‘Classic Indian Cooking’ turns 40

We live in what has been described as a golden age for cookbooks. There are thousands of cookbooks published each year, and of those thousands, hundreds are noteworthy. But will they still be discussed after forty years has passed? Only the best and brightest books can claim to be relevant and inspiring decades after their release. Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking, which turns 40 this year, is one such tome. The book is a complete course in Indian cooking that helped demystify the cuisine. Food & Wine recently sat down with Sahni to discuss the book and how she hasn’t slowed down in the decades since its publication.

While Madhur Jaffrey may be more well-known to the average cook, it was Sahni who really introduced the West to the flavors, spices, and techniques of Indian cookery. It has served as a touchstone for home cooks, chefs, and food writers alike – Mark Bittman said that Sahni’s books were instrumental to his learning about Indian cuisine.

Sahni did not start out with aspirations of becoming an authority on Indian food. She was a classically-trained dancer before entering architecture school and earning a master’s degree in city planning. We have her coworkers in the New York City Planning Commission to thank for her change of careers. They were the ones who first encouraged her to teach a class on Indian cooking. Sahni applied herself to this task with the same care and precision she had for mapping the subways. She says that she tested the recipes in Classic Indian Cooking for seven years before she allowed it to be published. That’s dedication, and the longevity of the book is testament to her dedication.