Traditional Indian food is the current cuisine-of-the-month, turning up everywhere from trendy fusion restaurants to local pubs. Nowhere is this more true than in England, where curry has replaced fish and chips as the country's most popular food. British foodie Anjum Anand decided to take Indian food out of the restaurant world and teach people how to make Indian recipes at home. Her goal? To make Indian food not only easy, but also healthy, too. Nirali caught up with Anand in London to talk about her first cookbook, Indian Every Day: Light, Healthy Indian Food.

When did you learn to cook?
I have always loved to cook and I have memories of happily helping my mum in the kitchen as she prepared our meals. I learned everything I know about food from her and her five sisters. Even today when I go back to India, they will make new and interesting dishes for me to try. I took all the recipes I learned from them and developed healthier versions of the originals, all the while trying not to compromise the dishes' character.

The funny thing is, after all the time I spent helping my mum in the kitchen, she now gives me a call because she can't remember her own recipes. She even admits to sneaking a look though my cookbook as a refresher every now and then.

How did you end up in the food industry?
After studying business in college and spending several years working in the corporate world, I realized that a fulfilling career was not going to be found behind a desk. I started to revive my interest in cooking, which had been a love since childhood but had fallen by the wayside after high school home economics classes. I then spent several years experimenting with and learning more about Indian food. As my passion grew, I started thinking about getting involved in the food industry. I began traveling extensively, spending time in India and also working in the food world. I worked everywhere from a fast food chain to an Indian restaurant, a trendy LA catering company to an even trendier LA hotel. Eventually I came up with the idea to write my own cookbook.

Writing a cookbook is quite a jump from working in the restaurant business. What inspired you to take that route, and how did you come up with the idea to compile a book of light Indian recipes?
As a kid, I had been brought up on my mother's delicious Indian food. By the time I was 18, I had developed a lifelong love for food, as well as 75 extra pounds to show for it. After trying every diet in the book, I decided the only way I was going to lose weight was to reinvent the food I had grown up with.

I began steadily changing all the meals I ate from full fat to low fat, but I wanted to incorporate the meals I loved into my life rather than sticking to simple grilled and steamed foods. Initially, I cooked with no oil in any of the dishes I made for myself. Then as I learned how the properties of fat affected and changed ingredients into the dishes we know and love, I reintroduced it in moderate quantities so as to retain the original character of the dish. The idea of making a career of it came from friends and family who kept insisting that I open a restaurant so that they could eat my food whenever they wanted and not just when I felt like cooking. Finally, I did a little research and found there were no books about easy, healthy Indian food on the market, so I decided to write my own.

What obstacles did you face in getting your book published?
I found it quite difficult to break into the food world. Even though there were no healthy Indian cookbooks on the shelves, publishers were apprehensive to bet on a new face, especially since hardcover, full-color cookbooks are often an expensive endeavor. But I persevered and when I finally met my publisher, the whole thing came together very quickly. It really was the most amazing feeling. But I was scared to tell anyone in case something went wrong before it was published—I think that was typical Indian superstition.

How long did it take you to write the book? Were there challenges that you didn't expect?
The book was a labor of love and evolved over a couple of years. I started off by cooking all the dishes and getting the recipes exactly right. Then I went about writing the book in the traditional cookbook fashion—chapters on starters, chicken, fish, vegetables, etc. However, somewhere down the line it morphed into a book that reflected the way we really eat. I decided to include chapters for entertaining, those for meals for one, others for family dishes and other lifestyle specific chapters. We all lead such different and varied lives that a meal will mean something different to each of us. I wanted the book to be useful to the modern eater, whether she lives in the heart of the city or in the depth of the countryside.

What future projects are you working on?
I have started putting together an outline for my next book, which will probably continue on the same theme. I have also signed up with a large British manufacturer as its consultant Indian chef and I am endorsing its next Indian range, coming out within the next couple of months. This is a very exciting project for me as I have lots of great ideas on how to take Indian food forward in the future. Also, I am four months pregnant, so I am looking forward to a new life being a mother and passing my recipes on to my own child someday.

Serves 4 (quantities can be doubled)

1 tbsp vegetable oil 1/2 small onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp garlic paste 1/2 tsp ginger paste 1 green chile, left whole or chopped for added heat (optional) 1 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1-2 good pinches of red chili powder

Salt to taste 2 small tomatoes, ground or grated 9 ounces hot water 3 eggs, hard-boiled (about 8 minutes in boiling water) and halved lengthwise 1/2 tsp garam masala Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled Handful of chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stalks)

Heat the oil in a small non-stick saucepan and gently fry the onion until golden, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, green chile (if using), coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Follow with tomatoes and cook on a high heat for 5 minutes.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the egg halves and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Carefully stir in the remaining spices and fresh coriander and serve hot.

Serves 4-5

1 tsp vegetable oil 1/2 small onion, finely sliced 2 small tomatoes, each cut into 8 sections 1/2 tsp ginger paste 1 green chile, left whole 1 tsp paprika Salt to taste 1/2 tsp turmeric 5 tbsp coconut milk powder 5 ounces water 3/4 ounce block of tamarind, soaked and juice extracted

2-3 large fish steaks, cut into 4-6 portions Paste: 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped 3 fat garlic cloves 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 good pinch each of brown mustard seeds and black peppercorns 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds or powder 2-3 large mild red chilies, seeded and roughly chopped 3 1/2 ounces hot water

First, make the paste. Put all the paste ingredients except the water into a blender or food processor, and process, adding the water slowly, until you have a very fine and fluffy paste. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and fry the onion for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, ginger paste, chile, paprika, salt and turmeric. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the paste and cook, covered, over a moderate heat for 10-12 minutes.

Add the coconut powder together with the water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tamarind juice to taste.

Add the fish and swirl the pan to coat it thoroughly. Cook at a moderate to high heat for 5-6 minutes or until the fish is done. Adjust the seasoning and liquid content. The gravy should be creamy but not thick.