Indian Cookbooks Every Aspiring Home Chef Should Read

There was a time, not so long ago, when finding a recipe meant hunting for one. Cookbooks were the authority, but recipes lived everywhere else, too. Some were cut from newspaper food pages, torn from magazines, scribbled into the margins of notebooks by someone who had watched their mother make it and didn't want to forget. Kitchens had cork boards pinned with clippings, refrigerators held together by magnets and recipe scraps, notebooks stuffed with instructions that made sense only to the person who had written them. 

Today, that same curiosity lives on a screen. A scroll replaces the Sunday supplement, a saved reel replaces the clipping, but the hunger to know how something is made remains the same; only the paper has gone. But if the cookbook still holds its place in your kitchen,  if you are someone who reads a recipe the way others read a story, from the beginning, with patience, then Indian cookbooks are where that instinct is most richly rewarded. And if Indian cooking is where your curiosity is pointing right now, these are the ones worth pulling off the shelf:

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Cooking To Save Your Life By Abhijeet Banerjee

What do you expect from a book written by a Nobel Prize winner in Economics? This cookbook sees many insightful pieces of information along with some thought-provoking info, apart from being playful. The recipes in the book are feast-friendly, and many are unique. There are options for what to serve your rival and what to offer cherished friends when you have forgotten they are coming to see you and have very little time to prepare anything to impress them. A note about the illustrations has to be talked about since occasionally cookbook photos do not match up to the version created at home, which might leave the chef unhappy. Cheyenne Olivier's bright, geometrically inspired graphics in this book address that issue. The drawings are worth looking at on their own, rather than as unrealistic standards for the recipes they are meant to represent. 

Price: INR 979 - INR 1,499

Also Read: 10 Most Popular Cookbooks For Healthy Eating

An Invitation To Feast: A Deep Dive Into India’s Culinary Treasures By Sona Bahadur

This cookbook is a cross-country journey through India, with Bahadur visiting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Assam, Surat, and Lucknow to discover the origins of 11 renowned Indian cuisines ranging from biryani to fish curry, smoked pork, rasgulla to undhiyu. While exploring the connection of cuisine, culture, people, identity, and places, she encounters the people and places that have made these dishes famous. Bahadur's story revolves around eleven well-known dishes: Biryani, Dosai, Butter chicken, Vada Pav, Dhansak, Goan fish curry, Undhiyu, Shami kebabs, Chhole, Smoked pig, and Rasgulla, with each receiving its own chapter. A distinguishing element of Bahadur's work is the inclusion of recipes at the conclusion of each chapter. These vary from tried-and-true classics to innovative modern adaptations, urging readers to move beyond passive admiration and try their hand at making the meals themselves. She sees food as more than just nutrition; it's also a strong symbol of memory, belonging, and even resistance. Her writing is exquisite yet controlled, and her genuine sense of awe pervades every narrative she relates. 

Price: INR 656 - INR 899

Masala Lab: The Science Of Indian Cooking By Krish Ashok

Krish Ashok, a software engineer by day and a home chef by night, lays out the science of Indian cooking in this marvellous book, spiking it with some sharp wit and a lot of grandmotherly wisdom, with so many references to the previously unknown Maillard Effect that the book could almost be called an ode to it. Ashok happily demystifies some long-held beliefs about the harm caused by baking soda; tells us why brown is the colour of magic; how retrogradation, where each grain separates and creates its own identity, is much like a teenager reading Ayn Rand; why the first knuckle of your index finger is the one-stop marker; the downside of iodide salts; why 24-hour marinades for meat are no good at all; and why anyone who thinks raw radish is a good idea should be shredded and thrown in a tub of mayo!

Price: INR 286 - INR 916

Curry Easy By Madhur Jaffrey

Many claim this is one of the greatest Indian cookbooks of all time, and maybe it is! Madhur Jaffrey is a living icon and a great advocate of Indian food, having authored over 15 books over her lengthy career. While the dishes in Curry Easy appear simple on the page and certainly simple to prepare, the tastes are really beyond what you expect. With a few well-chosen spices and readily available ingredients, you can make a delicious Goan prawn curry, succulent chicken baked in an almond and onion sauce, hearty Sri Lankan beef with coconut milk, a creamy potato and pea curry, tasty Swiss chard stir-fried with ginger and garlic and a spicy dip with beans, cumin, chillies and lime, and so much more. With over 175 clear, accessible, and straightforward recipes, this delectable cookbook is elegantly written. 

Price: INR 400 - INR 1,600

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Prashad At Home: Everyday Indian Cooking From Our Vegetarian Kitchen By Kaushy Patel

You’ll really enjoy the way the cookbook has been structured, which categorises foods as Seedy Suppers, Slow Suppers, Light Lunches and Leftovers, Indian Fusion and Feast, Festivities and Sweets. Which, if you know Indian food, especially the fresh, lively new Indian cooking that has emerged in response to a need for true-to-roots recipes that are simpler but yet innovative and fresh for a Western cook, is precisely what you'd expect to see. The photography is also lovely, personal, and bright, making it an enticing coffee table book. Kaushy Patel is responsible for some of the greatest vegetarian food in the UK today. Without her, there would be no Prashad, which serves elegant, sophisticated Gujarati cuisine; there would be no Bundobust, which serves delectable small-plate British-Indian cuisine. Without her, British-Indian cuisine would be severely lacking in taste and flavours. She understands how to infuse a meal with taste, fragrance, and colour, and she also understands that adding a lot of garlic and chilli to any dish improves it.

Price: INR 2,600