To Nourish with Love: Flavours and Memories from Mussoorie to Malaysia

A childhood in India’s cool Mussoorie hills to a cook’s coming of age in the sultry, tropical Malaysian heat. To Nourish with Love encompasses a breadth of tales and recipes that mirrors life and its myriad flavours through dishes that celebrate the sparkling sours, joyful sweets and the welcome fresh, together with recipes of heat and spice, comforting savoury and game-changing bitters. Manju Saigal and award-winning writer Bettina Chua Abdullah pay tribute to the lessons handed down from parent to child, mother to daughter, teacher to student and between friends against the magnificent and unparalleled canvas of Indian flavour. With over 130 recipes, accompanied by mouth-watering images, delightful illustrations and illuminating digressions into agriculture, botany, culture and history. In a book paced by flavours, seasons and stories, To Nourish with Love explains why feeding is the ultimate act of love.

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A mouth-watering medley of memories and recipes brings this delightful memoir to life. Old-timers will enjoy the nostalgia, newcomers will enjoy the wonderful dishes that are so lovingly prepared for friends and family. Manju Saigal and Bettina Chua Abdullah take us down Mussoorie’s memory lane. The Mall Road has changed over the years, and the crowds are bigger than ever, but the tradition of hospitality, for which the Kapur family is famous, is always there. — Ruskin Bond, author of The Room on the Roof and The Blue Umbrella

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This book is a reminder of how precious the classic recipes that our mothers and grandmothers prepared are. Manju Saigal and Bettina Chua Abdullah tell a story that’s dear to me: they celebrate the food of the Indian home as it is made for friends and families. Wherever modern Indian cuisine is headed, this is always going to be its foundation. To Nourish with Love illuminates the journey of a dish, from field to table to heart, beautifully. — Vikas Khanna, Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur, author, filmmaker and host of MasterChef India

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What a unique and beautiful book! I have always known Manju to be extremely creative and imaginative, and this is further testament to that. Her skills in the kitchen are legendary, her flair for Indian cuisine unmatched, and both show through the luscious recipes that she has put together. This is no run-of-the-mill cookbook but the amalgamation of great passion and diverse talents. It’s a labour of love that was conceived from the meeting of an accomplished cook with an expressive writer, a thoughtful painter and a photographer who wields magic behind the lens. Without a doubt, To Nourish with Love is a masterpiece. Kudos, Manju and Bettina. — Mohana Gill, author of Fruitastic! and Vegemania!

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Sometimes, and only sometimes, does a cookbook turn into a love story. Manju Saigal and Bettina Chua Abdullah go beyond the usual listing of recipes and ingredients to tell a tale of love for a home in the hills. It is a tribute to Mussoorie in the Himalayas where Manju walks in the old cobbled streets of her childhood with memories of happy times. A scintillating read for both the foodie and the traveller. — Ganesh Saili, photographer and author of Mussoorie across the Ages and Wanderings through the Garhwal Himalaya

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What a joy this is to read! A brilliant collection of recipes and anecdotes that transport the reader into kitchens in the mountains of India as well as tropical Malaysia, a delicious mode of time travel I did not want to end. The childhood stories and details of life are evocative indeed, and I learned much about the history of spices and vegetables and the history of the many ways to serve Indian food. A wonderful addition to more global voices in food writing. — Dipika Mukherjee, author of Shambala Junction and Ode to Broken Thing

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Regional Indian cuisine holds a special place in my heart. Seeing it revived in this beautiful book helps to bring light to the heritage, culture and roots of our incredible Indian cuisine. To Nourish with Love is a reminder that it is our collective duty and responsibility to share and nurture those less fortunate, give back to nature and feed our communities with food, education and love. These are the principles I grew up with and follow in my personal journey as a chef and restaurateur. — Deepanker Khosla, chef-owner, Haoma, Bangkok