FOOD
FINDING COMMUNITY
Brooklyn Delhi founder Chitra Agrawal seeks inspiration in Brooklyn’s diverse local food scene.
by CRAIG HUBERT
26
Photo by Liz Claymon.
It all started with a blog. More than a decade ago, Chitra
Agrawal began documenting her family’s recipes from
India on “ABCD’s of Cooking,” which quickly achieved
a loyal following. Agrawal began taking the recipes and
making them her own, using local produce and foods she
found in Brooklyn, and an idea started to develop. “I was
slowly carving out a style of cooking that reflected both
my Indian heritage and American identity,” she says.
The blog led Agrawal to connect with other passionate
home chefs and participate in the spirited local food
scene: She organized cooking classes, competed in
cook-offs, and collaborated with local growers. All of
this eventually led to the publication of “Vibrant India:
Fresh Vegetarian Recipes from Bangalore to Brooklyn,”
and the launch of Brooklyn Delhi, which sells a variety
of plant-based simmer sauces, achaars, and condiments.
The mission, she says, was to become “the first high quality
mainstream Indian-American food brand.”
How has cooking in general changed for you over the
last year?
We’re definitely cooking more at home. With two small
children, I find myself meal planning a lot more than
I used to because there are just so many more meals to
prepare during the week. I definitely am doing more
multitasking throughout the day like roasting veggies in
the oven and getting beans going in the Instant Pot while
I’m on a call for work. I also have a freezer full of food for
those times when I have not prepped enough.
Do you find yourself more or less creative in the kitchen
since the pandemic?
I go through phases of cooking comfort food staples
and diving into new cooking projects. This added time
in the kitchen has definitely inspired a lot of recipe
development for me at Brooklyn Delhi, much of which
has translated into new products I will be launching later
this year and next.