Nisha Katona MBE

Nisha Katona MBE has one main aim and that is to take the grind out of curry creation. She is all about transforming cheap often meagre, seasonal and conscientiously grown ingredients into divine curries – simply and quickly. From couch to curry in just three spices should be possible for everyone.

Nisha’s first book Pimp My Rice was published in 2015. Nisha’s book aims to impart readers with the secret formulas of the Indian kitchen in the form of a rice bible. Nisha’s second book, The Spice Tree, was published in 2017. It showcases beautifully straightforward authentic recipes, aimed at simplifying Indian food to four easy steps. Nisha’s third book Mowgli Street Food was published in 2018 and tells the stories and recipes from her Mowgli restaurants for people at home.

Nisha has appeared in various television programmes including presenting her 2018 series on BBC2 Recipes that Made Me, which saw Nisha travelling the UK to meet families cooking dishes from all over the Indian subcontinent.  In 2018, Nisha was also the judge on BBC2’s hugely popular new series Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge, where she helped to find the UK’s best amateur artisan food producers.

Nisha has made regular appearances on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and ITV’s Lorraine, demonstrating her fool-proof, simple recipes with ease and an infectious passion for her food. Nisha is a regular on BBC1’s The One Show and features in BBC2’s new series with Fred Sirieix Remarkable Places to Eat.  Nisha’s most exciting venture is her restaurant business, Mowgli’s Street Food. Mowgli is all about the fresh reality of Indian home cooking, it is a million miles away from the ‘curry house’ experience.

Mowgli dishes follow the Hindu tradition of garlic and onion-free dishes for lunch; they are low fat, gluten free, high in natural antioxidants and free from any artificial ingredients. The first Mowgli opened in Liverpool, in 2015. It was such a success that a second site in Manchester’s sought-after Corn Exchange building opened soon after, followed by four further Mowgli restaurants: A second in Liverpool; Birmingham New Street; Nottingham and Oxford. Plans are afoot to open more sites across the UK… Watch this space!

Prior to taking on the restaurant business, Nisha was a practising Barrister, in child protection. In 2008 the Department of Culture, Media and Sport appointed her as a trustee of National Museums Liverpool. In 2009, the Cabinet Office appointed her as an Ambassador for Diversity in Public Appointments; in this capacity Nisha has been engaged as an expert advisor by The Guardian newspaper.