Nisha Katona

Nisha Katona is a British restaurateur, writer and television presenter. Her main project is the Mowgli Street Food restaurant chain, which she founded. In addition, Katona has gained fame as a culinary reviewer and is often invited to appear on various television shows. The restaurateur spent 20 years building a career as a lawyer, specialising in juvenile cases. She also owns the Mowgli Trust charity. In this article, we will take a detailed look at Nisha Katona's projects and focus on her biography.

Biography of Nisha Katona

Nisha Katona was born on 23 October 1971 in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England.

Childhood and youth

The future celebrity grew up in Skelmersdale, attended Scarisbrick Hall School, and then became a student at Liverpool John Moores University. In 1996, she was awarded a barrister qualification at the School of Law, and was awarded membership of Lincoln's Inn.

Brothers and sisters

Nisha Katona is not the only child in the family; she has two brothers. The restaurateur, writer and TV presenter often mentions the importance of family ties in her interviews. She considers her brothers to be her support in life, and in turn, she is a support for them.

Nisha Katona's parents

Nisha Katona's parents have Indian roots and arrived in England in the 1960s. Both are doctors by profession.

Nisha Katona's career

After graduating from university, Nisha Katona worked as a full-time lawyer at Chavasse Court Chambers in Liverpool. In 2008, she was appointed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as a trustee of National Museums Liverpool, where she served on the board of directors, performed audits, and acted as a marketer. In 2009, the Cabinet Office appointed her as an ambassador dealing with various issues related to government appointments.

Nisha Katona worked as a lawyer for 20 years, specialising in child protection cases in the Northern Circuit. She later became a teacher of Indian cuisine, which she found very exciting. Katona created the Mowgli Street Food restaurant chain in the UK and became the head of the Mowgli Trust, which donates over £50,000 each year to local and international charities.

TV shows with Nisha Katona

After becoming passionate about cooking and launching a chain of restaurants, Nisha Katona began appearing regularly on television, filming for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Food Network and Radio 4's programme The Kitchen Cabinet.

She is invited as a guest chef on the programme This Morning. She periodically appears as an expert on the programme Kitchen Cabinet on BBC Radio 4, as well as on BBC News and Sky News as a guest commentator on business and hospitality issues.

On 14 February 2021, Channel 4 and More 4 aired a documentary about cooking and gastronomic travel called Taste of Italy for the first time.

On 16 March 2021, Nisha Katona appeared as a guest judge on the semi-final episode of Design Masters. In this programme, designers were tasked with transforming two catering establishments in Hebden Bridge.

On 13 July 2021, Katona appeared as a professional chef on ITV's Cooking with the Stars. In the sixth season, she mentored another celebrity, Harry Judd. Nisha taught him how to cook dishes that were judged by the judges. In the final episode, Harry Judd won, largely thanks to his mentor.

On 10 August 2021, Katona appeared as a guest chef on BBC 1's Masterchef, challenging four celebrities to cook an Indian dish from her menu.

From 2021 to 2024, the restaurateur was part of the judging panel on Great British Menu, alongside one of the previous season's winners, Tom Kerridge, and comedian and food podcast host Ed Gamble.

In early autumn 2024, ITV aired Nisha Katona's Home Kitchen, a 10-part cooking series.

Recipes

Nisha Katona's recipes allow you to create authentic culinary masterpieces. Her restaurants offer menus that include vegetarian options. She is an expert at preparing chicken curry, mushrooms, shrimp, and salmon. Here are some of Nisha Katona's most famous recipes that you can prepare at home:

Broccoli with mustard seeds and lemon

Add the broccoli to the fried mustard seeds, first the stems, and after 2 minutes the florets. Wait 5 minutes, the ingredients should be cooked over medium heat, then add the turmeric, chilli pepper and salt. The finished broccoli becomes soft. Lemon juice is added at the final stage.

Salmon curry with tamarind

Fry the mustard seeds with cumin, then mix with dried chilli peppers, onions, garlic and ginger. Coat the fish fillets in turmeric and fry on each side for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook for 6 minutes until the mixture thickens. Finally, add the chilli peppers, granulated sugar, salt, tamarind and 400 ml of water. Cook for another 8 minutes until the fish fillets are tender.

Chicken in cream sauce

Ingredients:

• chicken;
• tomatoes;
• cream;
• yoghurt without fruit additives;
• spice mix;
• oil;
• garlic;
• ginger;
• fennel leaves.

Marinate the chicken in a mixture of yoghurt and spices, then bake in the oven. In a separate pan, fry the garlic and ginger with oil, then add the tomatoes. The finished sauce should have a thick consistency. Add cream and bring to a boil. Combine with the baked chicken and sprinkle with fennel leaves.

When preparing her dishes, Nisha Katona often combines ingredients that seem incompatible at first glance, such as mango and rice.

Nisha Katona Books

Nisha Katona has achieved success not only on television but also as an author. She is the author of six cookbooks, including:

1. Mowgli Street Food: Stories and recipes from the Mowgli Street Food restaurants
2. The Spice Tree: Indian Cooking Made Beautifully Simple
3. Pimp My Rice: Delicious recipes from across the globe
4. The 30-Minute Mowgli: Fast Easy Indian from the Mowgli Home
5. Meat Free Mowgli: Simple & Delicious Plant Based Indian Meals
6. BOLD: Big Flavour Twists to Classic Dishes

Nisha Katona's personal life

Nisha Katona's personal life is as much of interest to the public as her professional achievements. People want to know who the restaurateur is married to, whether she has children, and how much she earns.

Nisha Katona's husband

Nisha Katona is married to Zoltan Katona. Her husband is a musician and member of the guitar duo The Katona Twins. The couple met at Liverpool John Moores University in the 1990s and were married over 25 years ago.

Children

Nisha Katona is raising two children. Their daughters are named Tia and India. The restaurateur does not often discuss personal matters, so there is little information about her children.

Nisha Katona's net worth

As ordinary viewers say, Nisha Katona regularly appears on television, so she has a good income. Her net worth is estimated at around £30–32 million.

The main source of income for the successful restaurateur is the Mowgli Street Food restaurant chain. It accounts for approximately 70% of Nisha's total earnings. Katona owns 76% of the company's shares, which are estimated to be worth approximately £1,861,880–£2,022,960.

Television projects account for 15% of Nisha Katona's income. The celebrity earns around £25,362–£33,816 per year on television.

Another 10% of her income comes from publishing and book sales. The Spice Tree and 30-Minute Mowgli became bestsellers in England and beyond. Over 500,000 copies have been sold worldwide. This amounts to approximately £211,350–£253,620.

Nisha Katona also earns money from investments, owning shares in food technology start-ups.

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