Sarah Todd and Sabi unite for scratch cooking Indian flavours and fresh ideas for Farm to Fork season 2 every weekday on Network 10.

Time to get excited and learn some quick and easy hero recipes through the magnificent Celebrity Chef Sarah Todd, showcased on Farm to Fork, Season 2, every weekday from 4 pm on Network 10.

Although, Indian cuisine is absolutely delicious, it’s taken the back seat in home cooking across households within Australia. This is attributed to the often laborious and multiple techniques required to make an authentic Indian dish. However, thanks to Sarah Todd and Farm to Fork, cooking flavoursome Indian food just got easier. In one word – Pattu.

Pattu is a brand of popular products, synonymous with quality spices and Indian food. Taste the Tradition is the company’s motto and their success, since its inception in the 1950s, is due to the quality and consistency of their ingredients. Sabitha Uvaraja, known as Sabi, from Pattu (Sabi Foods), elaborates in an interview with G’day India, ‘In spices, freshness is our secret. Our strong distribution network gets the spice products into the stores from our base in Malaysia within the minimum time it is ground, ensuring freshness is delivered to the end users in Australia.’

Sabi also has a strong professional and emotional connection to the brand and its name. Her pioneering grandfather, Mr Nallathambi, set up the business of grinding spices in India, for the daily use of everyday cooking. He named the brand Pattu, after his wife, which means silk in Tamil. He then took the spice milling business to Singapore, and in the 1970’s, Sabi’s father took over the business and began the packed and packaged version of the freshly milled spices for convenience and to retain freshness.

In 1999, Sabi’s husband, Uvaraja Hariramakrishnan, known as Raja, started to import these spices to Australia. Raja runs the business and has continued its success to be one of the market leaders in the industry. He enjoys sourcing the world’s finest ingredients to reach Australia in the shortest transit time. He is dedicated to using his top contacts to ensure quality and consistency is met in a timely manner. Every Pattu product is like gold, treated with the same respect now as it did many years ago in the traditional kitchen. Raja confirms, ‘Even products like ginger garlic paste, content is the key using more than 94% fresh ginger and garlic, maintaining the freshness.’

In addition to the minimum time from grind to consumer, Pattu has expanded its range in Australia. More products to enjoy are lentils, beans, oils, chutneys, rice, flour and a variety of sauces. Creatively and genuinely, Pattu brings the essence of Indian cuisine to its full potential and has the capacity to reach every home in Australia.

It’s no secret that Celebrity Chef Sarah Todd has a strong affiliation with Indian cuisine, her recipes are amazing and capture the essence of Indian cooking. In her own words, ‘I have this wonderful memory of my son’s paternal grandmother cooking traditional Indian food for the family while watching a Bollywood movie. There were no measuring cups or even a recipe. She cooked recipes handed down to her from her mother and the generations before her. Spices were balanced perfectly, and the meals were cooked with love. The dishes become the best version of themselves. This is the essence of Indian cuisine.’

For years, Sarah’s advocated affordable and fresh ingredients, and her love for achieving full flavoured food in a respectable time frame is commendable. Sarah’s secret is Pattu. She highlights, ‘Pattu spices are fragrant and vibrant in colour. The moment you open a packet you can instantly smell the freshness, which is why they are my first choice.’

It’s obvious why Sarah keeps winning hearts with her cooking style and recipes, especially as she’s joined Farm to Fork as one of the hosts. Here, she encourages scratch cooking – simple recipes, finest ingredients, limited time. Sarah cooks from the heart and doesn’t compromise on quality ingredients. She shares, ‘Often people think Indian food is difficult to cook and can be overwhelming for the novice cook. My goal is to prove that home cooks can master the art of Indian cuisine if they have the right ingredients and the willingness to give it a go. I hope, through Farm to Fork, the recipes I create will encourage viewers to try them at home.’

Recently, Mr Tonee Sethi from G’day India, met up with Sabi and Sarah Todd on set, during a Farm to Fork film session, while the ladies were cooking up a scratch storm. He witnessed first-hand how easy it is to utilise Pattu’s range and freshness along with Sarah’s easy Indian recipes to cook flavoursome, healthy food. ‘It’s going to win hearts and taste buds all over Australia,’ Mr Sethi confesses, ‘and the aroma coming from the Pattu Swede Coconut Dahl and Pattu Aloo Gobi dishes made me dizzy with delight.’

However, utilising Pattu’s range of quality ingredients helps Sarah achieve not just food that tastes good, but food that is good for you. ‘The key to creating these authentic dishes is to use authentic products. For this reason, I use the extensive range of Pattu spices. From the simplest preparation of cumin honey roasted carrots to the traditional butter chicken, Pattu spices bring the ingredients alive without overpowering them,’ she says.

Raja mentions, ‘Sarah knows her spices and Pattu very well. She impressed Sabi. Sarah also shared with us her Pattu favourites and why. She also advises to get the most out of your product by covering packets with foil once opened or place the spices in a sealed jar away from heat and direct sunlight.’

Sarah Todd’s Pattu Favourites:

1. Chilli Powder Kashmiri – adds colour and flavour without being too spicy.

2. Cinnamon Powder – aromatic, versatile and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes.

3. Cumin Powder – warm and earthy flavour used in stews, soups and gravies.

4. Coriander Powder – lemon flavour with floral aroma used in spice rubs, marinades, sauces, soups and curries.

5. Chilli – a must have item for any pantry is Pattu’s chilli. They have plenty of options, from sweet to mild to hot. 

6. Garam Masala – blend of ground spices adding warmth, sweetness and a touch of heat.

Farm to Fork is produced by Dual Entertainment, a top end media and marketing company founded and led by media professionals Darren Anderson and Rikki-Lee Lacco. The show is all about encouraging people to cook, showcase great recipes from all cuisines and educate through food awareness. It’s paramount that the show’s content makes sense to home cooks; to deliver recipes that home cooks want to try and include great products that the home viewers can readily buy.

Farm to Fork, Season 2, delivers a strong Indian influence to households within Australia. According to Mr Anderson the producer, Indian cuisine is ‘…increasing in popularity because it’s delicious and more people are trying it. Shows like Farm to Fork are encouraging people to try cooking it at home, which is so very simple with the access to great products like Pattu.’ Pattu products can be found at all good Indian stores and Coles.

Keeping in mind that Farm to Fork promotes tasty and innovative recipes to reach home cooks, Mr Anderson adds ‘Pattu is authentic and of a very high quality, so we feel real comfort in endorsing and using their product on the show. We felt we had a responsibility to showcase Indian cuisine far more prominently this season, so having a partner like Pattu to work with, and ensuring we are getting the message right was vital for the show.’

If you haven’t already tried Pattu products, especially the spices, watch Farm to Fork and reinvent the way you cook at home. You’ll gain insight into the quality and easy to access products, along with fantastic recipes by Sarah Todd. All this and more to share and enjoy the essence of Indian cuisine any day of the week and special occasion.

By Agata Zema