Chaat - by Maneet Chauhan & Jody Eddy (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"A sumptuous whistle-stop tour of India's diverse food ways. Maneet has penned a love letter to the best of Indian food."--Padma Lakshmi, host and executive producer of Top Chef and Taste the Nation

IACP AWARD WINNER - LONGLISTED FOR THE ART OF EATING PRIZE - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Food Network - Salon - Epicurious - Garden & Gun - Wired

Explore the bold flavors, regional dishes, and stunning scenery of India with over 80 recipes from Chopped judge and James Beard Award-winning chef Maneet Chauhan.

In Chaat, Maneet Chauhan explores India's most iconic, delicious, and fun-to-eat foods coming from and inspired by her discoveries during an epic cross-country railway journey that brought her to local markets, street vendors, and the homes of family and friends.

From simple roasted sweet potatoes with star fruit, lemon, and spices to a fragrant layered chicken biryani rice casserole, and the flakiest onion and egg stuffed flatbreads, these recipes are varied, colorful, and expressive. Maneet weaves in personal stories and remembrances as well as historical and cultural notes as she winds her way from North to South and East to West, sharing recipes like Goan Fried Shrimp Turnovers, Chicken Momo Dumplings from Guwahati in Assam, Hyderabad's Spicy Pineapple Chaat, and Warm-Spiced Carrot and Semolina Pudding from Amritsar.

With breathtaking photography and delectable recipes, Chaat is a celebration of the diversity of India's food and people.

Review Quotes

"Maneet Chauhan's new cookbook takes us to where her obsession with food began: India's railways."--Food Network Magazine

"Take a train trip across the subcontinent with Chef Maneet Chauhan's guide to regional variations of chaat. "--Travel & Leisure

"Travel with James Beard Award-winning Chauhan as she trains her way through India, stopping at each station to sample the regional chaat. . . . You're on the street here, you meet the vendors, you're completely transported."--Cup of Jo

"I was happily switching from being a consumer of one of my favorite foods--the Indian snack food known as chaat--to making it myself, thanks to a fantastic new cookbook. . . . Chauhan's book is your passport to this joy."--Wired

"In Chaat, you'll take a railway journey yourself, traveling from the east of India to the west, from the north to the south, buoyed by bite-sized snacks and full-blown meals along the way."--Chowhound

"The book takes us on a trip through the diverse cuisines of India with chaat as our guide."--Epicurious

"The vibrant cookbook is a sumptuous display of the riches and diversity of Indian cuisine. Most of all, Chaat bursts with color, flavor and aroma, and it's impossible not to smile and enjoy the fun of cooking when you're preparing dishes like Chauhan's Tokri Chaat."--SFGate

"Chaat is a delicious journey through India's rich street food culture. But it's more than that, too-- Maneet takes your hand and, in a friendly informative way, demystifies the flavors, geography, and dishes. This is a must-read book for anyone who is interested in cooking Indian cuisine from one of the foremost authorities."--Jet Tila

"Maneet's new book, Chaat, is gorgeous, vibrant, heartfelt, educational, and fun. Her passion for food and cooking has always been contagious and it's on full display in these pages. Chaat makes me want to run to the nearest Indian grocery, get lost in all the exotic and delicious spices, and start cooking."--Martina McBride, recording artist, cookbook author

"Maneet is a treasure, a culinary ambassador from India to the United States. Thanks to her we can learn about chaat, which is the perfect lens to see the many colors, flavors, and cultures of India. This book is bright, spicy, salty, sweet, tangy . . . flavors that you will want to have in your kitchen!"--José Andrés

"Chaat is a sumptuous whistle-stop tour of India's diverse food ways. It is the food of our shared childhoods, it is the joy of the tasty discovery that comes from travel. Every page is a feast for the eyes and the palate. It will make you hungry for more."--Padma Lakshmi New York Times bestselling author of Love, Loss, and What We Ate and The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs and Host/executive producer of Top Chef and Taste the Nation

About the Author

Maneet Chauhan is a James Beard Award-winning chef whose restaurants include Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Tànsuŏ, The Mockingbird, and Chaatable, all in Nashville. Prior to becoming an executive chef and judge on Food Network's Chopped, Maneet worked in some of the finest hotels in India before moving to the U.S. to study the culinary arts. She lives in Nashville with her family.

Jody Eddy is a food and travel writer whose work has appeared in Saveur, Food & Wine, Vogue, and more. She coauthored the IACP award-winning cookbook North and the James Beard-nominated cookbook Come In, We're Closed.