Hari Ghotra

Harsharan Kaur “Hari” Kamaluddin (née Ghotra; born 11 July 1976) is a British chef, cookery teacher, food writer and entrepreneur, specialising in Indian cuisine. She is the founder of an online Indian recipe platform and the author of The Easy Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook: Prep-and-Go Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home (2017).

Early life

Ghotra was born in Wolverhampton. Her parents moved to England from Punjab, India in the 1960s. Ghotra’s father worked on the buses before eventually buying his own newsagent’s shop. Ghotra says that she “learned to cook by following … [her] mum round the kitchen and being made to help out at a very young age”.

Ghotra graduated from University of Bath with a degree in biology. She then went onto work as a food microbiologist for Unilever before gaining a master’s degree in marketing management. Ghotra then undertook a graduate scheme at Tesco PLC.

Career

Ghotra started her food business by teaching cookery lessons in people’s homes. She initially began this part-time while continuing to work for Tesco as the online marketing manager for the Clubcard rewards scheme, before leaving this position in 2014.

Ghotra launched a YouTube channel in February 2014. This features recipes, vlogs and cooking collaborations with celebrities such as Celebrity MasterChef runner-up and BBC Radio 1 DJ Dev, professional footballer Francis Benali and television presenter Jeff Brazier.

Hari’s cookery portal website HariGhotra.co.uk came soon after in March 2014. The website operates as an online cookery school featuring Indian recipes, instructional video guides and blogs.

In May 2015, Ghotra was asked by Peter Joseph – Head Chef of Tamarind Mayfair – to be the face of their new restaurant after she was spotted online. She worked as part of the team at the Michelin-starred Tamarind Mayfair, and as a chef at Tamarind Kitchen in Soho.

Ghotra debuted her own range of curry kits in September 2015, alongside her existing collection of branded spices.

In July 2017, Ghotra launched a community mobile app with Disciple Media, offering recipe videos and live streaming.

Ghotra has made several appearances at food festivals, such as CarFest and Eat! Food Fest. She teaches at a number of cookery schools across the country, such as Abinger and Kent cookery schools.

As a food writer, she is a Great British Chefs contributor and her recipes have featured in national publications such as The Independent, The Metro and The Sun. Ghotra is also an ambassador for Curry for Change - an initiative by charities Find Your Feet and Health Poverty Action that offers hunger relief to rural families in Asia and Africa.

Ghotra also has a consultancy side to her business, and has recently worked with the Dubai Golf Club to create their menu.

Personal life

Ghotra lives in Redhill, Surrey with her husband Jeremy and her two children.

Books

• Garam Masala Spice Kitchen. Fontsmith Ltd. 2011. .
• The Easy Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook: Prep-And-Go Restaurant Favorites to Make at Home. Rockridge Press. 2017. .