DK whips up new cookery book from Darjeeling Express owner Asma Khan 

DK has snapped up a new cookbook from chef and Darjeeling Express owner Asma Khan, currently titled Flavour. 

DK Life editorial director Cara Armstrong acquired world rights directly from the author, with the book slated to be published in March 2025 ahead of International Women’s Day. 

Khan is the India-born British restauranteur who opened the popular Darjeeling Express restaurant in Soho seven years ago, after previously launching a successful string of supper clubs while undertaking a PhD in British Constitutional Law. She has previously published two cookery titles: Asma’s India Kitchen (Pavilion) and Ammu (Ebury); the latter was named the Times’ cookery book of the year in 2022. 

The book will be based around six core flavours—tangy, bitter, hot, sweet, sour and salty—and will "simplify and demystify Indian cookery for the masses and empower readers to apply Khan’s culinary know-how more intuitively to their own dishes". DK added Khan’s cooking had "long been celebrated for its rich complexity" and her new title will share "the traditional techniques of Indian cuisine to help home cooks master the skills required to layer and enhance flavour in their own cooking". 

Khan said: “This book is a flavour odyssey⁠⁠, a book that celebrates the roots of Indian culinary heritage and makes the cuisine accessible to everyone. Each recipe carries with it its own unique, joyful and meaningful story.”

Armstrong added: “How to harness the power of flavour and elevate home cooking has been a long-contested subject matter in cookbooks. I can think of no other author or cuisine better placed to illuminate this popular debate.”