“The Indian diaspora and food aficionados the world over will be benefited from this book.” – Master Chef SanjeevKapoor, Celebrity Chef, Best-selling Author, Padma Shri Awardee and the Face of Indian Cuisine

I grew up a foodie, who loved to try out different tastes and preparations from all over India. I married into a Maharashtrian family who further added more varieties to my palate than I had previously tasted. My mom and mother-in-law taught me a lot and really helped me develop a liking for cooking. We moved to the USA in 1993, which exposed me to even more international cuisines. We soon got to know a large number of fun loving Indians and made many close friends with whom we’ve had frequent parties. I took pride in cooking the entire menu for all my parties, including appetizers, main entrees and desserts. It gave me immense pleasure when the guests raved about my food, which motivated me to experiment even more with tasty dishes. I started to write down my own recipes with quantities of ingredients properly measured as I wanted to ensure authentic replication of my dishes when I started getting multiple requests for my recipes. My motivation for writing this book is simple – to record my recipes for posterity and to honor my husband who encouraged me to set out on this adventure.

Shakuntala Shinde is an occupational therapist who graduated from Seth G. S. Medical College, K.E.M. Hospital in 1977. She practiced in Dr R. N. Cooper Hospital until 1993, when she got a job and moved to US. She retired in 2020 and is now leading a relaxed life pursuing her passions – cooking, gardening, classical dancing and karaoke singing.