Anand was born in Kochi, an idyllic city on the southern coast of India. Kochi, also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, has been the centre of the Indian spice trade since the 14th century. Anand was raised in an upper middle class family with a rich culinary tradition and developed a taste for food and cooking at a young age. After finishing college with a major in commerce he left Kochi to follow his passion. He received his Diploma in Culinary Arts and Kitchen Administration from the Indian Institute of Hotel Management, a part of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces group, the premier hotel chain in India.

Although formally trained in Indian, Asian, and Western cuisine, Anand specialized in South Indian cuisine. He ran the South Indian operations at the Taj Coromandel Hotel, Chennai and Leela Kempinski, Mumbai before moving to London. He worked at the Zaika restaurant and later at the La Porte Des Indes, two leading Indian restaurants in London, before starting his own venture with the support of a group of investors – The Mint and Mustard.

While he trained and worked at the most renowned culinary institutions in India and abroad, Anand never lost sight of the fact that the true soul of Indian cuisine resides in the villages and small towns where many authentic family recipes, refined through generations, were to be found. Fluent in several languages, he spent many months traveling and living with the local populace in Southern India, always researching new recipes and exchanging information.

Although modern in presentation, Anand’s recipes carefully selected from north and south Indian cuisines are rooted in family traditions that go back hundreds of years and have been handed lovingly from one generation to the next. The mix is subtle and exciting, creating a joie de vivre that has to be experienced.

ALLEPPEY FISH CURRY

Sword fish 500gms
Onions 100gms
Ginger 30gms
Green chilli 6nos
Curry leaves few sprigs
Coconut oil 30ml
Red chilli powder 30gms
Turmeric powder 08gms
Coconut milk 400ml
Raw mangoes 50gms
Salt to taste.

1. Heat oil in a pan; add sliced onions, slit green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and sauté till transparent.
2. Add chilli powder, Turmeric powder and sauté for few minutes.
3. Add the raw mangoes (peeled and diced) and water (150 ml) and simmer till the mangoes are soft.
4. Add the thick extract of coconut milk and boil.
5. Add the fish and salt cook till the fish is done- 7 minutes. (Approx)