Chef profile - Minal Patel of Prashad

In the early 90s her son Bobby persuaded her to open a restaurant and soon we were queuing round the block on a windy corner plot to eat fragrant, gently spiced vegetarian dishes. Prashad – meaning blessed food – served up genuine Gujerati cuisine.

In 2004, Bobby’s wife Minal took the reins from Kaushy, and six years later she steered Prashad to success when it finished runner-up in Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, and the business went from strength to strength.

In 2012 it relocated to larger premises – a light-filled, high-ceilinged old stone building on the outskirts of town. Prashad is the only two-star AA and Michelin Bib Gourmand Indian Restaurant in Yorkshire. Minal has picked up the Prashad legacy and run with it, keeping the ethos of a warm welcome and authentic Gujarati food, bringing it bang up to date with finesse and innovation.

Can you remember the first dish you cooked? A traditional breakfast that uses leftover chapattis. Basically it’s broken chapattis re-cooked into a bubble and squeak-style dish. I was about 12 and both my grandmas were blown away. I remember them saying: “She has the touch.” I was very proud.

Who is your inspiration in the kitchen and why? Kunal Kapur is a famous chef – he was a judge on MasterChef India. I also love his seasonal approach and finesse.

Which is your favourite cook book? Growing up in India, I didn’t really have the opportunity to buy books, so I collected recipes from the newspaper and magazines – I would love trying these out on my neighbours. Nowadays I would say for my inspiration and knowledge I do refer to Gordon Ramsay’s dessert cookbook. I also enjoy flicking through my mother-in-law Kaushy’s first book.

If you organised a dinner party, which three people would you invite and why? My mum. I miss being around her and always love to cook for her. My best friend Vaishali – I miss her too, she lives in India. Finally Mayur, my brother-in-law (co-founder of Bundobust) who is a big foodie and always appreciates my creativity.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one ingredient you couldn’t do without and why? Well, being vegetarian I am sure the island will have lots of produce I can use. The main single ingredient I would like to have is cumin, because it can lift many dishes and add a lovely aroma.

Which piece of kitchen kit couldn’t you do without? My little masala blender. I use it every single day.

What are you doing during lockdown? Cooking! I’m creating new recipes at home and also running Prashad takeaway. It breaks my heart to have to refocus my kitchen into a takeaway, but it means we are doing something. I love the new #communitychaat initiative – it’s our pay-it-forward scheme to feed our local community during the pandemic. Every time you pay for your order, you’ll get the chance to add a little extra. Every penny donated goes towards preparing and delivering Prashad dishes to those who need it most. This could be NHS workers, care staff or other dedicated key workers. It could be a struggling family with many mouths to feed, or someone who’s just gone above and beyond to help their neighbours during this crisis.

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