‘Every dish we create comes with a personal story – from my mother’s Kaju Chicken to the best Kaali Dal I tasted in a little place in Amritsar,’ says Mandira Sarkar, founder and owner of Surrey-based Mandira’s Kitchen.
Her story started when she arrived in the UK from India over 17 years ago and confessed she missed the live-in cook more than her parents! Frustrated with the lack of availability of authentic Indian food, management consultant Mandira was inspired to create her own range after a close friend suggested she “put her money where her mouth was.”
‘One of Mandira’s biggest successes is her frozen food subscription range which start from £50 per month’
Mandira made a drastic career u-turn and gave up her well-paid full-time job to start her own business, despite being a total novice in the kitchen. It was a move she was sure her traditional Indian parents would disapprove of but she was determined to follow her heart and her gamble paid of.
Award-winning Mandira’s Kitchen was born in 2019, initially offering supper clubs and catering from her home kitchen before moving to a more permanent location, an open kitchen within a 400-year-old converted cowshed in Guildford.
The company now also offers culinary experiences such as cookery lessons, spice tours as well as supper clubs, alongside a small coffee shop that claims to have ‘the best Malabar coffee, freshly brewed chai and the crispiest samosas in town.’
One of Mandira’s biggest successes is her frozen food subscription range which starts from £50 per month. Each dish serves two (perfect for sharing), and comes with free naan bread and chutney.
Handmade in small batches, the meals are prepared using fresh produce, with no preservatives or gluten. There’s also free nationwide delivery for orders over £60, each shipped in chilled, insulated eco-friendly boxes.
Here are my must-haves from Mandira’s kitchen
Chicken Xacuti, a Goan style chicken curry. This dish took me back to my days travelling around Goa, dining at the beach shacks or grabbing a takeout from the street vendors. Xacuti, pronounced as ‘shakuti’ is derived from the Portuguese word ‘chacuti’, a dish that consists of Kashmiri red chillies, poppy seeds, coconut, onion and spices. Perfect served with their lemon basmati rice cooked with mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves and lemon juice.
Lehsuni Dal, there’s nothing as comforting as a bowl of steaming dal, made from split yellow lentils, caramelised garlic, which add sweetness and depth, plus fresh tomatoes to balance the flavours.
Vegetable samosas are a favourite, and these didn’t disappoint! Made with hand-rolled pastry and filled with spiced potatoes and peas, perfect with a spoonful of chutney. (Suitable for vegans).
To order mandiraskitchen.com @mandiras_kitchen
Words, food photography & styling marksetchfield.com