The Sporkful Asma Khan Says Women Shouldn't Cook For Free
Mar 9, 2026
Asma Khan, London-based self-taught chef and restaurateur behind Darjeeling Express, champions women cooks and Indian home-cooking. She recalls growing up in Kolkata, launching secret supper clubs, and staffing her restaurant entirely with women. Conversations cover funding the restaurant, her food philosophy, why papadams do not belong in a tuna sandwich, and her insistence on an open kitchen.
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Food As A Marker Of Gendered Power
- Food distribution in Asma's childhood symbolized gender and power: men and boys were served first while girls got the rejects.
- She remembers being given burnt rotis and broken eggs at family gatherings, a lasting emotional wound.
Learning To Cook Through Homesickness
- Asma Khan learned to cook after moving to Cambridge because she was homesick and couldn't even boil an egg.
- She returned to India for month-long visits where her mother and aunts taught her family recipes and cooking by feel, transforming her from novice to confident cook.
Supper Clubs Turned Personal Menu Lessons
- Asma began hosting secret supper clubs in her apartment while her husband was away to share the food she grew up with.
- The events grew from ~12 to ~45 guests, letting her present Indian food in the sequence she preferred and teach people how to eat dishes together.