Our story cookbook
Welcome to the book!
13 months of non-stop writing, editing, formatting and photography, finally done!
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Take a quick peek at snippets of the book…
…this is a stunning idea
…an autobiography and cook book combined – unique – so you arouse the reader’s curiosity on two or rather three counts, basic things – food and life and business. The recipes and the photos are stunning – mouth-watering. The written style. it is lively and intense and very alive. I love it. I think your English is very vivid
…as a lifetime BIG reader I think it’s marvellous. It just is.
What you have done is reinvent the cookbook to be so much more – social commentry, social history, autobiography, family history. At least this is new to me…totally readable, authentic, heartfelt and inspiring.
What stands out immediately is the way Surinder bridges two worlds that rarely meet so seamlessly.
The recipes themselves are beautifully explained, accessible, and rooted in real family cooking, but the true distinction of this book lies in its second layer: the business thinking woven through each section. Readers aren’t simply shown how to create memorable dishes — they’re invited to understand the mindset, organisation, and processes behind a culture of cuisine.
My heritage story
An Indian story cookbook of Punjabi recipes
…wrapped within British Asian stories of food, culture, immigration & business conflicting within two different worlds.
More than a cookbook. A story of two worlds, told through food.
The Business of Recipes is the long-awaited debut cookbook by Surinder Hothi, founding director and first-generation British-born Punjabi woman. This beautifully personal book is a heartfelt autobiography wrapped around pure Punjabi recipes—where food, family, culture, and business collide.
At its core, this is a Pure Punjabi Indian cookbook, rooted in traditional, home-style recipes passed down through Surinder’s mother’s kitchen. But it is also something far richer: a deeply moving story of growing up between two cultures, shaped by the warmth of food and the discipline of enterprise.
By day, it was British school life, laughs and giggles with English girlfriends.
By night, an Indian home filled with expectations, hard work, family love and tradition.
Each recipe is paired with powerful memories and lessons—of immigration, identity, resilience, and ambition. Alongside her mother’s food, Surinder shares the business wisdom and work ethic instilled by her father, revealing how survival, entrepreneurship, and culture are often learned around the kitchen table.
From a studious child to a rebellious teenager navigating identity, to an independent adult, single mother, and female business owner, The Business of Recipes traces a remarkable journey—one familiar to many within the Punjabi and British Asian diaspora, yet rarely told with such honesty.
This is a cookbook for:
- Those who crave authentic Punjabi food
- Those who love stories behind food
- Those who understand the tension of living between cultures
- And those inspired by women, migration, and business built from nothing
The Business of Recipes: A Pure Punjabi Journey is an invitation into Surinder’s world—where every dish carries a story, and every story carries a lesson.
✨ Be among the first to experience this powerful blend of food, culture, and lived experience.
📖 Pre-order now and support a story that deserves to be told.
Don’t miss this culinary and cultural journey—served one recipe, one memory, and one truth at a time.
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Chapters
Chapter 1 – Everest
… A mountain to climb
Chapter 2 – Big Tusks
… Long hot summers
Chapter 3 – “Her Screams rang out, and no one came to help”
… Crime & Punishment
Chapter 4 – Pink fingers
…‘A baptism of fire’
Chapter 5 – Roots…“You need to see where you come from…”
Chapter 6 – Open all hours
… Fairdeal, or Ordeal?
Chapter 7– “Don’t let the bastards bullshit you”
… Fire! the rebellious teenage years
Chapter 8 – In hiding
…the business of arranged marriages…
Chapter 9 – They were right, but they were wrong
…failures…
Chapter 10 – Brown…White…Caramel …Toffee…Mocha or, maybe, zebra-striped?
…a natural curiosity?
Chapter 11 – Mummy went to the restaurant and no one’s there
…international dining
Chapter 12 – “If you don’t eat Indian food, you’ll lose your Indian blood”
…returning home…
Chapter 13 – “Mum! We can’t eat the bricks”
The Post Office… ‘Bent or Incompetent?’
Chapter 14 – “And then the penny dropped…I was my own my own answer”
…Pure Punjabi.
Chapter 15 – Closure
… Moving on
Each chapter ends with ‘Food for Thought’ sections…thoughts and observations on:
‘Business & Money’,
‘Immigrant & British perspectives’,
‘Cultural observations’,
Nutrition & health notes’.
Scroll to the end for the recipes index…
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The author
About Surinder
Surinder is the Founder of Pure Punjabi…
…which she started in 2010, producing the Garam Masala she had learned from her mother, as a young girl. She later added Tandoori Masala, and the business remained with the production of these two products until her daughter Safia joined her in 2013.
Born and raised on the south coast of England, Surinder grew up within a Punjabi home in a mainstream English environment.
It was her mother, Seso, wishing to preserve the knowledge that she could pass to her daughter, who taught her how to cook traditional Punjabi food from scratch. From the age of 7-11 years old, she taught Surinder everything that her own mother and grandmother had taught her. By the age of 11, Surinder had to be back home from school in time to cook the family dinner each night.
…a heartfelt autobiography by Pure Punjabi founder Surinder Hothi that weaves together the rich culinary heritage of her mother’s recipes & kitchen with the business wisdom & teachings imparted by her father.
More than a cookbook
What to expect
15 chapters, each ending with a ‘Food for Thought’ section on contrasting and conflicting Eastern and Western viewpoints.
42 recipes with colour food photography by Safia, whose images have been used by The Times of India and Canva.
Business & money – Food for Thought, notes on opposing viewpoints of East & West
Immigrant & British Perspectives – thoughts and opposing viewpoint notes
Cultural, parenting & family observations – thoughts and opposing viewpoint notes
Nutrition & health notes – thoughts and opposing viewpoint notes
‘The Business of Recipes’ cookbook update:
The book is now finished! The final manuscript is now with professional editors, ready for sending to print with delivery of the first shipment due for the end of February.
Recipes
Murgh, (Chicken ‘Curry’)
Jeera Chawl, (Cumin Rice)
Shukkarpare, (Sweet biscuit)
Badam Dudh, (Almond milk)
Ghee (Clarified butter) .…
Paratha (Fried Chapatti)
Anda Bhurji, (Indian Scrambled eggs)
Pershad/Karah, (Semolina pudding).
Makki di Roti, (Corn Chapatti)
Churi, (Sweet corn mash dumpling)
Alu Matter Gajera Sabji, (potato, pea & carrot)
Masoor di dhal, (Red lentil)
Roti, (Chapatti)
Dhai, (Yogurt)
Masala Cha, (Punjabi Tea)
Barfi, (Dairy fudge)
Besan, (Gram fudge)
Lassi (Yogurt breakfast drink)
Chevdra, (Bombay Mix)
Mathiya, (Flaky savoury biscuit)
Saag,
Chicken Biriyani
Rasgulla, (Sweet cheese dumpling)
Samose, (Meat Veg)
Chole, (Chickpea dhal)
Bhatoora/Puri, (Crispy fried Roti)
Channa Dhal, (yellow split lentil)
Mung Dhal, (Mung bean)
Urid Dhal, (black gram bean)
Green Dahl, (green lentils)
Brown Dhal, (Brown lentils)
Panjeeri/Pinni, (sweet dessert mix)
Keema, (spiced minced lamb or beef)
Aloo Gobi, (Potato & cauliflower)
Seviyan, (Vermicelli pudding)
Rajma Dhal, (Kidney bean)
Gulab Jamun, (Sponge cake dumpling in syrup)
Kheer, (Indian rice pudding)
Mithe Chawl, (Sweet Rice)
Naan, (Flatbread)
‘Tikka Chicken Masala’
Paneer (Indian cheese)