BiBi The Cookbook: Stories from my Bibi
Chet Sharma
‘In every dish, there is a story waiting to be tasted, a past that refuses to be forgotten, and a love that continues to nourish long after the last bite is gone.’ – Trevor Noah
The debut cookbook from the lauded chef behind BiBi, the innovative and groundbreaking Indian restaurant in London beloved by critics and customers alike.
Chet Sharma began his career as an academic before working as a development chef for many of the world’s best restaurants, from Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain, to Moor Hall in West Lancashire, in the north of England. When the time came to open his own restaurant, his heritage and background provided the inspiration for BiBi, the name being a term used affectionately throughout India to mean ‘lady of the house’, or grandmother. Yet his food is much more than an homage to authentic Indian cuisine. ‘Our food doesn’t necessarily look Indian on the plate,’ Chet says. ‘It’s modern and progressive, but if an Indian grandmother walked into the dining room and tasted a dish, she would still understand its roots.’
Sharma’s much anticipated debut cookbook weaves together recipes for 60 of his exquisitely detailed signature dishes with a series of personal essays that explore his memories of the Indian subcontinent and the personalities and dishes of his heritage. Readers will discover iconic dishes from the restaurant’s repertoire, including ‘Nimbu Pani’, ‘Wookey-hole cheese papad,’ and the signature ‘Sharmaji’s Lahori Chicken’, as well as some of Chet’s playful takes on traditional Indian dishes, such as ‘Seekh Kebabs’ and 'Alphonso Mango Lassi’. A substantial ‘Essentials’ section presents recipes for BiBi’s bespoke masalas, stocks, and other core components of the restaurant’s unique menu.
BiBi The Cookbook also features reflections on the restaurant from some of its most esteemed guests, including Andoni Aduriz, Aziz Ansari, Mark Birchall, Ryan Chetiyawardana, Brett Graham, Tom Kerridge, Henrietta Lovell & Richard Hart, Trevor Noah, Olly Smith, and Hans Zimmer.
Dr Chet Sharma is chef-patron at BiBi in Mayfair. A second generation British Indian, Chet’s love of food and cooking was fuelled by time spent in the Indian subcontinent with his grandmothers. He studied Chemistry and Neurology at UCL, followed by a second Master’s and a PhD in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Oxford in 2012, he finally swapped academia for a career in some of the world’s finest Michelin-starred kitchens, before opening BiBi, his much-loved debut restaurant in Mayfair, London.
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