For years, Karan Gokani has demystified Indian cuisine, both through his celebrated restaurants and his growing online presence. Now, with the release of Indian 101: Classic Indian Dishes Made Simple (Bluebird, out 11th September 2025), he’s empowering home cooks with a beautifully accessible guide that strips away intimidation and replaces it with inspiration, intuition, and deeply authentic flavour.
Karan’s second cookbook comes on the heels of the bestselling ‘Hoppers: The Cookbook,’ which introduced readers to the fiery, complex world of Sri Lankan and South Indian food through the lens of his wildly successful restaurant brand, Hoppers. With Indian 101, the Mumbai-born chef turns his attention to Indian home cooking at large, sharing comforting, practical recipes, modern techniques, and time-saving tips while drawing on the rich, diverse culinary traditions across India’s vast regions. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned spice-lover, Indian 101 invites you to experience Indian food with confidence, creativity, and joy.
A Friendship Forged in a Communal Kitchen
I first met Karan in 2008 when both of us were postgraduate students in London, living in the same halls of residence in Russell Square. I couldn’t cook to save my soul, and I still struggle with cooking! Karan, on the other hand, was already a culinary force in the communal kitchen, quite literally cooking up a storm every night. I sneakily realised that if I wandered into the kitchen any time between 8:00pm and 8:30pm, I’d be invited by Karan to sit and share his dinner. What followed were nightly feasts, whether the most delicious Bombay Street food like Pav Bhaji and Chaats or soul-warming North and South Indian classics. Having grown up in Colombo, I never realised the sheer variety and regional diversity of Indian cuisine until I met Karan. For Karan, meeting my mum, an extraordinary cook herself, sparked a love and curiosity for Sri Lankan food. When he visited me in Colombo that summer after university, he stayed with us at home but spent more time in the kitchen with my mother than hanging out with me and my friends. Fast forward to 2025, Karan is now widely appreciated across the UK for Sri Lankan cuisine. His restaurant Hoppers has become an institution in London, beloved not only for its food but for how it brings a piece of South Asia into the heart of the city.
Making Indian Food Intuitive
From the first page, it’s clear that Indian 101 isn’t just another cookbook with a long list of spice-laden recipes. It’s a course in understanding how Indian food really works. Karan believes that learning to cook Indian food isn’t about memorising intricate methods or stocking up on dozens of ingredients. Instead, it’s about connecting with core flavours, mastering a few key techniques, and then making the cuisine your own. “I hope this book is more than just a collection of recipes,” Karan says. “I want it to inspire people to discover the incredible depth of Indian cuisine, become confident with new flavours, and use them intuitively in their everyday cooking.” The book breaks down the geographical diversity of Indian cuisine with gentle clarity: the coconut and curry leaves of the south, the mustard oil and fish of the east, the rich dairy dishes of the north, and the vegetarian marvels of the west. It includes easy adaptations for modern home kitchens, think tray bakes, air fryer tweaks, and ingredient swaps, making sure readers don’t feel restricted or overwhelmed.
Recipes That Respect Time and Lifestyle
Gone are the days when cooking Indian food meant devoting an entire afternoon to grinding spices or watching pots bubble for hours. In Indian 101, weeknight-friendly dishes like Parsi Eggs on Potatoes, Lemon Rice, and simple dals are offered alongside indulgent weekend showstoppers like Pork Vindaloo and Butter Chicken, allowing home cooks to dip in based on time, mood, and appetite. This approachable tone is woven through the book with Karan’s signature warmth. There are tips for prepping ahead, shortcuts that don’t sacrifice authenticity, and suggestions for building confidence through experimentation. With a few base spices, a couple of versatile techniques, and Karan’s reassuring guidance, even complex flavours start to feel intuitive. There’s a strong sense of empowerment on every page, this is not a gatekept cuisine, but one that Karan invites you to truly own.
