5 new and upcoming cookbooks that will liven up your meals 

With the festive season knocking at our doors, we find ourselves spending more time in the kitchen, making elaborate feasts to celebrate in the best way possible. Add to this the slight drop in temperature, and we yearn to linger longer in the kitchen and bask in its warmth. Naturally then, it makes us want to experiment more with our meals and be willing to go the extra mile to look for that perfect recipe fit for the occasion. These five new and upcoming cookbooks will satiate your hunger for meal inspiration and ideas, so add to cart and get cooking. 

Memories on your Plate by Nivaala X The Alipore Post 

Nivaala, a platform dedicated to celebrating regional food, has collaborated with the Alipore Post, a lifestyle newsletter, for an anthology of 100 recipes and food stories from India and the diaspora across the globe. In the anthology, you’ll find illustrations, stories, essays, poems, and even comic strips in addition to recipes that spotlight family recipes from different contributors that give a peek into the rich culinary traditions of the country. 

For the Culture by Klancy Miller 

While this one is not strictly a cookbook, with interviews and essays in addition to recipes, it is a must-read for those who are interested in the history of food and like their recipes backed by context. Written and compiled by writer and chef Klancy Miller, who runs a magazine with the same name, the cookbook celebrates Black women and femmes and their contribution to American cuisine, which usually goes unnoticed. In it, you’ll discover interviews of 66 Black food professionals that detail their journey in the industry accompanied by recipes.

More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen by Molly Baz

Famous Internet chef and former Bon Appétit editor Molly Baz is here with her second cookbook More Is More, after the resounding success of her first, Cook This Book. In her signature style, this one is also peppered with quite a few of her beloved abbreviations—think dish names like Mollz Balls (her take on spaghetti and meatballs) and Marinated Zucch with Mozz (zucchini and mozzarella for the uninitiated). But it’s the nifty utilisation of QR codes, which Baz uses to take you through recipes step-by-step in video format, which is the true star of the cookbook. 

Veg-Table by Nik Sharma

This is Nik Sharma’s third cookbook, who’s a molecular biologist turned cookbook author and photographer. Needless to say, his scientific background greatly informs his books, be it his first cookbook Season, or his last, The Flavour Equation. His latest, Veg-Table is no different, and is choc-a-bloc with interesting food facts and science. This book especially is vegetable-forward, as the title indicates, and also has plenty of explanations on the biology of different vegetables. What this means for you is less crying when cutting onions, and realising that roasting sweet potatoes is better than boiling or microwaving them. 

Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly

If you’re just beginning your journey in the kitchen and are a beginner cook, then chef, writer, and former Bon Appétit editor Sohla El-Waylly’s debut cookbook Start Here will help you get started on the right path. El-Waylly doesn’t just equip you with recipes; she arms you with plenty of science-backed tips and techniques that will make you more confident and comfortable in the kitchen. Worried about rubbery eggs? She’s got the solution. Want to know about the perfect amount of salt to add to your dish? She’ll walk you through it.