Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora

by Khushbu Shah

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Written in a warm and funny voice, Amrikan is the perfect blend of American and Indian cuisine (pizza samosas, anyone?). Great for any connoisseurs of Indian food, as well as children of the disapora who want to enjoy the food of their childhood.

ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Bon Appetit, Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, Saveur, Esquire, Wired, Los Angeles Times, KCRW Goodfood, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal •  ONE OF THE STRATEGIST'S BEST COOKBOOKS TO GIFT •  ONE OF PADMA LAKSHMI'S PICKS FOR BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • AN EPICURIOUS BEST NEW SUMMER COOKBOOK • FINALIST FOR LIBBY'S COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR

"The great Khushbu Shah has provided brilliant, original, easy, and, most of all, delicious Indian American recipes that will dazzle anyone’s palate.”—Phil Rosenthal, TV writer, producer, and host of Somebody Feed Phil

“What is Indian food in America?”

 

In her eagerly anticipated debut cookbook, acclaimed food writer Khushbu Shah injects an electric and irresistible energy into the story of Indian food, with 125 recipes inspired by the cooking of the diaspora. From the savory and bold flavors of Achari Paneer Pizza to the ultimate home-cooked comfort meal, a pot of Spinach Tadka Dal with rice, Khushbu’s recipes are flavor-packed, party-pleasing, and wonderfully surprising. She invites readers on a journey far beyond butter chicken (though she has a stellar recipe for it), offering instructions for preparing meals, drinks, and desserts as diverse as Saag Paneer Lasagna, Classic Dosas, Keralan Fried Chicken Sandwiches, Pani Puri Mojitos, and a Masala Chai Basque Cheesecake. Khushbu makes it easy to dive in, equipping home cooks with a list of simple-to-find pantry staples alongside vibrant images, clever tips and tricks, and illuminating essays that introduce a thrilling voice in American food.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324036258
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Khushbu Shah is a food writer and journalist who resides in Los Angeles, California. She was most recently the restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine, where she crisscrossed the United States several times over on the hunt for the country’s best new chefs. She is the youngest person and the first person of color to ever hold that title. You can also find her work in the New York Times, Washington Post, GQ, Eater, and more. Additionally, her writing has been featured in the Best American Food Writing anthologies, and she has made appearances on television shows like Ugly Delicious. Khushbu grew up in Michigan, where her immigrant parents raised her with a deep appreciation for spices and good fruit. Amrikan is her debut cookbook.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/15/2024

Los Angeles–based food writer Shah wows in her debut cookbook, an attempt to define and document Indian American cuisine. Born to immigrant parents who had to adapt their recipes because of limited access to authentic Indian ingredients, Shah and generations of Indian Americans grew up eating blended fare featuring flavors from both cultures. Bold, flavorful, and only sometimes spicy, these recipes represent a cuisine that has been largely overlooked in the ever-growing Asian cooking boom in America. From delicious breakfast options including saag paneer frittatas and a beautiful shahi tukda French toast made with saffron, pistachios, and rose petals, these dishes are both toothsome and elegant. Shah showcases sandwiches, dosas and samosas, and rice and noodles, along with some surprising pizza options that will tantalize the taste buds and earn her a devoted following. Alongside such tempting entries as classic butter chicken, saag paneer lasagna, and spicy cilantro chutney mussels, she also aims to educate, with sidebars on eating meat and Indian drinking culture. To round out any meal, she finishes with appealing recipes for an array of chutneys, vegetables, beverages, and desserts. Complete with mouthwatering photos, the result is an alluring collection that every true foodie will embrace. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"An inventive, wholly original celebration of the foods and dishes of the Indian-American diaspora."

Salon - Michael La Corte

"In this very impressive debut book, Khushbu covers Indian-American home cooking through a very personal lens, offering recipes that blend South Asia with suburban Michigan sensibilities."

Matt Rodbard

"Captures, through recipes from the Indian American diaspora, everything that is joyful about cooking and eating: flavors and textures that contrast and delight, deftly told stories that feel like your favorite cynical friend is right beside you in your hot hot kitchen, playful recipes with nostalgic nods, a celebration of innovative adaptation, or, when the dish calls for it, strict adherence to the classics."

Family Style - Ella Quittner

"Brilliant. . . . [Shah] brings a near-dogmatic sense of PLAYFULNESS to so much of her work. That tone matches her subject—diasporic cooking—perfectly."

