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our cookbook of the week is amrikan: 125 recipes from the indian american diaspora by los angeles-based food writer and journalist khushbu shah.
jump to the recipes: amchur ranch salad with crispy chickpeas, achari paneer pizza , and jaggery and fennel rice krispie treats .
food writer and journalist khushbu shah had a lot on her plate when she wrote her cookbook debut, amrikan (w. w. norton & company, 2024). as food & wine magazine’s restaurant editor, she travelled across the united states several times, searching for the best new chefs. “it’s hard to write a cookbook when you don’t have access to a kitchen for many weeks at a time,” says shah, laughing. her full-time job may have delayed the release of amrikan from last fall to this spring, but visiting indian restaurants everywhere she went also helped inform it.
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in addition to drawing on the traditions of families with roots in various parts of india, shah pulled from different geographical points of view. she devotes a chapter to indian-style pizza, for example, with recipes for achari paneer pizza , samosa pizza, naan pizza and more. shah says that the innovation is rooted in san francisco, and she scoured menus to see what indian american chefs were doing with pizza and took the same approach with indian tex-mex.
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the masala poutine recipe in amrikan is evidence of these cross-border similarities. markham, ont.-raised, los angeles-based brothers nakul mahendro and arjun mahendro have had indian-inflected poutine on the menu at badmaash since they opened the first location in 2013 with their father, head chef pawan mahendro. shah says that badmaash is part of a new wave of experimental, third-culture indian restaurants. they have many classic dishes on the menu, which they “knock out of the park,” such as punjabi chickpeas (chana masala) and samosas — but they also make a fried butter chicken sandwich and chicken tikka poutine, and other restaurants across the united states have taken note. “you’ll see masala fries or masala poutine on a lot of indian restaurant menus now, which is kind of amusing. but i really feel you can trace it back to them, and had they not moved to l.a., i don’t know if it would have proliferated the way it has.”
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having written a book about the food of the indian american diaspora, shah is most interested in the cuisine’s continual evolution and crossover with the global pantry. “i like how playful and vibrant it is,” she says. there are connective threads between indian and mexican cuisine, for example, which she’s excited to see more restaurants explore. shah mentions norma listman and saqib keval’s masala y maiz in mexico city, which combines indian and mexican food “in such a brilliant, genius way.”
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serves: 4
crispy chickpeas:
1 (15-oz/425 g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
amchur ranch:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream or plain full-fat greek yogurt
1 to 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp garlic paste or 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp amchur
1 1/2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds), optional
salt and ground black pepper to taste
salad:
2 to 3 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 persian cucumbers, sliced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
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storage note: the recipe makes more dressing than necessary for the salad — you could easily halve it or save the rest in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a week. do not freeze it.
makes: 1 medium pizza
paneer:
1/4 cup plain full-fat yogurt
2 tbsp achar of your choice (see ingredient note)
4 oz (113 g) paneer, cut into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes
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creamy tomato sauce:
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic paste or 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp kasoori methi or dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
pizza:
all-purpose flour, for dusting
1/2 recipe basic indian pizza dough (
recipe follows
)
olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 to 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (shred it yourself! pre-shredded has fillers and doesn’t always melt.)
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
8 to 10 pickled jalapeños (optional)
fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
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ingredient note: achars are fruits and vegetables that are pickled with oil and spices. you could make your own, but it’s a lot of effort, and they are readily available at any indian grocery store. i am partial to a spicy mango achar, or the roasted garlic achar from brooklyn delhi (which is available in select retailers in canada).
freezer note: you can wrap leftover pizza in aluminum foil, place in a ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. reheat in the oven. don’t microwave your pizza, please. you can also freeze any leftover tomato sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge before using.
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makes: enough dough for 2 medium or 4 small pizzas
2/3 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds; optional)
freezer note: lightly coat the dough with oil, then place it in a ziplock bag. press the air out of the bag, then seal tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. thaw in the fridge.
serves: 12 to 16
1/2 cup or 4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup packed jaggery (see note)
2 (12-oz/340-g) bags marshmallows (see note)
1 (12-oz/340-g) box crispy rice cereal
1 cup candy-coated fennel seeds (also sold as fennel candy)
1 tsp flaky sea salt
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ingredient note: if you are vegetarian or you don’t eat gelatin, you can sub in vegan marshmallows (i like dandies brand). just keep in mind that vegan marshmallows look lumpier when they’ve melted down, so don’t be alarmed. if you can’t find jaggery, it’s okay to use brown sugar instead, but i like the caramel notes jaggery brings to the recipe.
freezer note: the treats keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. or you can freeze them, with parchment paper between layers, for up to 3 months.
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recipes and images excerpted from amrikan: 125 recipes from the indian american diaspora . copyright ©2024 by khushbu shah. photographs ©2024 by aubrie pick. used with permission of the publisher, w.w. norton & company. all rights reserved.
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