How to make Soft White Flour Rotis by Yudhika Sujanani

Celebrity chef, and author, Yudhika Sujanani's fondest childhood memory is of "being just tall enough to look out [her] parents bedroom window...remembering that the world looked only that high!" She remembers having to stand on her toes to look over the window sill. "The willow tree fascinated me endlessly. I have just bought a house with a massive willow tree -- it would appear some memories stay with you subconsciously," explains Yudhika.
Much of Yudhika's youth was spent in hotel kitchens due to her mother's career as a professional chef. Her first job, as an assistant in the Chantecler Hotel kitchen in Durban, was landed while she was only in grade seven. She enthusiastically tackled anything handed to her, and seized the opportunity to learn the industry secrets while surrounded by good food.
She took a waitressing job in a hotel at 15, but quickly graduated to baking cakes in the kitchen. Although Yudhika took pleasure in the interaction with patrons, her first love was the food. The experiences of her early years informed the way Yudhika ran her restaurant, Salaam Bombay. She made an added effort to ensure her guests contentment by leaving the kitchen to personally take orders; a measure that proved to promote the restaurant's dazzling success.
Salaam Bombay was opened in 2003 and sold in 2009. Yudhika affirms that although it was "incredibly hard work", it was also "enormously satisfying". Challenges were constant and Salaam Bombay developed a reputation for tailor- made gourmet curries. From "garlic free or blow your socks off spicy...nothing was impossible" and Yudhika made it look easy, in heels no less, and diamond earrings!
Having worked with meticulous and talented Chefs Nikki Gibbs and Rudi Liebenberg, Yudhika is a proud supporter of South African Chefs. "I really do believe where chefs are concerned that 'Local is Lekker'!" She believes that South African chefs "are hard working, talented and incredibly creative."
Curry Club
After fulfilling the dream of owning her own restaurant, Yudhika focused her attention on more innovative ways of sharing food. The Curry Club was a concept born out of her passion for entertaining, combined with her generous spirit, aiming to raise funds for humanitarian projects such as that of the Starfish Foundation. Catering a three-course meal for complete strangers in her home, Yudhika would take a collection for the Starfish Foundation at the end of the evening. Curry Club was soon fully booked month-on-month and remains so.
Current Projects
Yudhika has authored two recipe books, 'Curry Me Home' and 'Curry Me Home again', and hopes to be releasing a third book early in 2012. Her 'Curry Me Home' complementary range of spices, is available in a number of SPAR retailers country-wide and provides the foundation for many of her dishes. The spices are roasted and fused accordingly to form an exclusive blend. With an initial order of 120 bottles, which sold out in an hour, the range undoubtedly started off with a bang. "The demand is overwhelming! Developing an all in one spice paste is something that I would like to work on next," says Yudhika.
Despite her busy schedule, this wife and mother of three (five if you include her two Afghan puppies), still manages to visit the gym occasionally, as well as cook a hearty meal at her Fourways home for her family daily. She advises her children to follow their hearts, and "remember to assist others where possible...in return, they will never let you fall."
Her guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs is to "always go with your instinct, and remember that if you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life, like me!".
When having a meal cooked by Yudhika Sujanani, you can expect to taste the love in the food, as this master chef believes that food should always be cooked from the heart. Audiences can anticipate seeing this personality in action with the launch of her online TV show in 2012 in association with AMC cookware, which is set to be entertaining and positively inspiring. Yudhika joined the AMC Cookware team in October 2011. AMC Cookware has been the cookware of choice and she is delighted to have been appointed as a brand ambassador especially since the pots have been in her home for as long as she can remember. Her mom and grandmother bought a set of AMC in 1970 and it is still used for everyday cooking.
She is also the author of a food column for The Post newspaper and has her own Food24.com blog called ChefYudhika.