Marian Bull on Substack (Mess Hall)

"Chronicle[s] how Indian immigrants have swapped ingredients and techniques with other immigrants, creating Indian Tex-Mex dishes and Indian pizzas, adding Indian flavors to American staples, opening restaurants, and building a cuisine unique from those of the country from which they emigrated. Amrikan is a history book as much as it is a cookbook, a testament to a diaspora’s innovation and creativity."

Eater - Jaya Saxena

"Shah’s approach and colorful photographs make this a delightful starter cookbook for Indian fare."

Booklist

"Like most Indian Americans of my generation, I grew up in a kitchen witnessing culinary genius: Mom. She never left the kitchen. If we went to restaurant, she’d eat spitefully, and then remark, ‘I can make this at home. Why did we come here?’ And then she would make it. But always with her own Indian twist. And then, as I grew older, I tried to imbue some of her styles into my own cooking and, every now and then, I actually made a winner. That’s what this cookbook is: it’s the best of every Indian Mom in this country mixed with the best of their kids. And now I’m going to cook every one of these dishes for my kids. Perhaps, like my mother, it can make me insufferable in restaurants. Thank you, Khushbu."

Ravi Patel

"[A] stellar new book about how Indian food adapted to America."

Esquire

"Imagine being someone that has eaten at restaurants across the country, several times over, for your job! A discovered and informed perspective is apparent but what really drew me into Khushbu’s inaugural cookbook were the crave-able pathways of nostalgia and family tradition. Very little can compete with coming back home. Approachable, comfortable, and full of heart."

Kristen Kish

"Amrikan is a celebration of…culinary ingenuity. Along the way, Shah introduces us to her family, takes on some myths (“Indian Food is Complicated”—busted!), and makes mouths water at the turn of every page."

Jenna Helwig

"As one of the most exciting culinary voices of our generation, Khushbu Shah redefines what it means to be Indian American in her debut cookbook, Amrikan. Filled with emotion and recipes that demand your attention—this is a cookbook you will be returning to over and over for inspiration."

Andy Baraghani

"At last! You don’t have to live in India and have access to only Indian ingredients to cook fantastic Indian food. The great Khushbu Shah has provided brilliant, original, easy, and, most of all, delicious Indian American recipes that will dazzle anyone’s palate. You will want to make and eat, every dish.”"

Phil Rosenthal

"Shah’s book reflects her personality: vibrant, creative, outspoken, thoughtful, fun-loving."

Joe Yonan

"Khushbu Shah’s debut cookbook is highly personal, yet it lovingly encompasses the entire Indian immigrant community in America. While restaurant touchstones like tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala are great and all, Amrikan proves that the most exciting and heartfelt Indian food in America comes from home kitchens—soon, perhaps, your own home kitchen."

Sara Bir

"I can't begin to explain how stoked I am for Amrikan! It's packed with playful recipes like Rice Krispy Bhel, Crispy Paneer Burger, and Nutella Burfi. But more importantly, Khushbu Shah highlights how many of our immigrant mothers cook. By blending cultures and adapting to use what's accessible, they create new family recipes that are just as reflective of the diaspora as the foods they ate back home. Yes, please, to Carrot Halwa Sticky Buns!"

Sohla El-Waylly

"Khushbu Shah is showing a side of Indian food that everyone who enjoys eating should know about, and she does it in a way that makes it easy to understand and gets you excited to try it!"

Joshua Weissman

"I’ve been a fan of Khushbu Shah’s work from day one, and her first cookbook knocks it out of the park, deeply wonderful and highly doable using mom-approved grocery store adaptations but also hella fun. I want to Julie–Julia the whole book."

Deb Perelman

"Truly, an insightful revealing into the wonderful world of Indian cuisine in America—from Masala Shakshuka to Saffron Chia Seed Pudding, and Carrot Halwa Sticky Buns, you're in for a real treat. And the pictures in Amrikan are as delectable as the recipes—they basically pop off the pages!"

Food Republic - Randy Sean Schulman

"Shah’s exuberant cookbook embraces all of the staples of the Indian American pantry…and delivers to readers delicious, crowd-pleasing recipes that run the gamut from a saag paneer lasagna to a jiggly, juicy mango pie. It’s a deeply satisfying and imaginative cookbook—and one I’m looking forward to cooking from for years to come."

Food & Wine - Karen Shimizu

"At last! You don’t have to live in India and have access to only Indian ingredients to cook fantastic Indian food. The great Khushbu Shah has provided brilliant, original, easy, and, most of all, delicious Indian American recipes that will dazzle anyone’s palate. You will want to make and eat, every dish.”"

Philip Rosenthal

★ 06/01/2024

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.—John Charles

Library Journal