MOVE over Madhur Jaffrey. Dorset cook Sarah Ali Choudhury is fast becoming the new face of Indian food following her national TV debut this month.

For although Madhur is widely recognised for bringing Indian cuisine to the Western world, Sarah, a mother of four from Bournemouth, is keen to make it more accessible to the masses.

West Dorset residents might recognise the chef from closer to home. Sarah is an experienced chef and restaurant manager with an Indian and Caribbean background – and she learnt it all from her parents who run the Taj Mahal in Bridport.

She was born in Bournemouth in the late 70s but spent most of her teenage years helping her particularly her mum Helen in the East Street restaurant.

At the age of 20 Sarah was recognised as the youngest Asian female to manage an Indian restaurant.

Sarah, who has been popping up at food festivals and demo kitchens around the county this summer, is now starring in a new reality TV show, My Kitchen Rules UK.

The Channel 4 programme is currently being broadcast at 5pm every night from Monday to Friday and viewers can see Sarah competing against Michelin starred chefs.

Sarah said: “Madhur is amazing, but many Indian recipes are rather long winded which can put people off. I want to be known for making tasty Indian food as easy as possible.

“We started filming in March and it has been good fun to work with people like Prue Leith and Raymond Blanc. I’ve loved being around people who are passionate about food.”

Sarah credits following her mum in the restaurant with giving her a taste for the industry and a passion for cooking.

She said: “My mum is a brilliant cook. She has worked with River Cottage and been filmed with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the past. We’re a family of show offs so it’s in the blood! She runs the kitchen and also the restaurant in Bridport now as my dad is getting older.

“My mum has been a big influence on me and taught me everything I know.”

Sarah said she decided to launch Easy Curry after she was invited to cook an Indian dish as part of a project for her children’s school which led to a collaboration with another mum Anna Cribb who runs Hey Mummy TV.

She explains: “After spending most of my life in the Indian food business and now as a mother of four, I understand the importance of being able to create delicious and healthy meals as quickly and easily as possible.

“I have an abundance of food knowledge and skills to share with people who are just as passionate about food as I am. I understand that time is precious and meals need to be prepared quickly and easily and yet they need to taste amazing too and that is what I am all about.”

Sarah can be seen on Hey Mummy TV creating YouTube cookery videos and is also launching the Tesco Eat Happy Project and The Children’s Food Trust.

She hosts cookery demonstrations at the Purewell Electrical Cookery Theatre in Christchurch and also Tiger Bay in Westbourne. Her ultimate ambition is to set up the East Curry Cookery School.