Vikas Khanna is a Michelin star chef, who was born in India, but is now based in New York. He has partnered with Akshaya, an NFT platform, to release a new rare cookbook product. The new book is called Sacred Foods of India. It is being sold as a phygital (physical and digital) cookbook.

Akshaya.io was India’s first platform to offer Metaverse-related items, NFTs, and digital twins of physical items. They also offer NFT pairings for antiques, jewelry, boutique furniture, and other artifacts. Akshaya.io say they have invested USD 10 million in the platform.

Sacred Foods of India sits inside a maple and walnut wooden box, covered with Swarovski crystals. The NFT it comes with is stored in Ethereum Blockchain. It gives access to the cookbook’s digital twin. The NFT is the certificate of authenticity and ownership of the hard copy. There are only 250 books in existence.

Khanna says, “I wanted to combine the digital and physical into this one-of-a-kind collectible like no other cookbook author has done before.”

Vikas Khanna and sacred recipes

Khanna, the host of MasterChef India, wrote the vegetarian cookbook from a compilation of more than 100 holy recipes.

Khanna says, “Sacred Foods of India is a passionate compilation of traditions and cultures followed during preparation of prasad and foods served at religious places in India for many centuries. The 420-page book lists 108 holy recipes from 66 Hindu temples, five gurudwaras, five mosques and dargahs, two prominent Buddhist monasteries, one Jewish synagogue, and one church.”

World’s most expensive cookbook

This is not Khanna’s first foray into exotic cookbooks. He is the author of the world’s most expensive cookbook. Called “Utsav,” it is an Indian festival compendium and weighs 16kgs. It is priced at $13,000.

The book was auctioned via Sotheby’s, and proceeds went to charity.

Khanna says he has cooked for Madonna. Also he has cooked for Tom Cruise. Cruise’s favorite dish, says Khanna, is a gobi ka pakoda, alongside lasun ki chutney.

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