Parenthood, paneer and the maelstrom of modern life
Amol’s life is a whirlwind. “I’ve got four, as far as I’m aware. Yeah. Under nine,” he joked, referencing his young brood. “Five, three and one. I’m in the maelstrom.” Between the demands of family, journalism and broadcasting, cooking has become both sanctuary and stage.
Yet, it’s not just about feeding hungry mouths. Cooking, for Amol, is a way to reclaim joy and connection in a fast-paced world. “Since I’ve started following you on Instagram, my life has got much better,” he told Claire. “You really have transformed my evenings from being quite crap to being significantly better.”
The anatomy of a favourite: Amol’s paneer curry
So, what makes Amol’s paneer curry so special? The secret is in the simplicity – and the spice. “You create a base with some tomato and onion that you reduce down with a lovely mixture of spices. Quite a lot of ghee,” he explained. The paneer, “essentially an Indian cottage cheese,” is fried separately for those all-important crisp edges before being folded into the rich, spiced sauce.
The kitchen banter was as lively as the cooking. “Can I just say how happy I am to be here?” Amol beamed, before launching into a detailed discussion of cumin’s citrusy notes and the virtues of fresh versus ground spices. “I’m very Indian, I think, in my food consumption and cumin to me… it’s so pungent. It’s so aromatic.”
Claire, ever the chef, gently guided the process, suggesting coriander stalks for the sauce and leaves for garnish. “It’s almost like you really, really, really know what you’re talking about,” Amol quipped, as the duo chopped, stirred and tasted their way to the perfect curry.
A taste of home, a dash of nostalgia
For Amol, food is deeply personal. He grew up in South London, the child of parents from different corners of India — his mother from Pune near Bombay, his father from Tamil Nadu. “My mum is actually the best cook in the world,” he said, recalling childhood dinners of dosa, idli and sour, spicy rasam soup. “She just spends all day cooking all the time.”
Paneer curry is a family favourite, a dish his mother always made when he visited. “There’s certain things that, you know, mums know… she makes it, I love it. My mum does it in loads of different ways.”
Food, family and the digital age
The conversation roamed from the pleasures of ghee to the perils of social media, with Amol reflecting on the challenges facing young people—and parents—today. “I think it’s harder being a young person these days. Smartphones and all of that palava, I think it’s hard.”
Cooking, he suggested, is a way to ground the chaos. “I like structuring a weekend around cooking… buying some ingredients and cooking and that being the main activity.” It’s also a way to bring his children into the fold, whether making strawberry ice cream or coaxing them to try new flavours. “The great challenge of parenthood in the modern age: how not to just cook pasta every night.”
Seasoning, salt and the pursuit of flavour
As the curry neared completion, the talk turned to seasoning. “Salt brings out flavour, doesn’t it?” Claire mused. Amol agreed, recalling a lesson from cookery school: “Pepper is not seasoning. Pepper is a spice. If you put salt on chocolate, it’ll taste more of chocolate.”
The final flourish? A squeeze of lemon juice and a scattering of fresh coriander. “That’s delicious, isn’t it?” Claire declared, tasting the finished dish. Amol was equally pleased. “This is absolutely delicious. I’m not gonna lie, I could be humble about it, but I mean…”
A recipe for life
For Amol, food is more than sustenance – it’s a lifeline. With a family history of diabetes, he’s mindful about health, but never at the expense of flavour. “I’m trying to avoid starchy carbs… but salt and fat is key to make things delicious.”
As the plates were served and the last stories shared, one thing was clear: in Amol’s kitchen, as in his journalism, curiosity, heart and a pinch of spice make all the difference.
