Madhur Jaffrey is a well-known writer and performer, whose work was seminal in introducing Indian and Asian cooking to the USA and UK.

Her first cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, was an instant hit, in 1973.

By then, Ms Jaffrey was already a Broadway name, living in New York. The Jaffreys' dinner parties were hugely popular, in part because of Madhur’s wonderful cooking, and attended by many celebrities, such as Merchant and Ivory.

She made her name from her family recipes, sent by her mother in letters from home, and their enthusiastic reception culminated in An Invitation to Indian Cooking.

Madhur Jaffrey takes us back to her childhood in Delhi, where her love of food was equalled by her love of acting, with Marlon Brando her cinematic role model.

Madhur Jaffrey …… Archie Panjabi
Ismail Merchant …… Raj Ghatak
Kashmiran Rani (Madhur’s mother) …… Balvinder Sopal
Mrs McKelvie …… Rina Mahoney

Leading dramatist Anjum Malik has used this iconic cookbook to create a drama series charting how the book came about.

Just as importantly, it maps Madhur’s acting career, from her childhood love of acting, through training at RADA, and on to her success in global cinema, winning the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her performance in Shakespeare Wallah, at the 1965 Berlin Film Festival.

Producer: Polly Thomas

A Somethin’ Else production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in February 2021. Show less