Kohli curry

HSK: A few dishes. I always cook a dhal for the vegetarians because, bless 'em, they expend all that energy coming in. Then I cook a meat dish.

DP: Is there a lot of audience involvement?

HSK: That's the problem with the show. You start off with the show 100 per cent written and it soon becomes 50 per cent written and 50 per cent chat. The point of it is that, as an audience, you should feel that the show has been done specially for you.

DP: What did you have for breakfast this morning?

HSK: I've not had breakfast yet. I'm absolutely Hank . My daily diet's a mess and I need to sort it out. I eat too much, I like food too much. Because I don't have an office job I can eat lunch whenever and wherever I want. It's terrible. I eat a lot of Chinese food...I'm obsessed with Dim Sum.

DP: I'm popping through to Glasgow soon, any Indian restaurant recommendations?

HSK: Mother India's Cafe, opposite the (Kelvingrove) art gallery.

DP: Anywhere else?

HSK: My mum's house, but I'm not sure if she'll be in. There's good curry shops in Garnethill and in Ashton Lane.

DP: The aroma of the food must drive your audience crazy. Do they get to sample it?

HSK: We get three people up onstage to do a side by side comparison, then we send out about 30 plates to the audience. 10 per cent of the audience get to sample some.

DP: Is the show a friendly competition between yourself and a local curry house?

HSK: No, the show explains that the food we eat at home and the food created in restaurants for white British people are two different things. It's a wee bit like having a roast dinner in a pub on a Sunday - it's never quite the roast dinner your mum makes. But that doesn't mean it's not good, it's just different. The lasagne we have in cafes here is completely different to the lasagne you get in Tuscany.

DP: Is it common for Indian restaurants not to be run by Indians?

HSK: 90 per cent of Indian restaurants are run by Bangladeshis. But the food we eat in this country is predominantly food from the Punjab. More than half of the Punjab is in Pakistan. So the Pakistani-Indian thing is less of an issue. It's quite complicated.

DP: What's your opinion on restaurant 'all you can eat' buffets?

HSK: I don't think people should eat all they can. People should stop. I'm not sure how long the food has been sitting there. My argument with McDonald's and Burger King is that I would eat them if I could understand where you get a piece of meat that allows me to have a burger for 59p. If I don't understand the economics of it I can't eat the food. If it's a s***e cut of meat, I can't eat the food. If you can work out, at an all you can eat buffet, where they are making their money, go for it. Fill your boots.

DP: How do you transport your ingredients to the venue?

HSK: In a white van. We buy fresh ingredients locally as much as possible. We've got a fully functioning kitchen onstage where we go. If you're in Ayrshire, for example, they've got lovely lamb down there. So whatever's available locally, we'll pick up.

DP: What tips do you have to Press readers who want to cook a good curry?

HSK: If it tastes good to you, that's all that matters. It could be s***e, but as long as you like it, eat it. Just don't invite me round.

Indian Takeaway, Carnegie Hall, Friday 14th September. �15. Box office 602302.