Did you catch Jug Jug Jano rumbling along Stratford Road to one of the many street food events in Milton Keynes this summer? For those not familiar, Jug Jug Jano is Saf’s Kitchen’s mighty multicoloured food truck, and if its name, bright orange cab and hand-painted bodywork don’t put a smile on your face, Safia’s equally vibrant Punjabi street food and winning personality certainly will.
One of the OGs of Milton Keynes’ street food scene, Saf’s Kitchen has grown in leaps and bounds from curry night takeaways to sold-old cooking classes, wedding catering and restaurant collaborations, including a stunning fusion pop-up at Olé Tapas Bar. And while her ‘Saf’Tastic Curry Nights’ still offer a regular fix for her classics - like fresh and fragrant butter chicken and zingy vegetarian curries (her Christmas veg curry will change the way you look at Brussels sprouts) - her take on Punjabi street food and creative fusion twists have built up a huge following for Saf's food, which is as packed with personality as it is flavour.
Take her street roti staples, ‘Chut Putta Chana Masala’ and ‘Tukka Tuk Chicken Tikka’ - as much fun to order as they are to eat - served drizzled with tangy homemade chutneys and topped with crispy sev for perfectly balanced mouthfuls of savoury, spicy, sweet, sour and crunchy. She has since experimented with incorporating those excellent spices into Spanish croquetas (I still dream of these) and pub food classics including fish and chips, sausages and her stonking Punjabi burgers. t’s fair to say that she’s nailed the execution every time. In Jug Jug Jano she has a larger than life van to match her larger than life flavours and ambitions, and we can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next.
Saf’s Kitchen also deserves an honourable mention for catering to so many dietary requirements both on her curry nights and at the events she attends. She has a wide repertoire of vegan and gluten-free curries and sides, including her famous spinach and potato pakoras, none of which ever feel like you’re getting the ‘free-from’ option.
Must-try: Those pakoras and her vegan aloo masala samosas, all the better if served as chaats with all the trimmings.
