Anjali Pathak is the granddaughter of LG Pathak who founded the Patak business over 50 years ago. Arriving in London in 1957 with just £5 in his pocket, Mr. Pathak began selling authentic Indian snacks and sweets to support his family. The following year, he was able to open a small shop in Euston’s Drummond Street.

Anjali’s father joined the business when he was 17 and then he married Meena who also later joined the business where she was responsible for creating new recipes.

Anjali was involved in the Patak’s business from a young age taking inspiration from her mother – she now is a renowned chef and food writer and has put up some of her own favourite recipes on MyDish.  I met Anjali in Othlenghi’s , she is passionate about everything food but especially Indian cuisine and I asked her to write something for our members and this is what she wrote.

I love the Summer! The weather is beautiful (well mostly) and there is excellent seasonal produce widely available at markets that mean we can have a play and be very experimental.  I can’t help but get excited thinking about what I can make with fresh ingredients but more importantly about how I can spice them up.

With so much choice it’s hard not to create something wonderful.   I have been invited to so many BBQ’s recently and I always like to take something with me as a token of appreciation.  And because it’s me it is something foodie and usually something to throw on the charcoals.  The weather can be unpredictable and so I usually make something that we can easily cook indoors just in case the heavens open.  These are a few of my favourite recipes that are great to cook for the kids, especially whilst they are off school.  I always add a little spice to everything I create as I grew up surrounded by spices (literally!) and the great thing about using a spice paste is that you don’t need to worry about having a stocked spice tin and figuring out what blends well together.  The perfect shortcut store cupboard is essential.

Seared Wrapped vegetables – Wraps are always a winner in summertime. Paneer is India’s favourite cheese and can be found in the chiller cabinet in most supermarkets, especially asian supermarkets.

Anjali’s Tip: Aubergines begin to discolour when cut so plunge them into cold water with a twist of lime until ready to use.

Stuffed Jalfrezi Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a great mid week supper to feed the family, and this tastes wonderfully different as it packs all the flavour of those fantastic jalfrezi spices.

Salmon Koftas

This dish tastes great with salmon but you can use your favourite seafood.