Anyone who is familiar with Indian cuisine will recognize the name ‘Tarla Dalal’ in a fraction of a second. For thousands of women, her books were heaven-sent to try out different dishes. A traditional south Indian bride can boldly attempt a Gujarati Dokhla; a housewife from Punjab can make a south Indian Idly, and a health-conscious athlete can cook healthy meals without compromising on taste, thanks to her wonderful books which are simple and easy to understand.

Celebrity Cook Tarla Dalal

Image Credit – http://ibnlive.in.com

One of India’s most prominent cook book authors,she has sold nearly 4 million copies of her books, and published a bi-monthly magazine, Cooking and more. She has also hosted the famous television shows ‘Tarla Dalal Show’ and ‘Cook it up with Tarla Dalal’, and is the brain behind the most famous cookery website in India ‘TarlaDalal.com’. She is also a Padmashree awardee and winner of the ‘Woman of the Year ‘award – 2005, conferred by Indian Merchants Chamber; all these laurels rest lightly on the humble shoulders of this elegant lady.

Tarla Dalal’s success story is long and interesting. Hailing from the city of Pune, she moved to Mumbai after her marriage. In the year 1966, she started taking cookery classes at her residence. She was an exceptional teacher who could make her students attain expertise in the art of cooking. She became immensely popular in no time.

Encouraged by her success from the classes, she published her first book ‘The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking’ in the year 1974. The book went on to become a huge success and she continued to write more books. Some of her most famous works are Punjabi Khana, Mughlai Khana, Rajasthani Cookbook and The Complete Gujarati Cookbook.

She wrote special culinary books like Baby and Toddler Cookbook, Acidity Cook book, Soya Rotis and Subzhis, 100 Calorie Snacks, Calcium Rich Recipes and many more.

She revolutionized the art of cooking and her books have been translated into Gujarati, Bengali, Dutch and even Russian. She was awarded the prestigious ‘Padmashree’ in the year 2007, for her valuable contribution to the art of cookery.  She is the only person who has received this honour in this field.

She made cooking simple, less formidable and enjoyable for many women across the globe. Her secret of success is probably her deep passion for food. Millions of fans mourn her demise and offer their respect today.