Denise D'silva Sankhé

Denise D'silva Sankhé is the author of The Beyond Curry Indian Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through India (2016). She is passionate about preserving recipes and is always on the search for the unique stories that create magic on our plates. The Beyond Curry column on Serious Eats started out in 2012, and it had a very welcome response with readers from all over the world writing in to learn more about the real cuisine of India. Denise has recently started producing digital food content and has produced two short films on ingredient-specific foods.

Her approach to writing about Indian food is to showcase the real food of India, as well as its diversity and its adaptability to so many current food trends—be it veganism, gluten-free, or other health-centric diets.

She is an advertising creative director by profession, with a background in writing food and travel content for newspapers and magazines in India. Her work has appeared in Lonely Planet India, Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, and more. Having worked with the leading agencies of the world, she now has her own design and film production agency called Hyphen Communications and has recently helped create a design world for an Indian food and lifestyle channel called Zee Zest.

Denise has a degree in commerce with a specialization in advertising and has won several domestic and international awards for writing. She has also done a short course on Western cooking at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

What's your desert island food?

"When the Portuguese brought vinegar and chiles to India, they had no idea what a culinary gift they were creating for us. The Goan sausage—a mingling of Portuguese and Indian flavors—is my pick for a lost-in-the-desert-with-my-mirages-for-company food. It travels well. A little goes a long way. And it tastes good with anything—including a little sand."

What's your favorite condiment?

"My favorite condiment would have to be an Indian pickle—maybe lime or mango. It is one of the most versatile condiments; it can be paired with almost any Indian meal and I think would be great in Western sandwiches or if just a few drops of its oil are added to salad dressings. The possibilities are endless."