10 May,2026 10:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Nasrin Modak Siddiqi
Parati Gosh
Even the most accomplished chef will admit there's a benchmark no restaurant can quite match: a mother's kitchen. That idea sits at the heart of Tradition to Table: Taj Chefs' Mothers' Recipes - The Eternal Charm of Ma Ki Roti, a coffee table book that turns the spotlight away from professional mastery and towards the homes that shaped it.
The first edition came out 25 years ago, and like it, this one too is a collection that brings together recipes from the mothers of Taj Hotels's chefs, each one rooted in memory, instinct, and years of quiet practice. The book isn't just about dishes; it's about the hands that taught them, the stories they carry, and the care that gives them meaning. Spanning kitchens across the North, South, East, and West, it maps a culinary archive that reflects the breadth of India's regional food traditions while staying anchored in something far more intimate: the idea that true flavour begins at home.
Curated in collaboration with Ma Foundation, the book reflects Taj's commitment to preserving India's diverse culinary traditions while creating meaningful social impact. The recipes span regions and cultures, offering readers a glimpse into India's most cherished dishes.
Chef Arun Sundararaj, Senior Vice President, Food and Beverage, IHCL, tells Sunday mid-day, "The book is a collection of recipes curated by our Taj chefs, inspired by and dedicated to their first teachers in the kitchen: their mothers. Long before these recipes found their way into professional kitchens, they were nurtured in homes, carried across generations and shaped by love and care. The curation was intentionally personal rather than purely culinary. We focused on recipes that held deep emotional significance for our chefs: dishes that shaped their childhood and culinary journeys."
At the same time, it also represents India's diversity; you will find flavours of India from Gangtok in the North East to Srinagar in the North, Jaisalmer in the West to Chennai in the South.
For many chefs, this was an emotional and reflective experience. "Revisiting their mothers' recipes brought back memories of early learning and the roots of their culinary identity. It was a moment of reconnecting with their beginnings, marked by a strong sense of gratitude and pride as they shared these personal stories, transforming them into a collective tribute to mothers across India. There is a clear contrast between fine dining and home cooking; fine dining thrives on precision and technique, while home kitchens are guided by instinct, intuition, and emotion. This book bridges that gap by showing how the chefs' refined skills are ingrained in memory-led cooking. It celebrates the idea that true culinary excellence lies in combining technical finesse with the warmth, simplicity, and authenticity of home-cooked food. We hope readers take away far more than recipes from this collectable culinary heirloom, something that can be passed down through generations. It invites readers to reconnect with the emotional essence of food, as a bridge between memory, culture, and family," adds Sundararaj.
All proceeds from the book will support the Ma ki Roti Foundation, furthering its mission to provide nourishment, education, and empowerment to underserved communities across India.
Ingredients
150 gm almonds
150 gm full-fat milk
100 gm ghee
100 gm sugar
2 gm cardamom powder
5 gm saffron strands
Method
Soak the almonds in
hot water for 30 minutes, then peel the skins. Grind the peeled almonds with milk into a smooth paste. Heat the ghee in a pan. Add almond paste and sauté continuously till thickened. Add sugar and stir well. Cook till sugar dissolves completely. Stir in the saffron (soaked in warm milk) and cardamom powder. Mix well and cook till the ghee separates. Garnish with slivered almonds and serve.
Drawn in by the aromas of his mother Kiran's cooking, Chef Mohit Tak found his place in the kitchen early, learning by her side as she fed both family and community with equal generosity. By seven, he was rolling dough; by eighth grade, he had already won his first culinary competition.
Years later, he carried her legacy to global kitchens, even showcasing her bajra recipes at Noma in Copenhagen. Today, his food blends tradition with innovation, guided by her simplest lesson: cook from the heart, without compromise.
Ingredients
400 gm amaranth leaves
100 gm toor dal
50 ml ghee
15 gm mustard seeds
12 gm urad dal
10 gm cumin seeds
10 gm button chillies
10 gm curry leaves
25 gm ginger
25 gm garlic
20 gm green chillies
12 gm turmeric powder
Salt, as per taste
4 gm hing
Method
Blanch amaranth leaves in boiling water, then puree and set aside. Boil toor dal with tomatoes and green chillies. Combine the boiled toor dal and blanched amaranth puree. Add salt and turmeric powder. Cook for a few minutes, allowing the flavours to meld. Heat the ghee in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin, curry leaves, button chillies, chopped garlic and ginger, and finish with hing. Add the tempering to the dal mixture. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed.
For Chef R Shankar, the kitchen was where childhood unfolded through small rituals of love, discipline, and devotion under his mother's watchful eye. From accompanying her to the market to learning the importance of hygiene, fresh ingredients, and perfectly cooked rice, his earliest lessons as a chef began long before he realised it. Years later, the bond came full circle when he cooked for his mother in her final days, returning the same care
and love she had once served him.
Ingredients
2 nos pomfret
75 gms coconut
30 gms coriander
15 gms mint
15 gms ginger-garlic paste
50 ml oil
10 gms red chilli powder
5 gms turmeric powder
50 gms semolina (rawa)
5 gms salt
5 ml lemon juice
Method
Clean the pomfret and make a slit for stuffing. Grind coconut, mint, coriander, ginger and garlic for stuffing. Fill the stuffing inside the pomfret. Marinate the pomfret with salt, red chilli powder and ginger-garlic paste. Coat it with semolina. Sear it in a hot pan. Serve it with mint chutney and laccha onion.
At just 12, Chef Shrutika Koli found herself running the kitchen when her mother was bedridden after an accident, learning to cook through patient, step-by-step guidance from her bedside. Early mishaps turned into lessons, and soon she was waking before dawn, balancing school and responsibility with quiet determination. Years later, Chef Koli still carries those moments with her, infusing every dish with her mother's wisdom, resilience, and deep patience.
