My New Indian Kitchen began as a feeling more than an idea, a shared spark between Chef Vikram Vij and his partner Jennifer Muttoo during years of wandering through markets, kitchens, and unfamiliar cities together.
Somewhere between the steam of a clay cup of chai in Delhi and the quiet warmth of a Moroccan home kitchen, they began to see a truth reflected in their own lives: Indian cooking today isn’t confined to tradition. It breathes, travels, absorbs, transforms, shaped as much by memory as by spice, and it deserves a cookbook that honors that kind of freedom.
Vij shares, “Travel taught us to think beyond borders—seeing Indian spices in Marrakech, Canadian ingredients transforming a Goan curry, or a chaat tasting different in every place. In our kitchen, these influences merge naturally. The recipes became a reflection of that journey, grounded in Indian technique, yet shaped by the world we’ve explored together.” It is precisely this blend that became the heartbeat of My New Indian Kitchen, a celebration of tradition and also of all the places and memories that shaped how Vij and Muttoo cook today. Undoubtedly, the cookbook grew from moments collected over years, be it home cooks in Morocco, fishermen in Kerala, or street vendors in Punjab.
While the book is rooted in food, its soul is found in Muttoo’s photography—vibrant, hardworking, chaotic, and beautifully alive. Rather than styling plates under oh-so-perfect lighting, she turned her lens toward the spirit of India. “I wanted to bring the country’s colors, movement, and everyday life into the book. For me, the images are a love letter to India, encapsulating its markets, landscapes, and the small moments that stay with you long after you’ve returned home,” expresses Muttoo.
My New Indian Kitchen is an ode to Vij’s instinctive, emotion-driven cooking colliding playfully with Muttoo’s thoughtful, detail-oriented creativity. The dynamic duo reveal that behind the scenes were late nights, lively debates, and bursts of laughter sparked by everything from spilled spices to frantic final edits. Out of that dance came dishes that reflect exactly who they are as a couple. Vij’s now-famous Chicken Schnitzel with Butter Chicken Sauce merges his Austrian upbringing with his Indian roots, while Muttoo’s Chai Tiramisu reimagines an Italian classic through the warmth of spiced tea.
The cookbook, available for purchase on Amazon and Indigo, is an invitation for people to explore spices with confidence, understand the “why” behind each technique, and feel empowered to adapt recipes to their own lives. Vij and Muttoo detail, “More than anything, we want readers to connect with the stories, memories, and emotions woven through every dish. If someone finishes the book feeling inspired, curious, and excited to cook, then we’ve done our job.” Undoubtedly, My New Indian Kitchen isn’t meant to sit untouched on a shelf, but meant to be cooked from, spilled on, bookmarked, and loved, serving as an open invitation to play, to taste, and ultimately, to make Indian food your own.
