RASIKA: Flavor of India (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, Fall 2017)

Stories by Ashok Bajaj

Recipes by Vikram Sunderam

Co-Authored by David Hagedorn

When Washington Post dining critic Tom Sietsema placed Rasika at #1 on 2014’s Fall Dining Guide he said, “Pretty much everything on the menu at Rasika makes a strong case for falling in lust with one of the richest and most varied cuisines on the planet.” Together, James Beard Award-winning Chef Vikram Sunderam and acclaimed restaurateur Ashok Bajaj have transformed Indian cooking into a fresh, modern four-star dining experience and will showcase a hundred+ recipes in this much-anticipated cookbook.

Known for innovative dishes like palak chaat (a wispy, wafer-y pile of delicately fried spinach topped with yogurt, tamarind and bits of tomato) and black cod with honey, fresh dill, cheddar cheese and star-anise, Chef Sunderam updates traditional cooking rooted in all of India’s various regions. In addition to revealing his original spice blends in RASIKA, Chef Sunderam reinterprets popular Indian dishes with unconventional ingredients like avocados, quinoa, and bison.

The New York Times has called Askok Bajaj arguably the most successful restaurateur in Washington and Bajaj has been repeatedly nominated for James Beard Foundation’s national award for Restaurateur of the Year. Bajaj’s first award-winning restaurant, The Bombay Club, opened in 1988, shortly after he moved to America. In 1991, Bajaj opened 701 Restaurant followed by: The Oval Room (1994); Ardeo (1998); Bardeo (2001); Rasika (2005); Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca (2009); Rasika West End, a sister restaurant to four-star Rasika (2012) and nopa Kitchen+Bar (2013). In RASIKA, Bajaj tells the story of Washington D.C.’s rebirth as an urban center and provide an insider look into what it takes to serve our country’s and the world’s political elite. The Indian diaspora has already had a profound impact on literature and technology. Now a new voice promises to change how we think of international cuisine.