Madhur Jaffrey: How a former actor turned into an internationally-acclaimed chef

The popular Indian celebrity chef, Madhur Jaffrey is one of the few female chefs in the country who has garnered international acclaim, as she has successfully popularised Indian cuisine in the west. With dozens of cookbooks being published, Madhur Jaffrey is the only Indian celebrity chef to have her own television shows in the USA and England. Here is everything you need to know about Madhur Jaffrey.

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Madhur Jaffrey’s journey

Born in 1933, Madhur Jaffrey’s culinary journey began at the age of 19, when she left her home in Delhi to pursue her career in acting from England’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In an exclusive interview with a leading daily, Madhur Jaffrey revealed that while studying in college, she always dreamt of popularising Indian food in the country. Madhur added that she was unaware of the cooking techniques initially, but her mother sent her Indian recipes that were simple enough for her daughter to master. Speaking more about her experiments with Indian cuisine, Jaffrey added she tried to redefine stereotypes related to Indian cuisine in England by writing food columns for several publishers. In 1966, a popular international magazine ran a story on Madhur Jaffrey, called Indian Actress is a Star in the Kitchen Too. The piece discussed Jaffrey's work as both a cook and a food writer. Madhur Jaffrey, who was a former actor, began her career in the television industry as a host in a cooking show for a popular British channel  80s: Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery.

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A list of Madhur Jaffrey’s cookbooks

• Madhur Jaffrey’s World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking. New York: Knopf
• Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery. London: BBC Publications
• A taste of India. London: Pavilion
• Seasons of splendour: tales, myths & legends of India. London: Pavilion
• Madhur Jaffrey’s cookbook. Pavilion
• Madhur Jaffrey’s a Taste of the Far East. New York: Carol Southern
• Entertaining with Madhur Jaffrey. London: Pavilion
• Madhur Jaffrey’s market days: from market to market around the world.London: Victor Gollancz
• Madhur Jaffrey’s spice kitchen: fifty recipes introducing Indian spices and aromatic seeds. London: Pavilion
• The essential Madhur Jaffrey. London: Ebury
• Madhur Jaffrey cooks curries. London: BBC Books
• Robi Dobi: the marvellous adventures of an Indian elephant. London: Pavilion
• Madhur Jaffrey’s world vegetarian: an unrivalled sourcebook of over 600 recipes and ingredients from all over the globe. London: Ebury
• 2000. Madhur Jaffrey’s step-by-step cookery: over 150 dishes from India and the Far East including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. London: Ebury
• 2003. Madhur Jaffrey’s ultimate curry bible.London: Ebury
• 2005. Climbing the mango trees: a memoir of a childhood in India. London: Ebury

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