However, Culture Minister Tessa Jowell slammed the show as 'racism being presented as entertainment'.

Shetty, who along with her fiance, entrepreneur Raj Kundra, picked up a 33 percent stake in the V8 Gourmet Group for a reported six million pounds, said last week she will keep the new range healthy.

'There is this preconceived notion that Indian food isn't very healthy. We're making sure it will be under 10 percent fat. So it's going to be a healthy choice,' she said.

The curries, which Shilpa will develop along with master chef Andy Verma, will be 'less acidic and less spicy, catering to the taste buds here and keeping it authentic Indian.'

Speaking at a press conference, Shilpa quoted from her own comments made when she was voted the winner of the 2007 Celebrity Big Brother: 'As I said, Chicken curry rules.'