Sheil Shukla Reimagines Curry In New Plant-Based Cookbook

India-West News Desk

CHICAGO, IL – Physician and cookbook author Sheil Shukla is set to release his latest cookbook, ‘Kari: Reimagined Plant-Based Indian Recipes,’ on August 18. The book, currently available for pre-order, features 75 plant-based recipes that reinterpret curry through Indian and other Asian culinary traditions.

Shukla, whose debut cookbook ‘Plant-Based India’ was nominated for a James Beard Award and named one of The New York Times Best Cookbooks of 2022, draws on his Gujarati heritage and his experience as a first-generation Indian American to create recipes that blend familiar Indian flavors with global influences.

The collection includes dishes such as Makhani Nachos, Tikka Masala Bread Pizza, Beet Korma Pasta, and a mango chutney infused with Japanese miso.

The title takes its name from the Tamil word ‘kari’, meaning a flavorful sauce. Through the collection, Shukla explores how the term “curry” has evolved to describe a wide range of dishes across Asian cuisines, from Indian to Thai and Japanese. Alongside curries, the book also features accompaniments and sauces designed to encourage home cooks to experiment with flavors and techniques.

A board-certified internal medicine physician with Northwestern Medicine, Shukla is also a recipe developer, food photographer, and creator of the social media platform @plantbasedartist, where he shares plant-based recipes with more than 90,000 followers. His culinary work reflects his interest in the role of plant-based nutrition in everyday cooking and clinical medicine.

In addition to developing the recipes, Shukla photographed, styled, and sourced the props for the cookbook, featuring handmade pieces by artists from the Chicagoland area. He lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, Rachel, and their three children.