If you love Indian food, the chance that you own a cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey is pretty high. Her latest title, Curry Easy, is a must-have for curry lovers.

Madhur will be at the Good Food & Wine Show at the Durban Exhibition Centre from 28 to 31 July. We chatted to this culinary gem.

You trained as an actress. How did you become a cookbook author?

When I first arrived in New York, I could not easily get enough work as an actress so I started to supplement my income by writing for American magazines and newspapers.

I was asked to write an article about the foods that I grew up with as a child in India and that opened up a whole new world.

Do you have any favourite dishes from South Africa? 

Bobotie, bunny chow (just delicious), roasted corn sold on the street, the wonderful fish, the hundreds of spice mixtures sold in Durban's Indian markets and mango pickle sandwiches.

What's your favourite comfort food?

All manner of noodles and pastas, Asian or European.

Do you grow your own produce? What do you grow?

My garden only produces in the summer as our winters in New York are too cold.

In our short season I grow everything I can – peas, green beans, brinjals, cucumber, beetroot, kohlrabi, turnips, mustard greens, varieties of kale, chards of different colours, to name just a few.

Where do you see Indian cooking in 10 years' time?

I think most of the changes will occur in farming methods. Pesticides and genetically modified seeds are damaging the water and the land.

 GREAT CURRIES TO TRY

Chicken and prawn curry

Oven-baked lamb shank curry

Cape Malay lamb curry

Fragrant coconut and chicken wing curry