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This British Indian chef’s biryani wins over King Charles
In 2024, Khan was named in TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
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Asma Khan / Instagram (Asma Khan)
King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited Darjeeling Express, a restaurant owned by British-Indian chef Asma Khan, ahead of Ramadan. During the visit, they participated in packing dates and biryani for donation to local hospitals.
Khan shared a video of the Feb. 26 visit on Instagram, showing the King and Queen inside the restaurant’s kitchen. The video begins with them standing in front of a large pot of biryani, with King Charles inhaling its aroma. While assisting in packing meals, the King asked, “Can we take some?”
Khan noted in her post that the King was quick in packing dates, prompting a remark that he could have a job at the restaurant every year. In response, the King hilariously said, “I may be past my sell-by date.” She captioned the post: “Today the King and Queen joined us at @darjeelingldn for a pre-Ramadan gathering where they packed dates and biryani—and yes, they took some biryani home!”
Born in Kolkata in 1969, Asma Khan is a chef, restaurateur, and author known for her all-female kitchen at Darjeeling Express, which employs South Asian immigrant women with no formal culinary training. She moved to the UK in 1991 after her marriage and studied law at King’s College London, later earning a doctorate in British Constitutional Law before shifting to the culinary world.
Khan has gained international recognition for her contributions to the food industry. In 2024, she was named in TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She was also the first British chef featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table and has appeared on BBC Saturday Kitchen and Celebrity MasterChef.
The visit also highlighted Khan’s latest book, Monsoon, which she gifted to the King and Queen. Announcing the book’s upcoming release on March. 6, she wrote, “This book is a celebration of the joy of eating, the beauty of seasonality, and the power of home cooking to heal and bring people together.”
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