Priya Krishna - Indian-ish: Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family

Copyright 2019 by Priya Krishna

Foreword copyright 2019 by Padma Lakshmi

Photography copyright 2019 by Mackenzie Kelley

Spices and lentils photographs on pages photographed by Mackenzie Kelley and styled by Becki Smith

Illustrations copyright 2019 by Maria Qamar

Book design by Kara Plikaitis

Food styling by Judy Kim

All rights reserved.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Krishna, Priya, author. | Krishna, Ritu, author.

Title: Indian-ish : recipes and antics from a modern American family / Priya Krishna with Ritu Krishna ; photography by Mackenzie Kelly ; illustrations by Maria Qamar.

Description: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. | Includes index. |

Identifiers: LCCN 2018043605 (print) | LCCN 2018044779 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328484321 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328482471 (paper over board)

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking, Indic. | Indian cooking. | CookingUnited States. |LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX724.5.I4 (ebook) | LCC TX724.5.I4 K725 2019 (print) |

DDC 641.59/297dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018043605

v1.0319

To Mom and Dad

I must warn you. This is not a cookbook of traditional Indian food. Its not even a book about regional Indian specialties (if youre looking for that, please see India by Pushpesh Pant). India is a vast country, with many tribes, numerous languages (not just dialects), and various religions, modes of dress, customs, and ethnicities. People of Indian descent total over 1.2 billion across the globe, most of us running around contradicting one another. So there can never really be one definitive cookbook encompassing what all of us brown folk eat (again, except for Mr. Pants). If youre looking for that, Im sorryyouve bought the wrong book! But, the good news: You have bought a very interesting and delicious collection of extremely easy-to-make recipes from a mostly vegetarian Indian family in Dallas, Texas, that gives you a good idea of how many Indian immigrants in the United States eat today.

My family was like Priyas: Her mom, Ritu, working full time while also raising Priya and her sister reminds me of my own full-time working mom (except we didnt have Priyas dad to do the dishes!). These intrepid ladies moved to a new country, not really knowing what to expect, nor how theyd survive or even where to get curry leaves. They raised their kids with their heritage somewhat intact, acclimated in the way that most immigrants do, and made a fulfilling life for themselves. What has sprung forth from this wave of immigration from the Indian subcontinent during the 1970s to 1990s is a new cuisine that allows for wacky things like using olive oil (even though olives dont traditionally grow in India), making pizza with rotis, and baking eggless cakes to accommodate their Hindu vegetarianism. (Having said that, over seventy thousand olive trees have been transplanted from Israel to North India in the last ten years to help Rajasthani farmers, so maybe the Krishnas were just ahead of their time!) Indian-ish makes room for some very nontraditional ingredients because, at its heart, it still exemplifies the flavor principles of Indian food, making it accessible for todays American cook.

So, while our grandmothers may have done it differently, to say that this cuisine is not authentic is missing the point. (I have a lot of trouble with the word authentic, even if I do understand the way in which many people bandy it about.) This cuisine is indeed authentic, and while it may not be traditional Indian food or what we think of as American food, most of the over two million Indian-Americans in the United States would argue that its actually both. Whats more important, dear reader, is that it is a great starter book for anyone who has ever wondered how to make basic Indian food in an American kitchen. Priya and Ritus methods are approachable, easy to execute, and employ everything from microwaves to Instant Pots, because that is the way most Americans do things now.

This cookbook is really a love letter from Priya to her mother, and when you peruse the pages, you will see why. But it is also so much more. It demystifies a very sophisticated and layered cuisine into something thats very doablenot only for a dinner party but also for a quick, yummy weeknight meal. You can pretty much get all the spices and odd Indian ingredients you need with one visit or online order to an Indian grocer (like Patel Brothers), so theres no longer any excuse to be intimidated. It turns out that all the hacks a busy suburban working mom of North Indian descent uses in her own kitchen in Dallas just happen to distill Indian home cooking to its essence, all while tying it to its new American roots. Master the simple recipes in this book (and they are very easy to master), and youll know enough to understand the flavors that are common to most Indian food. Priyas easy directions walk you through every step, her humor will encourage you, and her suggestions will come in handy for other totally unrelated recipes you may encounter in your life.

Ive known Priya for several yearsIve watched her quit her job, become a real full-time writer, and blossom in all sorts of ways. She has inherited her mothers ambition and is every bit as intrepid, accomplishing whatever she sets her mind to do. So I am sure this cookbook will be a valuable addition to your kitchen, and your cooking repertoire will be the better for it. It will allow you to say you now know how to cook Indian food, even if you have to add the -ish when you serve her mothers olive tapenade next to the saag paneer made with feta. Happy cooking!

A lot of people say their moms are the best. But my mom, Ritu Krishna, is actually the best.

Being a food writer is a Very. Cool. Job. Im not going to be all coy and tell you otherwise! Its awesome! Ive been fortunate to clock in a lot of hours of very delicious eating and drinkingin New York, where I spend most of my time, and elsewhere. Yes, my acid reflux is constantly acting up, and unpredictable digestive problems are just a state of mind. But aside from being CEO of the YKK zipper company (look at all the zippers on your pantsthis brand has a monopoly on the fastening business!!!), theres no job Id rather be doing than the one I am.

That said, the best part of my trajectory as a food writer hasnt necessarily been the meals (though, can I brag for a moment and say that I have taken shots with Bill Murray, and had chai with Madhur Jaffrey, for journalism??)but rather how, in the process, I have finally been able to come to terms with my roots. Specifically, I have realized that my mom is simply the coolest.