Imagine a cookbook where the stories behind the recipes are as vibrant as the cuisine. That is what you’ll discover in celebrity chef Vikas Khanna’s latest cookbook, Return to the Rivers: Recipes and Memories of the Himalayan River Valleys.
Khanna takes food aficionados on a gastro pilgrimage through the Himalayas with ancient recipes, local ingredients and personal stories of his interaction with the people of these sacred lands spanning northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and western China. Written in conjunction with Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, the book features recipes such as Tsampa Butter Tea, Darjeeling Eggplant Biryani, and of course, a variety of Tibetan momos. Included amongst the pages are definitions of Himalayan spices as well as a list of Indian grocery stores nationwide in the US.
The cookbook is organized by Street Foods; Soups and Noodles; Grains; Vegetables; Fish; Poultry, Eggs and Cheese; Meats; Breads; Condiments; Desserts; and Beverages. Expect recipes like Durbar Square Chaat Piti, one of the most popular roadside snacks in the Himalayas, to the Vaishno Devi Chickpeas Masala that travelers bring on their pilgrimages to seek favor at the Vaishno Devi Temple.
Born in India, Khanna learned to cook from his grandmother and opened his own catering company at age seventeen. After apprenticing under the most renowned chefs of India, he moved to the United States in 2000 and has worked his way up to be one of New York City’s top-rated chefs. He was named one of StarChef’s “Rising Stars” in 2010 and is currently the Executive Chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Junoon, based in New York City. Known to many as the host of MasterChef India and FOX Traveller’s Twist of Taste, Khanna is equally recognized for his humanitarian work with SAKIV, New York Chefs Cooking for Life and his documentary film series about food and religion, Holy Kitchens.
With a foreward by his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and full of enticing photographs of both the food and the culture, this cookbook will find center stage in your kitchen, on your coffee table and most importantly, in your soul.
Available on Amazon.com
Return to the Rivers: Recipes and Memories of the Himalayan River Valleys
by Vikas Khanna with Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn
Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Hardcover/444 pages/ ISBN: 978-1891105-53-1
Lake Isle Press
