Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen - Hardcover

by Jyoti Mukharji (Author), Auyon Mukharji (Author), Olivier Kugler (Illustrator)

2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Gold Winner in Cooking

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.

Real Simple, Food Editor's Top Cookbook Pick
Slate, Top 10 Best Recipes of the Year
The Boston Globe, Best Cookbooks for Holiday Giving
Kansas City Magazine, Top Gifts to Give and Receive

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.

Author Biography

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.