04 December 2015

Meet Sharmini - our new recipe collaborator!

• bombay potatoes,
• cooking,
• curry,
• kebabs,
• Recipes,
• Sharmini,
• spices,
• tandoori,
• turmeric

We’re really pleased to announce our new partnership with Sharmini Thomas.  Originally from Kerala, Southern India, but now based in York, Sharmini runs her own cookery courses, is a cookery tutor for the City of York, and is a presenter and judge for York Food & Drink Festival.   We’re delighted to be partnering with her on some new recipes to highlight the Steenbergs Indian spices and blends and are looking forward to an exciting 2016 where we’ll be demonstrating and videoing, sharing top tips along the way.

1. Tell us a bit about what you’re up to at the moment:

I am Sharmini Thomas and my Company is Sharmini’s Inspirational Indian Cuisine which denotes my passion for cooking and inspiring everyone to cook simple delicious homemade food. I’m originally from Kerala but I’m now settled in York where I have been teaching Indian cuisine for the past 17 years.

I am a presenter and judge at the York Food and Drink Festival and won the 'Yorkshire Vision Curry Contest' through public vote against several reputable York curry houses.

I also deliver cookery demonstrations for Radio York and local schools, as well as offering team building events, hands-on cookery workshops and networking events to corporate clients through the ‘medium’ of cooking.

2. Who was your inspiration?

Indian cooking is an art handed down from generation to generation in India and my mother was my inspiration, she shared her love through food.

3. Tell us about some of the recipes you will be cooking for Steenbergs:

I’ve recently done a version of Bombay Potatoes, which is a very popular dish in the UK and a great accompaniment to any Indian dish.  I’ve also shared my version of Tandoori Shammi Kebabs, made with minced lamb.  Kebabs originated from the Middle East and were made famous in India during the Mogul reign.

4. What are you looking forward to about the partnership with Steenbergs?

A marriage of ‘Spices with recipes’!

Steenbergs had sent some of their spices and I decided to use them in preparing my usual curries. Wow! To my surprise, the curries tasted so much better as the spices took it up another notch.  It then dawned on me what I have been missing all these years…

These are some of partnership ideas to share with you all:

• Sharing some of my classic recipes using Steenbergs spices and blends.
• Recipe development - coming up with new dishes using different organic Steenbergs blends
• Use of Steenbergs spices in my cookery workshops and courses
• Cookery demonstrations - joint cookery demonstrations next year
• Customer involvement - asking customers to post pictures of their versions of the recipes.

We will be happy to hear from you on any other ideas?

5. What is your favourite Indian dish?

Chicken/Lamb biryani: a one pot dish with memories of family get together back in India

6. Which spice could you not live without?

Turmeric powder: it has so many health benefits.

7. Who would you most like to have dinner with?

Family and friends- looking forward to our Christmas lunch at home.

8. What is your favourite piece of Yorkshire?

Villages of Yorkshire-very scenic and lovely fresh air –we are really blessed to live in such a beautiful county.

For full details of her recipes, visit: www.steenbergs.co.uk/recipes

For more details on Sharmini’s cookery courses visit her website: www.sharmini.co.uk