Q+A: Hetal Vasavada on Desi Bakes
Interview with the acclaimed Milk & Cardamom author!
It’s very exciting to present this week’s Q+A with Hetal Vasavada, creator of the Milk & Cardamom universe! In this conversation, you’ll learn about her beautiful second book, Desi Bakes: 85 Recipes Bringing the Best of Indian Flavors to Western-Style Desserts.
Tamara Palmer/Food Book Club: What's the life story of this book? How long did it take for you to develop the recipes and shoot everything?
Hetal Vasavada: Desi Bakes has been years in the making—both emotionally and creatively. The heart of the book is rooted in my love for Indian flavors and my passion for baking, and bringing those two worlds together felt like telling my personal story through food. I grew up in a home where textiles and art were treasured. My mother was a seamstress and my grandfather owned a textile mill as well as cotton farm. Taking inspiration from art, textiles and handicradfts from India felt natural to me.
Some of the recipes have lived in my kitchen for over a decade, slowly evolving over time as I tweaked it to get better. Others were born during the development process, which took about 10 months in total. That included testing (and re-testing!) every recipe multiple times to make sure it felt approachable, reliable, and most importantly delicious!
The photoshoots were done in my home kitchen and studio, with many of the props and linens being handmade or collected from friends. I wanted to reflect the vibrant, textural essence of Indian design in the backdrops as well as the bakes. It was an incredibly hands-on process, and I was involved in every step, from styling to editing, because I wanted every page to feel as warm, joyful, and inviting as the culture and recipes themselves!
Do you have a very favorite recipe in the book?
Yes! While I love them all, the Tender Coconut Cream Pie has a special place in my heart! It’s inspired by a tender coconut ice cream flavor at Naturals (an ice cream shop) that I grew up eating when I'd visit India. I transformed into a creamy, dreamy pie with a buttery graham cracker crust and a rich custard filling filled with bits of tender coconut meat. It does take a bit of work since you have to crack oven a tender coconut and scoop all the meat out, but I promise you it's well worth the effort!
What makes it my favorite is how it bridges two worlds: it has the nostalgic comfort of American cream pies, but the flavor is unmistakably desi. I use tender coconut (not the usual shredded dried kind), which gives it this luscious, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a delicate sweetness.
My husband ended up loving this pie so much he's requested it for his birthday for the past 2 years!
Which recipe was the hardest to perfect, and why?
The Flower Garland Cookies were by far the hardest recipe to perfect, but also one of the most rewarding! I had a vision of cookies that resembled the vibrant marigold and rose garlands often seen at Indian celebrations and flower markets, and I wanted people to be able to string them into real, edible garlands!
But getting them just right was a challenge! First, they had to be light enough to hang without breaking under each other's weight when stacked. Then they needed to hold their shape perfectly after baking so each petal and flower detail stayed crisp and distinct. And finally, I didn’t want them to brown too much because any golden edges would dull the bright colors of the cookie dough!
It took a lot of trial and error with dough formulas, oven temps, and coloring methods. I tested different flours, swapped out fats, adjusted sugar levels, you name it. In the end, I landed on a dough that was delicate but sturdy, and baked up evenly without browning too fast. It was a real labor of love, but now it’s one of the most visually striking (and interactive!) recipes in the book!
I love how you relate your baking style to the handicraft culture that you and your family have always had! Which type of crafting do you enjoy doing the most outside of baking?
That connection between baking and handicraft is so personal to me. My mom taught me a lot of handicraft work when I was a kid. We did everything from sewing to jewelry making! Both crafting and baking are about creativity, attention to detail, and putting love into something with your hands.
Outside of the kitchen, I absolutely love embroidery, especially anything involving beads. There’s something so meditative about stitching, and I’m endlessly inspired by the color palettes, textures, and techniques you can explore. Whether it’s mirrorwork, thread embroidery, or intricate beading, I’m drawn to the vibrancy and meditative-ness of it all!
It reminds me a lot of decorating cakes or cookies. Each tiny stitch or sprinkle is part of a bigger picture. I think that’s why so many of my bakes, like the Madras Checkerboard Cookies or the Block Print-inspired shortbread, feel almost textile-like. They’re edible crafts!
Are there any cookbooks by other authors that changed your life that you would recommend to our readers?
Absolutely! There are a few cookbooks that have had a huge impact on me, both in how I bake and how I think about flavor.
Samantha Seneviratne’s The New Sugar & Spice was a game-changer. It really inspired me to lean into spices in my baking, not just as accents, but as the heart of a dessert. Her approach gave me inspiration to explore the depth that spices from my own Indian heritage.
Stella Parks’ BraveTart is another one I constantly return to. My copy is well-loved and covered in flour and smudges because I reference it so often! Her obsessive attention to detail and her deep-dive approach to recipe development is something I really admire and aspire to.
And of course, Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar. Her ability to pull from childhood nostalgia and American food culture to create something bold and fun has always resonated with me. I feel like I do something similar in Desi Bakes, but through the lens of my Indian-American background.
All three of these authors gave me different kinds of inspiration: to experiment, to get nerdy about technique, and to infuse my bakes with personality and heritage!
