Jyotiraditya Scindia Launches Rohini Rana's Fusion Cookbook 'Memories on a Platter'
Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia launched author Rohini Rana’s third cookbook, titled "Memories on a Platter: My Fusion Cookbook," published by Penguin Random House.
The new collection draws inspiration from Rana’s childhood in India, her years within Nepal’s Rana family following her marriage, and various international cuisines encountered while accompanying her husband on military and diplomatic assignments across the world. Her husband, Gaurav Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, served as the Chief of Army Staff for the Nepal Army between 2012 and 2015.
Born into royalty to Raja Digvijay Pal Singh and Rani Anant Kumari of Awagarh in Uttar Pradesh, Rana developed her cooking skills prior to and shortly after her marriage. During the eight-month period between her engagement and marriage, her sister-in-law, Rani Saheba Anjali Kumari, taught her foundational dishes ranging from eggs-to-order, sandwiches, and cakes to Indian recipes. Upon moving to Nepal as a newlywed, her husband’s childhood nanny, Chiniya Champa didi, taught her Nepalese cooking traditions.
Rana previously authored two books focused on preserving Nepalese culinary heritage: "The Rana Cookbook: Recipes from the Palaces of Nepal" and "The Nepal Cookbook: 108 Regional Recipes." She began writing the introduction to her first book while residing in the hills during her husband's posting, where she was the only woman alongside a battalion of 800 men, seeking to document traditional recipes from her husband's aging nanny before they were lost.
Having exhausted her Nepalese repertoire, Rana turned to fusion cuisine and childhood memories for her third book. "Memories on a Platter" features Indian and Nepali recipes alongside dishes inspired by culinary styles from Italy, Japan, China, Kenya, Lebanon, Cambodia, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia.
The cookbook is organized into distinct sections including global bites, centrestage, vibrant crunchy bowls, sweet traditions, and liquid delights. The recipes blend personal anecdotes with inventive fusion dishes, such as golgappas filled with scrambled eggs and salmon or corn and edamame, mini makki ki rotis served with melted brie, and buckwheat crepes prepared with ham and cheese.
Rana noted that the dishes developed through personal experimentation, characterizing the book as a memoir told through food. She added that she already has an idea for her next cookbook, which will once again draw inspiration from India.