His restaurant Hoppers has become an institution in London, beloved not only for its food but for how it brings a piece of South Asia into the heart of the city
From Mumbai to Michelin
Karan Gokani’s journey is anything but ordinary. He was raised in Mumbai, where his love of food blossomed early amidst the bustling street stalls and family meals. But it wasn’t until years later, after graduating from the University of Cambridge and working as a solicitor in one of London’s Magic Circle law firms, that he made the bold decision to pivot fully into food. In 2012, he left his legal career and embarked on a culinary and cultural pilgrimage across India and Sri Lanka. These travels, which shaped his understanding of regional cuisines, eventually laid the foundation for Hoppers, a restaurant that fused traditional recipes with a modern London sensibility. Co-founded with JKS Restaurants in 2015, the first Hoppers in Soho was an instant hit. It earned a prestigious Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide and glowing reviews from critics like Fay Maschler and the late AA Gill. Branches in Marylebone and King’s Cross followed, and Hoppers became not just a place to eat, but a cultural institution. The Hoppers cookbook, released in 2022, was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The Times, Financial Times, The Telegraph, and The Independent.
A Global Voice for South Asian Cuisine
Karan has become a leading ambassador for South Asian food, not just in restaurants and print, but across digital platforms and TV. With over 650,000 followers on Instagram and a hit video series titled Indian 101 (which has amassed more than 75 million views), he connects daily with home cooks around the world, offering snippets of knowledge, technique, and travel. He’s appeared on BBC Saturday Kitchen, MasterChef UK, Jamie’s One Pound Meals (Channel 4), and the NBC Today Show, and has collaborated with global lifestyle brands including Shake Shack and Soho House. Yet despite his growing fame, there’s a groundedness to Karan that fans find compelling. His food is big-hearted. His tone is friendly, not flashy. And through both his restaurants and his books, he has created a new way for people to engage with Indian cuisine, one that is rooted in respect, playfulness, and personal discovery.
Giving Back with Purpose
Beyond his culinary impact, Karan also uses his platform to make a tangible difference. In 2022, he launched Feeding the Future, a charitable initiative in Sri Lanka run in partnership with the Hemas Outreach Foundation. The programme provides nutrition and early childhood education to underprivileged children and has already raised over £350,000, building three preschools and offering access to education for more than 148 children.
This deep sense of social responsibility reflects the values that underpin his work: community, nourishment, and opportunity. Food, for Karan, is always about more than taste, it’s a gateway to connection, culture, and care.
A Cookbook to Live By
Indian 101 may be Karan’s second cookbook, but it feels like a culmination of everything he stands for. It brings together his encyclopaedic knowledge of Indian cuisine, his passion for hospitality, and his talent for teaching in one engaging, flavour-packed volume. What sets the book apart is how usable it is. It’s the kind of cookbook you’ll reach for midweek when you’re short on time but craving something comforting. It’s also the kind of book that might encourage you to try something new - like tempering spices for the first time or learning the art of a perfect roti. It doesn’t preach; it invites. It doesn’t overwhelm; it empowers. And at its heart is a simple promise: real Indian food, made accessible.
The Final Word
Karan lives in London with his wife and their two young sons. When he’s not working, he’s travelling, cycling, cooking, writing, or, if he has his way, dreaming of one day cooking for Bruce Springsteen. He’s a man of many talents and even more stories, and Indian 101 is perhaps his most personal one yet. This isn’t just a book for food lovers, it’s for anyone who’s ever wanted to deepen their relationship with one of the world’s greatest cuisines. With Karan’s infectious passion and generous guidance, readers are sure to come away not just better cooks, but better connected to a heritage that spans centuries, continents, and countless home kitchens. Indian 101 is published by Bluebird and will be released on the 11th of September 2025. Follow Karan on Instagram:
@karancooks for more details.
“An incredible book, full of flavour, on one of the most exciting cuisines in the world. A must for anyone who enjoys Indian food,”
Tom Kerridge
"Karan reveals the geographic soul of Indian cooking while keeping our weeknight sanity intact. This is cooking that's practical, varied, and utterly genuine,”
Yotam Ottolenghi
You can now pre-order copies in UK, Europe, India and Sri Lanka via Waterstones, Amazon and other leading booksellers.
