I'M called "Curry Walia" by my friends because I've always been cooking curries. I must have started when I was nine. And by now I can do about 19 curries without looking at any cookery book. That's my repertoire. I know these curries by heart. I do them every other day, so they come easy and natural to me. They're Thai, Malay, Indonesian and Indian curries. I can make most Indian curries. Maharashtrian, Goan, Saraswat, Mangalorean, I just love the curries of these cuisines, they are an expression of the way I feel. And I also create my own curries. It's easy when you know how, when you understand spices and ingredients, you can sort of visualise, fantasise tastes!

I come from an unique ethnic background. I am a Sardar, a Sikh, my name's really Karamjit Singh Walia, my paternal grandfather was a survivor of the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre. My father came from Burma and my mother had Maratha and Goan Saraswat blood in her. Her father was a Maratha Rajput. So you can see, this is a heady combination, not just of ethnic backgrounds, but of cuisine cultures as well.

Perhaps it's a reflection of my job, which is making people look beautiful, but I tend to look at men and women in terms of food! I can think of a macho man as a steak, isn't it amazing? And a sexy woman as an exotic creme brulee! Let's put it this way, the ideal 'me' in terms of a dish, would be a full-bodied curry that has been kept for three days. Some curries, especially coconut curries, you should not be served fresh. Keep it for some time, that way the flavours develop. In this same context, I see myself as a spicy curry. Quite tikka, because of my sharp tongue, and rich and full-bodied! You know, like a lovely prawn curry to be had with rice on a Sunday afternoon.

As a child, curries were comfort foods to me. I was a boarder at Mayo and though the food there was good by boarding school standards, I used to feel deprived. I spent a lot of time fantasising about food because I always used to be hungry. And then holiday time, I couldn't wait to come home and eat Narayan's rich curries with rice. Narayan was the cook my father picked up from one of these British ships that sailed between Madras and Rangoon. It was the custom at home that whenever we relished a particular dish, we went to the cook and said "thank you". So Narayan would remember what I like and specially make it for me again.

When we entertained at home, I used to help in the making of souffles and salads. My parents were great connoisseurs of food. They started me off on oysters when I was four! And when I was 15, I joined my father on this tour of Michelin restaurants that started in Belgium and ended in the South of France. We ate at all these small restaurants in inns that had been rated three Michelin stars for their outstanding food. Pheasant, lark's tongues, oh my God, pigeon casserole, rabbit, this peasant food in an iron pot, duck, hare, venison, turtle, such fabulous terrines, pates, roast duck. The tour lasted four months and I still remember every detail, every taste of it! I picked up cooking fast and easy. During my school holidays, which were generally two and half months, I used to cook and cook for over a month. My memory goes back to the places I visited, the food I ate, the consular parties I was taken to by my parents, Dutch, Hungarian, Scandinavian food, all exotic stuff, and Sunday brunch at the Hotel Sun-n-Sand for Rs. 12 a person, Gaylord restaurant for the perfect lobster thermidor, and the food I ate when I travelled, most of it exotic and raw, sea slugs, sea urchins, some pretty squeamish stuff like monkey brain and dog, snake and crocodile, escargots, raw conches...

But curries... I have a major love for coconut-based curries. I never use coconut milk out of packets. I make it at home, straining the coconuts myself. I also love souring agents like tamarind, kokum, lemon juice, raw mango, berries, amla, bimbli. And I'm particular, every masala that is used in a curry has to be ground on a stone at home. I think hand grinding brings out the flavours of the masalas. And the grinding stone that I have at home, has been in use since 1942! Just like my Baby Bells oven. Some spices I roast lightly on a tava before grinding. Either a dry roast or with a tiny drop of oil. After grinding these spices, the masala comes out richer and fuller in flavour. And some masalas, after grinding, I roast or fry to extract different flavours out of.

My biggest fear is boredom, and boredom of the palate would kill me. That's why I need constant variety in my tastes. I visit the markets when I'm doing specialised cooking. Otherwise the market comes to me. I get everything fresh except the chicken. I prefer frozen chicken. I like what freezing does to the chicken, I feel the texture of the meat after cooking is better. I go to the ethnic markets for rare ingredients. Like the kokum flower that Sindhis used in their dals you will only get in market places near Sindhi colonies. Effort pays. I believe what you put into cooking, you get back in your food.

My favourite curries are the red Goan prawn curry, the Sindhi kadhi with seven vegetables, the prawn curry with ripe mango and a peanut base, this is an Indonesian curry, that's why there is peanut, and for the mango I use the green langda. And my pride and joy, which is a mutton ishtew. If I make a coconut-based curry, I like it to be eaten with sticky rice. I use Basmati. And I slightly overcook it for the stickiness. For vinegar-based Goan, East Indian curries, I prefer bread. The gotli pav or Goan poi. Even French rolls would do. Sometimes I even make aapams or neer dosas to go with my curries. I once ate 14 aapams in one sitting with my mutton ishtew. These curries are so delightful, when I cook them, even Malaika Arora comes home to eat!