Anni Dreams of Biryani

September, 2022

PUBLISHED BY TWO LIONS

Anni’s on a mission to YUM!

The café across the street from Anni’s home in Little India makes the best biryani in the world. Fluffy and fragrant, spicy and succulent-Anni could eat it every day. In fact, Anni loves that biryani so much that she’s determined to uncover the secret to the recipe. She has so many questions for Uncle, the grumpy chef and owner of the café. But he isn’t providing any easy clues. So, with some careful planning, Anni sets out on a mission to find out the secret ingredients to this most special dish. Will Anni get the answers she’s looking for… before it’s too late?

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A kindle version of the book is also available!

“Mehra’s text brings to life the sights, sounds, and smells of the neighbourhood, while Prabhat’s vivid and effusive digital illustrations weave in expressive faces and cultural details, including the biryani ingredients and scenes of dirty dishes in the sink… Curious and determined young cook gets her biryani recipe in this tale to savor.”
- Kirkus Reviews

Book Reviews

“I love books about food, family, and traditions. Featuring a determined and creative Indian girl, this heartwarming tale is a great addition to any multicultural food collection!”

— Helen Wu

“A delicious story about Anni and her dream for the best biryani in the world. Anni’s passion to learn how to cook biryani is so relatable. For those who love to eat, this book will make you want to order biryani right after you’re done reading! The illustrations by Chaaya are full of color and you can smell the aroma of the spices!”

— Benson Shum

I really enjoyed this adorable and fun-filled story and cannot wait to read it with my three young nieces. I loved the small taste and feel of India that the author and illustrator treated us readers to as well. The pictures were vibrant and lovely and truly enhanced the story too. There was even a little Information at the end about what biryani is, some history about where it came from, and a list of ingredients for the BEST biryani. I'm really glad I chose this book as my "First Reads" pick for the month of August and highly recommend reading it along with or to a child you love.

— Angie Mike

This is a beautifully written and artistically drawn story about Anni and her love of biryani! Having had my own family traditions surrounding this dish, it was not hard for me to fall in love with the heroines goals. But this would hold true for anyone with a favorite dish growing up. This book is filled with such light and color and energy that I resembled the dish itself! I recommend buying it for yourself as well as gifting it and then making yourself some biryani to enjoy. It definitely made me hungry at the end.

—N.Miller

A beautifully illustrated book about a young girl who wants to learn how to make the most delicious biryani. Wish it would have been longer.

—Bookaria

“Mehra and Prabhat created a luscious, multilayered world in this story about a girl trying to learn the secret to making biryani the way the beloved, grumpy cafe owner does. This story is also a love letter to biryani and it made me VERY hungry..”

— Phaea Crede

“An engaging story about a girl's quest to learn to make biryani like her uncle does. This book is written with a dash of wit and delicious descriptions by Namita Moolani Mehra and illustrated in rich color and detail by Chaaya Prabhat. This is a special story about food, culture, and family, and readers will enjoy the cooking adventures, enticing art, and satisfying story conclusion.”

— Skylaar Amaan

Sweet intergerational story about the love of food, passing down recipes, and the universal truth how food conects us in all cultures. Takes place in a vibrant community where we get a wonderful sense of place. Gorgeous illustrations!

— Carol Gordon Ekster

I love this! I too dream of biriyani! On a daily basis, no less! Wish I had this when my kids were little.

— Nutan Jaeger

I love books about food, family, and traditions, and finally, I got my hands on ANNI DREAMS OF BIRYANI! This is a delightful story about Anni and her quest to learn to make biryani as good as her uncles’. Through vivid descriptions, sensory details, and rich artwork, Namita and Chaaya takes the reader on a cooking adventure that is sure to leave you craving for biryani. The book has great back matter which includes the history of biryani and what goes into making of this delicious dish.

—Sita Singh