Photo by Kristin Perers
We all know not to judge a book by its cover, and so on, but I have to say that when it comes to Ravinder Bhogal’s Jikoni, it would not steer you wrong. It is an absolute beauty, and the recipes within match it. I have been excitedly awaiting this book for quite a time. Her restaurant of the same name is one of my favourite places to eat in London: it’s both cosy and exquisite; and it is exactly that seemingly impossible combination that this lovely book delivers, and not only in the food but the writing, too; in short, this book is a total joy.
‘Jikoni’ means ‘kitchen’ in Kiswahili, the language of Bhogal’s birthplace, Kenya. Like many Indians, her parents had travelled there in search of work, and when she was seven, the family moved to England. “We took” she writes “the traditions of our ancestors and their regional home cooking and overlaid them with the reality of our new home and whatever its various food markets, delis, canteens and supermarkets had to offer on any given day. This is what I suppose could be loosely termed ‘immigrant cuisine’.” It is this rich mingling of cultures that lies behind the book’s defiantly declarative subtitle ‘Proudly inauthentic recipes from an immigrant kitchen’.
But I’m holding you from the food itself, which is lamentable of me. Where do I start? I want to list everything in this book; it is all exquisite (and yes, I must use that word again). On my must-cook shortlist are: Prawn Toast Scotch Eggs; Roast Sweet Potato with Lime Pickle and Coriander Yogurt; Charred Brussels Sprouts and Chestnuts with Hot and Sour Dressing; Mussel, Sweetcorn and Rice Soup; Duck Rendang; Meringue Roulade with Poached Stonefruit and Orange Blossom Cream and Banana Cake with Miso Butterscotch and Ovaltine Kulfi. But right at the very top of the list, and the recipe I am sharing with you here, is the Spicy Scrag End Pie, Bhogal’s divine version of shepherd’s pie, and the dish I always, always have at Jikoni; it is for me, a destination dish. One day, I will be back at her restaurant; in the meantime, I’m very happy to be able to make this at home.
Extract taken from Jikoni: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from an Immigrant Kitchen by Ravinder Bhogal (£26, Bloomsbury).
Photography © Kristin Perers.
