For Australian singer-songwriter and theatre-maker Josh Hinton, chicken curry is more than just a meal—and we’ll tell you why later. What’s also exciting is that he is premiering his latest work, A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen (or How to Make the Perfect One-Pot Chicken Curry), at the Brisbane Festival this September.
Hinton credits his mastery of chicken curry to his 92-year-old grandmother, Mehmeh, the legendary matriarch behind Paddington’s iconic Sultan’s Kitchen in Brisbane, which has fed the likes of David Bowie and Duran Duran.
In fact, for Hinton, the scent of onions sizzling in oil is the first whisper of home. “That’s the first step in cooking a curry. It immediately takes me back to Mehmeh’s kitchen,” he tells The Indian Sun over Zoom, where he and Mehmeh are chatting.
Growing up, his family had three staple Indian dishes: dal and rice, keema, and chicken curry, but the latter held a special place in his heart. It became the heart of family gatherings, especially during visits to Mehmeh’s home in Brisbane, where a big pot of her chicken curry would be slowly savoured throughout the day. A ritual of love and connection that spanned generations.
Interestingly, Mehmeh’s story is as rich as the spices in her curry. Born in India, she moved to Iran at four, returned to India after her father’s passing, and later settled in Sri Lanka, where she married and learned to cook from her mother-in-law. “I was 19 and did not know how to cook,” she recalls with a laugh. “But she taught me everything.”
After raising three sons in Sri Lanka and living in the Solomon Islands, Mehmeh moved to Australia 60 years ago, bringing her culinary legacy with her. Her restaurant, Sultan’s Kitchen, became a beloved Brisbane institution, serving rock stars and regulars alike.
“I recorded about 90 minutes of her stories two years ago,” says Hinton. “She spoke of hiding in bomb shelters, riding in trucks filled with chickens, and the incredible family characters that shaped her life. It was such beautiful material for theatre.”
Naturally, Hinton was inspired to create a show around her. A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen traces the intertwined journeys of him and his grandmother.
The production also weaves in the story of Hinton’s paternal grandfather, who was born in England, raised in South Africa, then returned to England before settling in Australia, creating a layered narrative of migration, memory, and identity. Closing the show is an original song Hinton co-wrote with his brother, capturing themes of memory, time passing, and the way these shape who we become.
When asked about the secret to her cooking, and by extension, her life, Mehmeh laughs. “There is no secret. I am an open book. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. When there’s no curry powder, think of something and just do it.”
That spirit of improvisation is a metaphor for the family’s journey: a blend of Indian, Iranian, Sri Lankan, and English influences that resist being boxed into a single identity.
Mehmeh calls this multicultural blend “a fruit salad,” a phrase she learned after a policeman once remarked that the mixed, large family looked like one.
The kitchen has always been Mehmeh’s classroom. “Don’t leave the kitchen,” she advises the next generation. “Cook as much as you can because you never know what’s going to happen. You have to know how to cook and look after the family.”
Hinton’s first independent cooking feat was, fittingly, the chicken curry. Now, while he admits he’s still learning, he says Mehmeh remains the better cook.
Mehmeh says she has stopped cooking and that her younger son Nabil does it for her.
At its core, A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen is about belonging, a concept Hinton says took on new meaning through making the show.
“Belonging means everything. It’s comfort and love. Everyone is searching for belonging, and food is what brings us together. We belong because of food. It’s why I’ve come all the way from there to here.”
As Hinton prepares to debut his show at Brisbane Festival, one thing is certain: Mehmeh will be there, cheering (or heckling) from the front row. And if the curry on stage doesn’t meet her standards? Well, there’s always next time.
Show details:
- Dates: Dates: Wednesday 20 August to Saturday, 23 August 2025
- Venue: Bruce Gordon Theatre, IPAC, Wollongong
- Dates: Tuesday, 16 September to Saturday, 20 September 2025
- Venue: Corn Theatre, Cupac, Brisbane
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