COMPETITION CLOSED

The Staff Canteen have THREE signed copies of Chai, Chaat & Chutney by Chetna Makan up for grabs.

Chetna rose to stardom after reaching the semi-final of the Great British Bake Off 2014. Two years later she released her first book, The Cardamom Trail, which celebrates baking with Indian flavours. She also has a popular YouTube channel ‘Food with Chetna’ where she shares her creative flair for food, often collaborating with Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube.

Following the release of the critically acclaimed, The Cardamom Trail, Chetna’s new book, Chai, Chaat & Chutney is a celebration of street food and an ode to Chetna’s journey through India and the incredible food she discovered along the way.

Chetna said: “Street food is a huge and important part of India’s food culture. I love the fact that it is such a leveller – no matter what your background might be, standing at a popular street stall next to the other customers, you are all simply people enjoying the food. Most street food is freshly prepared to order, served very quickly and, best of all, extremely cheap. Not only can you buy snacks and light dishes to keep you going, but you will also find on offer amazing meals, complete with a variety of flavours and components. And, yes – there are also sweets to enjoy!”

Chetna proved she’s more than just a baker by travelling the four corners of India – Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai – sampling the variety of street food on offer. Each area has subtle differences in ingredients and techniques, making the local cuisine completely unique and full of character.

In Chai, Chaat & Chutney, Chetna has taken inspiration from the street and created delicious recipes that are simple to cook at home. The result is a completely fresh take on Indian cuisine and includes dishes such as tamarind stuffed chillis and sticky Bombay chicken from the South and pani puri and cardamom & pistachio kulfi from the North.

Chetna’s book takes you on a journey in each chapter to four of the most popular and diverse cities in India. The pages are filled with stunning travel photography and interspersed with personal stories and explanations of the nuances of each area, and each dish. This book firmly positions Chetna as an authority on modern Indian cuisine, as she gently uses everything in her power to bring this simple yet inspirational food to the masses.

Chetna Makan was born in Jabalpur, an ancient city in Central India and has a degree in fashion working as a fashion designer in Mumbai before she moved to the UK in 2003.