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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Masterchef UK 2017 winner Saliha Mahmood wants to produce “Khazana”

News Analysis |

Saliha Mehmood, 29, a trainee doctor in gastroenterology and the winner of Masterchef UK 2017, is now venturing on to produce her own Mughal inspired cookbook, “Khazana”.

She competed against 64 participants in the competition and got first position in it. The competition ended but not her passion for cooking, hence she is going on another adventure – to write her own cookbook.

“Why not write a cookbook which celebrates my heritage and culture and what it is to be a Pakistani.. or even north Indian or Persian,”

“The Mughals influence spread across that entire region from Iran to Pakistan to India… a lot of our dishes are influenced by their techniques and recipes”

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The lady is in love with the traditional cuisine and food of the Mughal era and wishes to bring to the western audience the taste of Pakistan heritage and culture.

Saliha said the food included “corn chaat, namkeen gosht, deep fried stuff, fish curries – things you would find on the highway with our ‘chefy’ influences to make it something special”.

Doctor Chef turned writer, Saliha has an exquisite love for the fusion of Chinese dishes with a touch of Pakistani essence. She also wishes to include these recipes in her book.

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Belonging originally from Srinagar, her parents have their home in Lahore. She recently teamed up with the Sameer Taneja, a chef in a restaurant in London to mark the 70th independence celebration of Pakistan in a ‘ten food festival’.