Recipes By Khushbu Shah
4 recipes found
Saag Paneer Lasagna
While writing her cookbook “Amrikan” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2024), Khushbu Shah became convinced that a spinach lasagna could be greatly improved by swapping in the flavors of saag paneer for the filling. It’s a dish she jokingly refers to as “lasaagna.” Ms. Shah uses a saag base made with warm spices, spinach, cilantro and dried fenugreek leaves (which are optional but highly encouraged, and add a beautiful earthy note to the sauce), and then adds fistfuls of grated paneer for an extra punch of cheese. Many of the lasagna’s components may be made ahead (see Tips), making assembly a breeze, especially when making this dish for a dinner party or as a vegetarian meal during the holidays.
Okinawan Soba
Though soba usually refers to buckwheat noodles, Okinawan soba uses wheat noodles that more closely resemble ramen. The chef Steven Pursley, whose family comes from the island prefecture off the Southern coast of mainland Japan, makes his own noodles from scratch. You can use store-bought fresh ramen noodles or another thicker Asian egg noodle for this soup, which gets its flavor from a delicate pork and bonito broth. You can find the noodles, kombu, sake, mirin, bonito, fish cake and red pickled ginger at Japanese markets or well-stocked Asian grocery stores.
Ozoni (New Year Mochi Soup)
Typically consumed just once a year on New Year's Day, this brothy soup is comforting and nourishing. It’s also said to bring good luck and good fortune to those who eat it. Ozoni is highly customizable, but it must always contain pieces of chewy mochi. The rice cakes are traditionally pounded by hand, but are now sold already prepared and are easy to find in Japanese markets around the New Year. This Japanese American version from the chef Chris Ono includes pork belly that simmers in a mix of dashi, soy sauce, sake and ginger until tender. To balance that richness, he serves this soup with lots of mizuna leaves, which can easily be substituted with spinach. For those who believe pork is unlucky at New Year's, it can easily be left out or substituted with chicken.
Kurikinton (Japanese Sweet Potatoes and Candied Chestnuts)
A staple of osechi ryori, a box filled with a variety of traditional Japanese New Year’s dishes, kurikinton is said to represent gold and bring good economic fortune. The chef Niki Nakayama likes to imbue the Japanese sweet potatoes with a golden hue by simmering them with gardenia pods. If those are not available, a pinch of saffron works too. Do not discard the syrup that the candied chestnuts sit in — it’s used to flavor the mash. The candied chestnuts are available in Japanese markets, particularly around the New Year, and the white sweet potatoes with red skin are available in most supermarkets.