Heartland Masala - by Jyoti Mukharji & Auyon Mukharji (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Heartland Masala pairs 99 recipes from Indian cooking instructor Jyoti Mukharji with cultural and historical essays by her son Auyon Mukharji. An effervescent celebration of Indian cuisine and the American immigrant experience, this beautiful cookbook is playful, informative, and utterly original.

"Heartland Masala is a joyful, inspiring cookbook that shows off the dazzling culinary inventiveness of an appealing mother-son cooking duo."--Foreword Reviews, Starred Review

Filled with rich storytelling, stunning visuals, and a blend of modern and traditional dishes, this book is both a heartfelt portrait of one Midwestern family and a practical guide to cooking incredible Indian meals at home.

Here's what makes Heartland Masala special:

- Delicious, Accessible Recipes -- 99 carefully tested dishes bring Indian flavors into your kitchen, with ingredients and methods tailored for American home cooks.

- Cultural Essays & Family Stories -- Fresh, insightful, and often humorous essays explore the immigrant cooking philosophy, the Mukharjis' mother-son dynamic, and the many quirks of Indian culinary history.

- Illustrations & Stunning Photography -- A 32-page full-color photo insert plus original art make this a gorgeous centerpiece for your kitchen or coffee table.

- Step-by-Step Guidance -- Jyoti and Auyon include illustrations that demystify complex techniques, along with spice shopping tips to build confidence and skill.

A feast for culturally curious readers and adventurous cooks alike, Heartland Masala is unlike any Indian cookbook you've seen before.

Review Quotes

"...its modern, curated format will make any cookbook reader want to pick it up and set out to go spice shopping."-- "Booklist"

"Heartland Masala is a joyful, inspiring cookbook that shows off the dazzling culinary inventiveness of an appealing mother-son cooking duo."-- "Foreword Reviews, starred review"

"Heartland Masala is a joyous ode to Indian food and to the immigrant experience in America... With recipes ranging from entry-level to advanced, there's something for everyone in this book."--Darra Goldstein, founding editor of Gastronomica, editor in chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Food Studies, and author of eight award-winning cookbooks

"Heartland Masala is one of those rare books on food that can keep you enthralled far into the night... Not only is this book fun to read and to anticipate cooking from, it's a valuable cross-cultural document."--Niloufer Ichaporia King, cultural anthropologist and curious cook

"Heartland Masala is so friendly and personal, written with so much thought and care, it's so current - it's so fresh that I want to say it points cookbooks in a new direction, although I'm not sure any other can quite follow in its footsteps."--Edward Behr, author and founder of The Art of Eating

"South Asian cookbooks have long trodden the line of having to inform and educate an unfamiliar reader; saddled with the burden of having to convince a world that sees peoples' worth through their offerings in cuisine. Heartland Masala defies this entirely, presenting precise, fun, and delicious recipes that do not bind themselves within a single tradition or one-dimensional aspiration."--Sharanya Deepak, New Delhi-based writer

"...evocative illustrations and photographs make Heartland Masala a feast for the eyes as well as the palate--a vibrant mother-son collaboration that bridges continents and generations."--Aparna Kapadia, historian of South Asia and Associate Professor at Williams College

"Heartland Masala is an approachable creative, informative, and flat-out fun look at a rich array of regional Indian dishes. Whether it's the classics or new interpretations, Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji make any cook feel right at home in their kitchen."--Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winning author

"I defy you to find another Indian cookbook that gets it right on all counts: food that promises to taste like it came from a home kitchen, excellent technique advice for the uninitiated, gorgeous artwork, and that warm fuzzy feeling that a cookbook should leave you with."--Farah Yameen, historian and ethnographer

"A must-have for home cooks who love bold spices, tips and tricks to make cooking less stressful, and a touch of history!"--Hetal Vasavada, cookbook author and blogger at Milk & Cardamom

About the Author

Jyoti Mukharji is a chef, teacher, and retired physician. She immigrated to the US from India in the late 1970s, and she began teaching weekly Indian cooking classes out of her home in Prairie Village, KS in 2010. Jyoti has since welcomed several thousand students into her kitchen, and her writing and teaching have been celebrated in press and radio outlets across the Midwest. Jyoti's team includes her husband Jhulan (art director), her eldest son Arnob (grocery shopping deputy), her middle son Auyon (musical guest), and her youngest son Aroop (copy editor).

Auyon Mukharji is a musician, writer, and culinary historian who spends most of his time thinking about food. He studied biology at Williams College and was awarded a Watson Fellowship in 2007 to study self-expression in folk music. Since 2009, Auyon has toured with, and cooked for, the acclaimed indie-folk band Darlingside. He otherwise finds time to work in and around kitchens (and farms) in both his hometown of Kansas City and his adopted state-of-residence of Massachusetts.

Olivier Kugler is a German-born London-based editorial illustrator and visual journalist. He has travelled to Iran, Laos, Iraqi Kurdistan, Cairo, Ghana and many other places on assignment for a variety of publications including The Guardian, New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, French journal XXI and German GQ. He has done extensive reporting on Middle Eastern refugees in Europe and a book collecting this work called Dem Krieg Entronnen was published in German by Edition Moderne - and in the UK and North America as Escaping Wars and Waves. The book has won two major European design and illustration awards. Oli is also a past winner of a V&A Illustration Award and World Illustration Award. You can visit his portfolio at www.olivierkugler.com.

Kevin Miyazaki's food, interior and travel assignments have taken him to 23 countries and 37 states. His passion is shooting cookbooks, and he loves the unique collaboration involved with each project. His publishing clients include Collective Book Studio, Knopf, Clarkson Potter, Rizzoli, House Beautiful, Smithsonian and The New York Times. Kevin is a past IACP finalist and a member of Diversify Photo.