Season By Nik Sharma
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We begin this week with one of my most favorites things-to do, review a cookbook!
I have been leafing through the pages of Season by Nik Sharma for more than a week now. Trying out recipes here and there, mostly the easier and less time-consuming ones, just so I can involve my 5-year-old in most of the process. Staying home and not being able to let out all that constructive energy has been the most trying things the little ones have had to do. To be able to execute a small part in creating something big is an exhilarating experience for them, and it takes up time! That we have oodles of!
Diving right into Season, that came out in 2018 and got nominated for the James Beard award of photography, I was really expecting to be mind-blown by the illustrations in the book and though I wasn't disappointed, I wish the images were a shade lighter. Or brighter. The cover is a gorgeous deep blue and inside you will find yourself getting lost admiring the beautiful food photography albeit in dim lighting.
âI am an immigrant and I tell my story through foodâ. These are the first lines that got my attention from the book. Born and brought up in India, Nik moved to the United States of America for his college education. For many immigrants far from their families and homelands, cooking traditional food is a way to connect with their identity. Well Nik makes it clear that Season is not an Indian cookbook, there are plenty of his favorite recipes from back home that make this book a nostalgic collection of memories.
The Recipes
The very first section of the book is called âSmall Bitesâ. From here I tried the sweet potato fries with basil (how long does basil last?) yogurt sauce. The basil yogurt sauce gives the perfect cooling foil to the sweet potato fries with red pepper flakes (how long do red pepper flakes last?). I parboiled my fries prior to broiling as I find the result is soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.
There is a fennel and ginger spiced sweet granola (how long does granola last?) recipe that I was overly excited about as it used two of my most preferred spices. I'm happy to report that this sweet spiced granola mix is now a regular on our breakfast tables!
I love how there are plenty of soup and broth recipes in the book, all giving in their seasoning of spices. The toasted Naan and Chicken soup is basically like a chicken tortilla soup with Indian flavors, finished with strips of crisped naan on top. The soup is hearty, and it even has a surprise-sliced hard-boiled eggs!
Talking about eggs, there's a whole section dedicated to egg-based dishes in this book. Bombay frittata, Deviled eggs with creamy tahini (how long does tahini last?) and Zaatar (how long does zaatar last?), Baked eggs with artichoke hearts. There's even an egg salad with toasted coriander. We enjoyed making the Bombay Frittata, cooked in ghee (how long does ghee last?) with turmeric, red pepper flakes, garlic, garam masala, (how long does garam masala last?) onions and paneer(feta). Among all the recipes, this is as Indian as it gets!
Protein
The protein section of Season is quite extensive too with hot green chutney roasted chicken and chat masala Grilled pork chops (What wine goes well with pork chops?) to Spiced meatloaf & Curry leaf popcorn (how long does popcorn last?) chicken. Of course, we tried Curry leaf popcorn chicken! The chicken was marinated in buttermilk an infused with fragrant and fresh curry leaves (how long does curry leaves last?), a spice flour mixture which has some more chopped curry leaves and fried into nuggets. The popcorn chicken was then devoured by one hungry family!
Sweets
Nik Sharma adds plenty of the right spices to his desserts section. Spicy chocolate chip hazelnut cookies, Apple masala Chai cake, and an upside-down orange and fennel cornmeal (how long does cornmeal last?) cake. The one that caught my eye was the date and tamarind loaf. Apart from the obvious two ingredients, the loaf incorporates ginger, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and walnuts (how long do walnuts last?). What I'm most interested about is the tangy taste of the tamarind pulp and how it shines through in a loaf . I cannot wait to try out this recipe.
Beverages
A unique section of Season is the âSipsâ. Most of the drinks on here are served cold, which make them perfect to be had in the summers. The beverages are âiced and spicedâ, (if you can allow mom jokes!) The buttermilk is laced with tarragon, the lemonade with toasted cumin. There is a ginger and tamarind refresher and a saffron & cardamom milk.
Final Say
Season will make you want to raid your spice cabinet and stock up on fresh ones, because sitting for so long unused, they have probably gone rancid! It also inspires you to use fresh herbs (how long do fresh herbs last?) generously and confidently. While it may not have been written with the intent of being a predominantly Indian cookbook, it sure has all the feels one gets from preparing and eating hearty, made from scratch grounded Indian meals.
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