COOKING & FOOD

Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora

Norton. Jun. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781324036258. $35. COOKING
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According to food critic and journalist Shah, Indian American cuisine is all about adaptation, and adaptation is a two-way culinary street. In her debut cookbook, Shah introduces 125 recipes for Indian dishes that incorporate ingredients from the global pantry, plus American recipes are given a new twist with Indian ingredients. After exploring the origins of Indian American cooking and doing a bit of culinary myth-busting, Shah starts things off with breakfast dishes, including masala shaksuka and the Ultimate Desi Egg Sandwich. Recipes for building-block items like chutneys and a few classic dishes like butter chicken (leftovers of which can be repurposed into nachos) follow, as well as chapters dedicated to snack foods such as Rice Krispie bhel and chile-cheese toasts (avocado toast’s more glam cousin). There is even a chapter focusing on pizza the Indian American way. The writing itself is a joy, being richly infused with Shah’s sense of humor.
VERDICT Even with other terrific guides on the subject, such as Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish (which is cited in Shah’s bibliography), cooks will not be able to resist this vivaciously written and vibrantly packaged paean to Indian American culinary mashups.
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