Feedback with Nadiya Hussain

Feedback with Nadiya Hussain

It hardly seems possible that it's 10 years since Nadiya rose to fame after winning the 6th series of The Great British Bake Off.

To say winning changed her life is an understatement. As well as presenting her cookery programmes, writing a monthly column for The Times, and writing children's books she is about to have her 10th cookery book published. Rooza is Nadiya's tribute to the holy month of Ramadhan with inspiration for the 30 days and feasts for Eid festivities, to give you a taste, take a look at the recipes we have on Delia Online here

Here, she tells us why onions are her number one ingredient, what her quick supper is and why chocolate must be eaten cold from the fridge and never lukewarm!

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Photo by Chris Terry

What food always reminds you of your childhood?
There are so many foods that remind me of home, many of which I cook for my children now. In the hope that they will have similar memories to me. Chicken Korma is the one that reminds me of home. It’s a simple curry made with ginger, garlic, onions and lots of whole spices. It is a dish that I cook only twice a year during Eid celebration. Which makes it all the more special and exciting, to make and to eat.

Do you have a current favourite restaurant or type of restaurant?
I love Thai food. I think it’s because it’s so close in terms of flavour to Bangladeshi flavours. I love eating in great Indian restaurants, like Dishoom and Darjeeling Express. I also really love great chain restaurants like Pho that do delicious Vietnamese food.
 
What food or ingredient could you not do without?
Onions! Onions are so overlooked. They are the starting point to most of the greatest dishes, yet we totally overlook them and don’t think about what the dish would be without the humble onions. Onions are versatile, flavourful and a total kitchen staple ingredient.

Do you recognise the Nadiya who won Bake Off all those years ago? 
Nadiya from the Bake-off days has changed and evolved and grown in more ways than I ever could have imagined. But I am still very much the same person I was when I won bake off. I am still completely unsure of myself, I am still riddled with anxiety, but I am the same person that works really hard, that never stops trying and will always strive to be better and to do better.

Why did you decide to collaborate with Schwartz to create a range of spice kits, mixes and seasonings?
I grew up with spices and often people who perhaps are not that confident with spices have a preconceived idea about them. Spices often directly link to spicy, which is untrue. So, I kind of made it my mission to show people that they can really enjoy spices and feel confident cooking with them.

At the end of a long day, what is your quick supper? 
I pretty much always have leftovers at home, because I cook fresh every day. That is a blessing in itself, so I am lucky enough to always have meals knocking about. But for me a quick supper would be a masala omelette, with lots of onions, chillies and coriander. I like eating that hot (leftover) with green chillies on the side and a wedge of Bangladeshi lime.

What was the most memorable meal you can remember eating? 
I have been lucky enough to grow up around amazing cooks, so I could write all day, because I have eaten some spectacular meals that I never had to step foot into a restaurant for. But one of my most memorable meals would have to be at my friend’s house. She has a Turkish husband and is learning to master some incredible Turkish meals. She makes the most amazing Dolma I have ever eaten.

Is there something you always keep in the fridge?
I always keep chocolate in the fridge. Chocolate has no business being eaten lukewarm! I love the cold snap of a good chocolate and I love how the warmth of the mouth melts it gently. My favourite would have to be a Lindt Excellence Bar, dark chocolate with a hint of sea salt.

What would be your last supper if literally anything was available to you and where would you eat it? 
My last meal would be my samosas. I love samosas, I can eat platefuls of them. I particularly enjoy a lamb mince and pea samosa, wrapped into classic triangular shape, in a crisp pastry, deep fried. I like to eat my samosas with garlic mayonnaise, all with a nice super sweet cup of chai. I would eat it outside. There is nothing greater than eating great food, outside, whether it's summer or winter, food is wonderful outdoors.

Rooza by Nadiya Hussain (Penguin Michael Joseph £25) is out on 23 January 2025

WIN A COPY OF ROOZA PLUS NADIYA HUSSAIN LOVES X PRESTIGE COOKWARE IN OUR COMPETITION