Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora

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.