Nik Sharma is gay, brown, and a U.S. immigrant on a green card, so news of Donald Trump’s immigration ban in January hit home for the California-based cook, who runs the blog A Brown Table.
Sharma grew up in a bicultural household, his father of the Uttar Pradesh state in northern India and his mother from Goa in western India. He “absorbed and enjoyed” the differences in those traditions — the Portuguese influence of Goa’s seafood and meats, and the vegetarian influence of his father’s North Indian family — and the new traditions of the United States, which he now calls home.
“I love America, my adopted country which has given me more opportunities than I could have ever imagined,” he wrote in a Facebook post January 29. “So let’s be a little more compassionate towards people that don’t look or sound like us. We have a lot to give and contribute to society.”
Sharma, for his part, worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a time before following his American dream of becoming a chef. He works as a pastry cook at a bakery in the San Francisco Bay Area and writes a column for the San Francisco Chronicle.
He’s currently working on a cookbook planned for the fall of 2018.
The blog: Sharma’s pristine award-winning photo-based blog shows off his photography (follow his Instagram handle @abrowntable) as much as his abundant recipes: appetizers and sides, meats, soups and seafood, jams, cakes and even a cookie recipe for his dog Snoopy.
The quote: “The recipes that you will see here represent my experiences growing up in India and in the United States. Many of the dishes here draw strong inspirations from my cultural influences and are consequently, very non-traditional (of North American cuisine).”
The tester: There’s nothing better than a morning scramble. That is if you prefer breakfast to be quick, easy and predictable. Eggs are my go-to most mornings. I’m always looking for different ways to spice up my scramble. What better way than with some Indian influence and a dash of trendy turmeric, dubbed a “rising star” in 2016?
Recipes I’m dying to make: Honey Sage Turmeric Wings, Brown Miso and Kimchi Deviled Eggs, Lamb Kofta Curry, Chicken Biryani Tagine — and one for the dog I wish I had: Billy’s Pumpkin and Flaxseed Cookies.
North Indian-Style Scrambled Eggs
“This is perhaps one of my favourite North Indian breakfast recipes that we ate quite often at home,” Sharma writes on his blog.
Ghee, or clarified butter, is far more expensive than regular butter ($15 for a 225g jar of organic ghee at Loblaws), but this staple of Indian cooking provides a rich nutty flavour to any masala (the Hindi word for spice mixture).
Serve this curried scrambled eggs dish with a side of feta cheese and choice of flatbread or toast. I chose naan, but Sharma suggest paratha or roti for a lighter option. Use egg whites only to make the dish even lighter.
6 large eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) ghee (or butter)
1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil
1 medium red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 tbsp (15 mL) ginger root, peeled and cut into thin 1-inch strip
3/4 tsp (1.25 mL) turmeric
1/2 tsp (2 mL) garam masala
1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili flakes or chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
2 green Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced
1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly chopped cilantro
Crack eggs into large mixing bowl. Whisk with fork until combined. Keep to side.
Heat large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Melt ghee with olive oil. Add onion, sauté for 2 minutes until soft.
Add garlic and ginger, cook for 3 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent garlic and ginger from burning.
Add turmeric, garam masala, chili flakes and salt to the pan. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to medium-low and pour whisked eggs into hot pan. Gently stir. Scrape eggs from bottom and sides of pan as they begin to cook and get creamy. As soon the eggs are creamy, turn off heat.
Toss in chopped Thai chili peppers and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve hot with paratha, roti, or chosen bread and side of fresh feta cheese.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.
jforani@thestar.ca
jforani@thestar.ca
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