MOST recently, named the Chairman, Asian Culinary Studies for its World Cuisines Council by The Culinary Institute of America, Suvir Saran, Chef, Author and consultant, is already a respected food authority in America at age 35 and has made great contributions to furthering appreciation of Indian food in America.

Besides being co executive chef of Dévi, a 75-seat upscale restaurant in New York City that offers authentic Indian home cooking (and received a Michelin one-star rating in 2007 and 2008, as well as a three-star rating from New York Magazine and two stars from The New York Times).

Saran received wide acclaim for his accessible approach to Indian flavours and techniques in his cookbook, Indian Home Cooking: A Fresh Introduction to Indian Food, with More Than 150 Recipes (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, September 2004), with Stephanie Lyness.

His culinary prowess comes to the fore again with his new cookbook, American Masala: 125 New Classics From My Home Kitchen (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, October 2007), with Raquel Pelzel. In American Masala, he combines the best that both Indian and American cooking have to offer.

In an exclusive interview to Indiwo, Saran gets candid about himself, his life, his books, his cooking, his India... Read on to find out more... or try Suvir's special recipe for Fried Chicken Masala his 4th of July weekend.

In the photograph: Suvir Saran

Photograph: David Schmit