Diana Henry
Ravinder Bhogal has a brilliant understanding of spicing and pitch perfect taste. Her dishes are the kind that make you sit up and pay attention. She's a true talent -- Jay Rayner ? Observer
Ravinder Bhogal is a brilliantly inventive cook, and her book displays the full range of her "lawless spirit", in recipes that deliciously combine her culinary heritage with the new possibilities from a global larde -- Salman Rushdie
Ravinder is one of the freshest, most talented names in the food world now -- Xanthe Clay
Her book packs ... exotic-yet-homely flavours ? Red
Jikoni's recipes are eclectic, vibrant and all-embracing . wreathed in stories from Bhogal's life, from the pickle makers and female vegetable sellers of her childhood to personal essays about her late father ? Scotland on Sunday
Ravinder Bhogal puts an immense amount of thought into how she feeds people -- Ella Walker ? Herald
In Ravinder's book, you'll find recipes ranging from pina colada pancakes, to lamb Wellington with feta, pine nuts and sumac, but by coincidence, I've become rather fond of poussin (young chicken), one of which is perfect to share between two - or to keep to yourself, if you're very hungry. -- Keith Kendrick ? BBC Good Food Magazine
A true gem of a book to feast on ? Home & Garden
Book Description
Recipes from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, inspired by Ravinder Bhogal's mixed heritage and the kitchens she grew up in
About the Author
Ravinder Bhogal was born in Kenya to Indian parents and she opened her first restaurant in London, the city she grew up in. Her recipes are inspired by the taste of home, wherever that may be.
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