Khushbu Shahs debut cookbook is highly personal, yet it lovingly encompasses the entire Indian immigrant community in America.
Amrikanderives its title from the word Indians use for American things (say it UM-ree-kan).
Its America, with a desi accent, Khushbu writes.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham
According to Khushbu, adaptation is the main ingredient in the Indian American culinary lexicon.
And lots of them are vegetarian or vegan, which is fabulous for flexitarian households.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
So many Indian cookbooks for Americans tend to have recipes that are more like Indian restaurant greatest hits.
After an exhausting day, what’s your go-to meal?
Yogurt rice is really satiating and also a very easy lift.
Pav bhaji is typically a street food but is a common quick weeknight dinner staple.
You recently served as Food and Wine magazines restaurant editor.
Clearly, you cook a lot, though.
I would do both things in spurts.
You tend to miss one when you’re in a block of the other.
It’s at the center of every gathering and every celebration.
There isn’t as much value placed on a one-pot dish.
Even then, I will double-check to have, at minimum, three snack options on the table.
Can you make a case for growing a curry leaf tree?
A while ago, I bit the bullet and got one.
Curry leaves add a lovely depth to so many Indian dishes, and the plants are also really pretty!
They can also grow indoors if you live in a cold climate.
My mom has a curry leaf tree in Michigan that she has kept alive for over 12 years.
It’s true third-culture cooking!
I made it for Thanksgiving last year, and every single piece was gone there were zero leftovers.
BUY THE COOKBOOK:Amrikan
