ASHEVILLE ― Chef Meherwan Irani traveled to his hometown of Ahmednagar in central Maharashtra, India, to share news of his debut cookbook with diners, chefs and home cooks in the boldest way possible: a brightly colored, 30-foot-tall billboard unveiled live and streamed to social media audiences.
It also surprised his mother, who taught him to cook, making it a full-circle moment.
The flashy yet heartwarming marketing method matched the vibes and energy of a cookbook that makes big claims, titled "No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India."
Irani recounted the scene.
"Right at the corner of one of the busiest intersections of my hometown, with tens of thousands of people
milling around, is this billboard with the biggest drape you've ever seen. (We) arranged for a wedding band to be there with trumpets and drums and some guy on a scooter goes past with fireworks," he said.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Ten Speed Press will release "No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World," co-authored by Irani and Jamie Feldmar, as a $40 hardcover. It comes more than 17 years after Irani co-founded in 2009 the Indian street food restaurant Chai Pani in Asheville, which went on to win the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant.
Irani and his wife/business partner, Molly, were nominees in the Outstanding Restaurateur category for the prestigious program this year.
Simmering over the years, Irani's culinary talent, wisdom and experience came together to serve up a cookbook designed to make Indian cuisine approachable and feasible for everyday cooking at all skill levels. The simplified instructions take a street-food hawker approach, with most recipes requiring only "with one good pot, ladle and knife."
The more than 100 recipes include snacks, grilled sandwiches and rolls, and curries and chutneys, ranging from classic pakoras and chaats to roadside canteen-style stews to Chinese-Indian fusion stir-fries.
Although it's not a Chai Pani cookbook — or a cookbook for Botiwalla or Spicewalla, the restaurant group's other culinary arms — diners will find some of the same dishes and flavors offered at the eateries and the spice company, such as the Lamb Burger, Desi Salad, Okra Fries, MG Wings and Classic Chai.
Ahead of the release, Irani sat down with the Asheville Citizen Times in the place where it all started ― the original site of Chai Pani at 22 Battery Park Ave., now home of sister eatery Botiwalla ― to discuss the roads that led him from the tastiest corners of India to Asheville and beyond and resulted in the "No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World."
Asheville Citizen Times: The cookbook's title itself is a mouthful. What inspired it, and what makes it the "No. 1 best"?
Meherwan Irani: It's a little tongue-in-cheek, but there's some body to back up the claim. It's the most Indian thing in the world to claim to be "No. 1" and "the best." Every place you go — boldly claiming the best chai, the best kabob, the best whatever. So saying it's the best is a nod to this Indian "go big or go home" mentality.
It also creates an expectation of being good. It's very rare that you go to an eatery in India that proclaims itself that, and it not be good. There's something to back up the claim, and by naming it that, I've got to work extra hard to make sure this is a good book.
Indian street food is some of the best in the world. What makes it great is not just what's on the plate, but the whole package ― it's communal, it's eggetarian, it's affordable, it's made fresh to order in front of you. You're standing side-by-side enjoying it. It's the ambiance. It's electric. It's the most fun way to experience food.
It's not that this is just the No. 1 cookbook; I'm covering what I consider the best of Indian cuisine.
ACT: Why did you wait nearly two decades after becoming a chef and opening Chai Pani to write a cookbook?
MI: I resisted writing a cookbook for years. I'd been approached by publishing houses for almost 10 years, but I felt like I hadn't paid my dues to have a cookbook. It's a tough business ― make it first, become an institution, get past your first years, and then write the cookbook.
In the first years of Chai Pani, I was still learning about the street food of India myself. I was still a student, so I felt like I needed to master it first. After Chai Pani won the James Beard Award in 2022, the moment was right.
ACT: When you and Molly opened Chai Pani, it was after leaving other careers. What led you to the hospitality industry and inspired you to become a chef and restaurateur, with a focus on Indian cuisine?
MI: I was almost 40, and I'd spent my whole life working safe jobs, responsible jobs that I didn't necessarily feel inspired to do but was good at. In 2008, when the Great Recession hit, it was the first time I had to stop and figure out what the rest of my life would look like.
A constant thought process for the 20 years before was wondering why Indian food in America was the way it was, and it crystallized into that "aha!" "eureka!" moment at 11 o'clock at night when I sat up in bed and said, "I know what I want to do." This idea I had for what Indian food could be in America, I'm going to go ahead and do it. That same night, I wrote the menu, and 80% of what I wrote is probably still on Chai Pani's menu in some shape or form.
ACT: How did you learn to cook and master Indian food, and how did you teach it to your novice American staff?
MI: My first step was to call my mom, and she came over (from India) and spent almost two months. I looked to her more for certain street-food dishes, but her forte was home cooking, so she came with a different mindset. It was remarkable. She taught (the staff) how to cook as if you were at home, and that's still in the DNA of a lot of our chefs. Yes, we're cooking in a restaurant for people, but always visualize it as if you're cooking for invited guests at home, and that extends to the restaurant. We want you to feel like a guest at home and not a guest at a business.
I went to India and took three of my chefs with me on that first trip, and we did an entire food tour of India. Where I learned the most was on YouTube, and not just cooking but things like how to change the oil in a fryer and fix a hood vent. I would work by day and spend two to three hours watching videos at night so the next morning I knew how to do it. That's still how I feel about cooking today. You're always a student; there's always something more to learn; there's always someone else who knows what you don't know.
ACT: How did you design "No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World" to be approachable for home cooks?
MI: Throughout the book, I teach people the tips, the hacks, the shortcuts, and how not to take things too seriously. Open the fridge, and if you can find these five things inside you can make a dish. The average person doesn't cook because it's a lot of work, and recipes often seem written in a way that makes it more work.
I was conscious of that when writing this. I want people to read it and say, "Oh, I can do that."
It's also fun to read the recipes and the stories.
Highlights from the "No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India":
- Communal, casual dishes. Not to be confused with fast food, these are dishes that are more laid-back and simple and made for sharing, such as Veggie Pakoras with Sweet Yogurt Sauce.
- Home cooking. Irani's family recipes, such as Mom's Quick 'n' Easy Potatoes and My Grandma's Dal.
- "Baller dishes." The street-food-driven cookbook takes a left turn, offering a few fancier recipes that take more time and attention, such as lamb shanks and biryani.
- Spices, flavors and tips. Irani shares nuggets of knowledge on topics such as why naan isn't served with every meal and how to use spices. Spicewalla, which Irani also co-founded in Asheville, offers a 10-pack spice box to complement the cookbook.
For more about Chai Pani Restaurant Group, visit chaipanirestaurantgroup.com. Learn more about the company's founding story in Molly Irani's debut memoir and hospitality leadership guide, “Service Ready: A Story of Love, Restaurants, and the Power of Hospitality,” published by Scribner in March 2026.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Co., covering the food and beverage industry, including the James Beard Awards, Michelin Awards, restaurant openings, closings and other hospitality industry news and events. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up for AVL Bites and Brews, our weekly food and drink newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Chai Pani chef releases 'No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World' | Q&A
