SUMAYYA USMANI'S SINDHI KARRI
BBC Good Food UK|August 2020
In this series, we’re celebrating the world’s best comfort food by asking chefs and food writers to share the dishes they love from their backgrounds. Here, food writer and cookery teacher Sumayya Usmani shares hers as told to TONY NAYLOR
TONY NAYLOR
SUMAYYA USMANI'S SINDHI KARRI
When Sumayya Usmani arrived in London in 2005, she felt she couldn’t get a real Pakistani dish in any restaurant. The Karachi-born lawyer was stung by that absence. ‘I felt this need to speak about and identify Pakistani food,’ says Sumayya, who began to write, teach, and – in books such as her 2016 cookbook Summers Under The Tamarind Tree – demystify Pakistani cuisine for a Western audience. Not that this contributor to The Kitchen Café on BBC Radio Scotland is solely focused on South Asian cooking. After quitting the legal profession, Sumayya moved to Glasgow (‘my second home’), where she runs Kaleyard, a non-profit cookery school that offers commercial classes to fund lessons for disadvantaged groups. ‘I wanted Kaleyard to celebrate Glasgow’s multi-ethnicity and sense of community.

‘My dad is a lawyer, but unlike many privileged Pakistanis, we didn’t have a cook. Mum loved cooking, and often did it with my gran, who lived next door. On dad’s side, his mum was “head chef” to five aunts who cooked every meal from scratch. Every woman in the family cooked beautifully, and loved that kitchen togetherness. One entertainment absolutely embedded in the Pakistani lifestyle is feeding masses of family. There’s no eating for two – it’s always fifteen!

‘I learned to cook not from recipes, but vicariously. You grow up in the kitchen making chapattis or sauces, and by watching, hearing and tasting, you learn without realising. In Urdu, “andaza” means “cooking from your senses”. It’s about trusting yourself and what you like, recreating the memory of a flavour by taste, touch and feel. That cooking by estimation is hard to teach, but Pakistani cooking is very sensory.

Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av BBC Good Food UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av BBC Good Food UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BBC GOOD FOOD UKSe alt
'I make food that's multipurpose'
BBC Good Food UK

'I make food that's multipurpose'

In our series on managing the rising cost of living, we asked you how you're adapting and for your tips on making the grocery shop go further

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
Subtle flavours for sunny days
BBC Good Food UK

Subtle flavours for sunny days

Enjoy the many May bank holidays with something dry, refreshing and fruity

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
Kung Pao & Beyond by Susan Jung
BBC Good Food UK

Kung Pao & Beyond by Susan Jung

Editor Keith Kendrick indulges his love of fried chicken with this celebration of the whole bird

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2023
'THE WORLD'S BEST'
BBC Good Food UK

'THE WORLD'S BEST'

Sandwiched with meringue and cream, this light and airy Norwegian party cake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
The power of growing your own
BBC Good Food UK

The power of growing your own

Growing veg offers more than sustenance for some, be it a means to connect with their country of birth, or a way to recreate flavours enjoyed overseas. Here I speak to growers - for businesses and at home - about why they got into it and what it means to grow your own

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2023
Our school dinner meals go down a storm
BBC Good Food UK

Our school dinner meals go down a storm

A desire to pay it forward led Samantha Couzens to meeting her best friend Penny Hill, and the pair have been cooking together ever since

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Johnny Godden's fish & chips
BBC Good Food UK

Johnny Godden's fish & chips

The boss of Cornwall's Flying Fish Seafoods shares his favourite recipe, evoking memories of his childhood

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
watercress
BBC Good Food UK

watercress

Rich in vitamins and minerals, this salad leaf also adds a fresh burst of peppery flavour to a variety of dishes

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2023
let's eat more fish
BBC Good Food UK

let's eat more fish

Try this nutritious midweek main that's effortless to make and counts as two of your five-a-day

time-read
1 min  |
May 2023
veggie weekdays
BBC Good Food UK

veggie weekdays

Go meat-free Monday to Friday and enjoy more of your five-a-day with these cost-efficient recipes

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2023