I'm passionate about good food, that means great tasting but healthy as well. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Eating right is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and it doesn't have to be boring or difficult. That's how and why I started on this venture. 

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Living in a multi-generational household has many upsides, but spare time is a luxury not often available. We love foods from all over the world, but inevitably traditional home cooked Punjabi food is the staple and only fresh will do. I wanted to make my life easier and get the job done quickly, but not compromise on taste. The most important part is getting the masala mix and combination of herbs and spices right. I’ve tried all sorts of curry pastes, sadly nothing met the standards for flavour that I was looking for. So, I started experimenting with my own spice combinations, trying to ensure the resulting curries would remain authentic in taste. At the same time I needed to make sure I stuck to the principles of healthy eating. That's why I used whole ingredients, and stayed clear of artificial preservatives and have no added salt.

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After two years of testing and trialling I had a curry paste containing over 20 herbs and spices.  I was making curries in 30 minutes and the taste, according to my family was great. A few of my friends and family tried my concoction, they also received rave reviews.

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Of course, I realised I’m not the only one that is time poor and likes genuine flavour rather than a dish so hot it’s a challenge to eat. My next step was to see if a wider audience would be equally enthusiastic. I discovered it didn’t matter whatever your cooking skills, you could make impressive curries with little fuss. The comments and feedback continued to be so positive, I felt I could take what I had created from my kitchen and out to the market.

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Why name the venture Kharal Masala? Kharal is an Urdu/Punjabi name for a mortar, many people still grind spices the old-fashioned way. I’m calling my first product, the curry paste, Masala Burst. It just sounds right.

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I'm still learning all the time, and what's been really encouraging is the diversity of customers. I've begun to work with Waste Free shops in London, which I am really happy about given the importance of the environment. Some of my most enthusiastic customers are from the vegan and vegetarian community, who say Masala Burst helps make vegan food tasty.