Meeting Madhur Jaffrey
While filming At the Table With for the Food Network Canada
The first thing you notice about Indian cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey was how small and delicate she looks, sitting in the afternoon sun in her apartment in Manhattan. Delicate, but not frail. If you speak to Madhur for more than two minutes, you’ll know that there’s nothing frail about this powerhouse who has more skills, drive and persistence than most mortals.
Madhur Jaffrey's Memoire: Climbing the Mango Trees
Born to a professional family in Delhi, Madhur`s recent charming memoir, Climbing the Mango Trees, describes what seems to be a sort of idyllic life. A family compound on the outskirts of the city in which the family was catered to by a battery of cooks, gardeners and other household help sounded like great, adventurous fun. Not to mention the mouth-watering family meals she got to enjoy. Madhur describes up to 40 people pulling up chairs - a magical-sounding gathering to anyone growing up in much quieter surroundings.
Sharing Memorial Day weekend with Madhur and her husband Sanford’s at their country home, about 2 hours outside of the Big Apple, was to experience the place where Madhur takes the time to unwind, to relax and find some peace. Even though she’s in her early 70s, this is a woman who doesn’t stop. While a film crew shot her episode for “At the Table With…”, she hosted two of her daughters and their families at the country home. Madhur was otherwise busy fretting over Sanford (who was convalescing from a procedure), working with the crew and on memorizing lines for an upcoming independent film in which she was cast. Oh and she was on deadline for two food articles as well. Yes, all in one weekend! Where then, was that down-time of which her daughters spoke?
15 Cookbooks on Indian and Asian Food
It’s this inordinate work ethic however, that has produced a tremendous body of work. You may have read one of Madhur’s 15 cookbooks on Indian and Asian food, or perhaps you’ve seen her in a Merchant Ivory Film or on one of her BBC cookery shows (as they call them in the UK). It`s her writing that for many, is most enchanting. As James Oseland, the editor-in-chief of Saveur Magazine told this column recently, “No one can paint a picture of a place and describe it, its people, culture and food quite like Madhur.” Very true. And no one can whip up an “informal” Indian inflected luncheon quite like she can either.
While my colleagues filmed with her in the kitchen, Madhur prepared lunch for her family which consisted of ground turkey with Indian spices (cumin and cardamom), cut Indian green beans, fluffy basmati rice, her home made Mango pickle and some wilted bitter greens that looked like spinach. The family was filmed dining on the deliciously aromatic spread when much Madhur invited the crew to sit down and eat.
it was a feast for all - whether you’re an Indian food fan or not - even an often picky cameraman polished off two plates!
I'd Rather Eat It Than Prepare It
Despite her amazing palate (she recreates many of the dishes of her youth by memory and taste) and her ability to cook, Madhur says she was “dragged kicking and screaming” into the food world. “I’d rather eat it than prepare it, my dear,” she said smiling. Being a perfectionist (she and her daughters call her that) has its advantages however, because even though she doesn’t love to cook, Madhur is a very good one. Apart from cooking and acting extraordinarily well, she’s also a gifted artist, decorator (her country house is well appointed and inviting all at once), and a children’s book author. And if she wasn’t such a hospitable and lovely person, one might be inclined to say, No Fair! But that would be impolite to such a gracious host.
**You can catch "At the Table With...' on the Food Network Canada on Mondays at 9:30pm (ET) starting October 1, 2007. Drop FoodTrends a note to let us know what you think!
