Lockdown Diaries: Oli Khan’s Surma Takeaway to distribute thousands of free hot meals to frontline workers in the UK
The holy month of Ramadan 2020 will be remembered in history for coinciding with one of the worst pandemics of all time, and this has changed the way Ramadan is being observed globally this year. However this has not dampened the spirit of compassion and generosity during this sacred time. Celebrated chef Oli Khan FRSA and Surma takeaway in Stevenage have...
Lockdown Diaries: Restauranteur Chinten Pandya supports NHS workers and the needy with free Indian meals
Chinten Pandya, a civil engineer and restaurant owner of Desi Dhaba, had to close his businesses following the government's guidelines but he and his wife Mona have never been busier. They are using his Feb-launched restaurant to feed hundreds of NHS workers, the vulnerable and needy in the community. The Wembley-based Director of Apna Construction Ltd. has turned the restaurant...
Lockdown Diaries: Teenager Jai Aswani on a mission to feed the hungry in India by collecting 100 tonnes of food grains
Our initiative Mission 100 Tonnes was born out of distress calls we received from old age homes, orphanages, and pet shelters in Chennai, during the government-imposed lockdown in India three weeks back. Since then, there has been no looking back for us. The number of marginalised people requiring help during the unprecedented time of the COVID-19 outbreak has increased...
A bowl of traditional Goan Vonn to celebrate Easter
Growing up in the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai in India, I very unwittingly was initiated into our rich heritage of Goan and Indian traditions. Goa - The Portuguese ruled over this beautiful state of sun and gorgeous beaches for almost 450 years up until 1961! That meant that our Goan cuisine and the states religious beliefs had Portuguese influences as...
Lockdown Diaries: story of the peas egg bhurji and tawa paratha, scrambled up in ten minutes
For a Guju like me, the ultimate "comfort food" is DBRS (daal-bhaat-rotli-shaak or daal, chawal, roti, sabji, or lentils, rice, Indian bread and veggies for the uninitiated). But if there is one more food item which provides the ultimate warmth of home cooked food and that long lingering ghar-ka-khana taste (home-style taste) on your taste buds, that is Vimla Aunty's...
Vanilla cupcakes with cream-cheese frosting baked to perfection by a 5-year-old
The spread of the horrific Coronavirus that originated in China has reached Canadian borders, with the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire, testing positive for COVID-19. She is one of the over 8000 cases recorded on Canadian soil so far, and while 1200 people have recovered, more than a 100 have lost their lives to the virus. Like many countries across...
Oli Khan decimates Guinness World Record for largest onion bhaji
Food is just one of the aspects of Indian culture that has been taken to the hearts of the British people. At one point, the most popular dish in the UK was a curry. However, in recent years the number of curry houses has been dropping, due to a variety of reasons. So what does internationally-recognised master chef Oli Khan...
What is Global Indian Stories?
Global Indian Stories is all about Indians being able to share their stories with their communities and around the world. Since we launched, we've had the pleasure of a wide variety of stories from countries across the globe. We're proud to present a selection from our archive, to give you a flavour of what globalindianstories.org is all about. Literacy and...
Home-made choco bar by a nine-year-old
I am not a great fan of chocolate - although that might seem a little strange since all children like chocolate. I love fruity flavours more than pure chocolate. So the chocolate bar I made included dry raspberries, watermelon-flavoured popping candy, and bits of honeycomb. If you like dry fruits like almonds, nuts, and raisins then you shall enjoy this...
Foodies – Zaman Restaurant
It's easy to miss Zaman, a restaurant situated in the basement of the Old Qubec Street in the heart of the city's cosmopolitan hub. The restaurant was named after the former chef, Mahmud Zaman, rebranded to cater to the Sportsman Casino's global clientèle, located one floor above the restaurant. The multi-award-winner Head Chef Mahmud Zaman has left to join the Palm Beach...