Cooks & Books: Hoppers' Karan Gokani for Indian 101

'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

'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 Gokani grew up in Mumbai with a deep love for food, shaped by the rich diversity of Indian home cooking. In 2005, he moved to the UK to study law at the University of Cambridge, eventually working as a solicitor at a leading Magic Circle firm. But his passion for food never waned, he spent late nights in his home kitchen and weekends moonlighting in professional kitchens, learning the craft hands-on. In 2012, he left law behind to pursue cooking and hospitality full-time, travelling across India and Sri Lanka to study regional cuisines.

In 2015, Karan co-founded Hoppers, a Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant in Soho, London. The restaurant quickly earned a Bib Gourmand and critical acclaim, leading to further openings in Marylebone and King’s Cross. His bestselling debut cookbook Hoppers: The Cookbook (2022) won numerous awards, praised for its vibrant storytelling and recipes.

Karan’s second cookbook, Indian 101, is a guide to real Indian home cooking, breaking the myth that it always demands endless ingredients, hours in the kitchen, or a table overflowing with dishes. Through reels, TV appearances, and his Instagram account @karancooks (660k+ followers), Karan has inspired millions to cook Indian food with confidence. He also leads Feeding the Future, a charitable initiative supporting early education in Sri Lanka.

Karan joins us to talk, demo, and dish out delicious tasters from his new book Indian 101. Expect dishes full of flavour such as Lemon rice and Homestyle Chicken Curry. 

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Indian 101 introduces beginners and seasoned home cooks to REAL Indian recipes in a simple and intuitive way - going beyond the stereotypes and making real Indian cooking enjoyable for everyone.

Karan Gokani is a renowned food writer, chef and founder of the acclaimed Hoppers restaurants. His easy-to-follow recipes are packed with flavour and introduce you to the breadth of dishes that this amazing country has to offer. As you cook from the book, you will begin to associate curry leaves and coconut milk with the south of India, dairy with the north, mustard oil with the east, and vegetarian delicacies with Gujarat in the west.

Karan gives tips and hacks to make the trickier methods quicker and easier to follow at home without compromising on authenticity or taste. There are air fryer methods, tray-bake alternatives, spice hacks and ingredient variations to help you flex your cooking methods while remaining true to the unique and hugely diverse Indian traditions.

Indian 101 is your go-to cookbook for exciting weekday meals as well as sharable weekend feasts.