Growing up in Dallas, Texas, food writer was no stranger to classic American kid cuisine, such as pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Only, Krishna鈥檚 mom made her pizza on roti and topped it with cilantro chutney. And instead of flimsy slices of American cheese, her family鈥檚 griddled sandwiches were filled with a tangy, herb-packed yogurt.
It鈥檚 these recipes, plus plenty more, that Krishna chronicles in her hit cookbook, 鈥�,鈥� which gives readers a taste of what it was like growing up American in an Indian family.
鈥淚 wanted to not only tell a story about what it means to be a kid of immigrants 鈥� and what that experience looks like, but I also wanted to write a book that was a really accessible entry point into Indian flavors,鈥� said Krishna, who co-wrote 鈥淚ndian-ish鈥� with her mother, Ritu Krishna.
鈥淎nd I noticed that my mom鈥檚 food, by virtue of the fact that she was a really busy working software engineer, is actually really easy and simple and straightforward and born out of the limitations of her only having access to ingredients found in American grocery stores.鈥�
On July 13, Krishna will take the stage at the National Museum of American History for the institution鈥檚 monthly Cooking Up History demonstration and discussion.
Alongside food historian Ashley Rose Young, Krishna will share her family鈥檚 favorite foods featured in 鈥淚ndian-ish,鈥� and demo some of the book鈥檚 more popular recipes, including a variation on saag paneer that uses feta cheese.
Young said Krishna鈥檚 culinary story ties in nicely with a new exhibition case planned for the museum this fall 鈥� one that details how immigrants 鈥渦se foodways as a way to stay connected to homelands, but also to share those foodways with neighbors and create connections and shape the palates of a diverse American public.鈥�
鈥淎nd Priya鈥檚 cookbook is just a wonderful example of someone reflecting on the foodways of her family and the kind of adaptive ways that cooks are integrating flavors from around the globe into the meals that they make at home,鈥� Young added.
The July 13 Cooking Up History program begins at 1 p.m. in the museum鈥檚 Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza and is free and open to the public. By sharing her family鈥檚 culinary traditions, Krishna said she hopes people 鈥渟ee Indian food as everyday food and realize that these flavors are really accessible and not really similar to what you find in most Indian restaurants.鈥�
Another goal of hers? To see a more 鈥渘ormalized鈥� Indian-American experience.
鈥淚 feel like America is a country built on immigrants and we鈥檝e lost sight of that. And stories like my parents鈥� and so many others are the quintessential American experience, to me. And I hope that our cookbook and our experience is seen as just American as a white family鈥檚 experience,鈥� Krishna said.
include a Julia Child-themed cooking demonstration on Aug. 9; a segment with Carlos Salgado on traditional Mexican regional cuisine on Sept. 20; and a discussion with “Moosewood Cookbook” author Mollie Katzen on Oct. 12. And be sure to mark your calendars for the Smithsonian’s annual , taking place Nov. 7-9.
Try an ‘Indian-ish’ recipe ahead of the event, courtesy “Cooking Up History.”聽
