This Digital Cookbook Is Every Vegetarian’s Dream Come True!

This Digital Cookbook Is Every Vegetarian’s Dream Come True!

Sonal Ved, a bonafide foodie and food writer for Vogue India, has a lovely present for all you vegetarians out there who love to experiment with their food. And for all you non-vegetarians who haven’t fully explored the possibilities of vegetarian food, she’s here to help you too.

Ved has just launched India’s very first digital cookbook for vegetarian food, called Gujju Goes Gourmet, and it’s filled with some scrumptious, meat-free recipes that you’ll be dying to whip up in your home. From the dainty honey cucumber cups to the cold almond and grape soup, this digital cookbook is packed with a wealth of vegetarian recipes guaranteed to whet your appetite.

Looking at all the delectable pictures, we just had to get the author talking about the new book and what makes it so special. Keep scrolling to know more!

What inspired you to come up with a cookbook?
My home inspired me; I’ve grown up eating amazing vegetarian food and as a family we’re all about “what are we eating today”. My mother experiments with international cuisines as much as with Indian regional food. And the dining table, especially while entertaining, is a combination of several ideas. So one day there is paratha served with an Iranian yogurt-based dip, another day there is a kacchi-kairi based cold soup, then there is a coconut meat salad – my mother always makes a hero out of her ingredients, which made me appreciate good food very early on. My mother and sister, who are phenomenal cooks, are my biggest inspirations. Then there are chefs such as Rene Redzipi, Yotam Ottolenghi, Thomas Keller, Massimo Bottura, Nigel Slater (also a food writer) whose sense of understanding flavours surprises me.

 

Gujju Goes Gourmet1_Hauterfly
Courtesy: Gujju Goes Gourmet

 

How did you go about collecting recipes for the book?
It’s a mixture of what I learnt while I was travelling, what I like eating, my mom and sister’s secret recipes,and things that inspired me while eating at a restaurant or a friend’s house. I’m constantly putting together flavours that wouldn’t ordinarily be paired, like beetroot and strawberries, peanut butter and celery, avocado and orange juice – my book Gujju Goes Gourmet is a culmination of flavour notes that excite me.

What kind of recipes should we expect to find in this cookbook?
Hip, vegetarian food! It is a handbook for an urban woman who likes entertaining or eating an interesting meal every day. The book takes vegetables to another level and makes them larger than just sides.

What are some of your favourite recipes from the book?
The honey cucumber cups that are bite-sized scooped cucumber slices filled with a sweet-sour yogurt dressing and veggies, and cold Vietnamese rolls served with a peanut butter sauce.

 

Gujju Goes Gourmet2_Hauterfly
Courtesy: Gujju Goes Gourmet

 

How long did it take for you to complete this book?
It took me about a year, from ideating to producing it.

Do you think digital cookbooks will become the future trend?
It’s convenient to carry around in your phone to the kitchen and flip virtually. Digital cookbooks are not the future, they are the present!

What was the kind of response that you received, in the beginning, with regards to your idea?
Everyone loved it. The whole vegetarian angle was appreciated even by non-vegetarians since the book is full of ideas that anyone can enjoy — like a light Mediterranean salad with a Turkish dressing or a cold almond and grape soup. I must admit, people have loved the title even more. Those who know me, know how much I love puns and alliterations.

Gujju Goes Gourmet is available on the Juggernaut Books App. You can buy it here.

Sanjana Subramanian

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