Culinary Heritage and Empowerment

Asma Khan is an Indian-born British chef and a social change advocate in the food industry. She joins Google to discuss her book, “Monsoon: Delicious Indian recipes for every day and season,” a masterclass in the flavors of Indian cookery.

Originally born in Calcutta, Asma’s journey into the culinary world was not straightforward. She initially pursued academia before moving to Cambridge in 1991 to join her husband. Her passion for cooking began mainly to combat homesickness.

Asma's culinary career began in earnest in 2012 with a supper club in her home, evolving into a pop-up in a Soho pub and eventually leading to the opening of her restaurant, Darjeeling Express, in June 2017. Her restaurant is known for its unique blend of street food, comfort food from Calcutta, and royal dishes from her Mughlai heritage. The food is cooked by an all-women team who began, like Asma, as home cooks.

In addition to her restaurant, Asma gained recognition as the first British chef featured on Netflix's "Chef's Table." Her episode was part of the series' sixth season and nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Documentary section. Business Insider named her number 1 on their 2019 list of the "100 Coolest People in Food and Drink." Asma was also included in TIME 100 as one of the most influential people of 2024.

Watch this episode at youtube.com/TalksAtGoogle.