Kari: Reimagined Plant-Based Indian Recipes (Sheil Shukla)

From the James Beard Award–nominated author of Plant-Based India, a cookbook that celebrates the quintessential Asian American food—curry—with 75 reimagined plant-based recipes

The word curry, derived from the Tamil word kari, has come to describe a diverse set of dishes from several Asian cultures—from Indian to Thai to Japanese and beyond. Kari is Sheil Shukla’s love letter to this iconic food, with 75 plant-based recipes for curries and accompaniments that make store-bought simmer sauces an afterthought.

These reimagined recipes are informed by Shukla’s Gujarati heritage and his experience as a first-generation Indian American. A slow-simmered makhani sauce, scented with cumin and coriander, can be served with crispy tofu katsu or layered with tortilla chips and toppings for a vegan twist on nachos. The classic Indian mango chutney transforms into a sweet and savory sauce with the addition of Japanese miso; Shukla offers it both as a dipping sauce for summer pakoras and as a glaze for roasted vegetables.

These are Indian recipes you’ve never seen before, crafted in a celebration of what it means to bring cultural traditions together through food. More than anything, this book is an invitation: to cook, to taste, to experiment, and to make these dishes your own.