My younger daughter gave me the book Amrikan for Christmas, by Khushbu Shah, published in 2024. It’s a really fun book with great recipes, beautiful photos, and a lot of humor!

Khushbu Shah is a food writer and journalist who grew up in Michigan, raised by immigrant Indian parents, but now resides in Los Angeles, California. The recipes in her first book are inspired by the cooking of the diaspora.

This is a new word for me, but according to the dictionary, it is “a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin.” So Amrikan is all about the blending of Indian and American cuisines, like Saag Paneer Lasagna, and Masala Chai Basque Cheesecake. There is a quesadilla recipe that uses parathas, and a breakfast food that uses Rice Krispies. I chose to make the first recipe in the book – Masala Shakshuka.

Shakshuka, the traditional version of eggs in sauce that originated in North Africa, is a dish I love but is not on the blog. I once made it on Christmas morning, and it was a way bigger hit than all of the Christmas breads and fancy pancakes I used to spend hours making!

From the author, she writes about this recipe: “I don’t know if it the Indian auntie within me, but I move through the world noticing just how many dishes are almost Indian food, but aren’t technically Indian food. The best example of this? Shakshuka, the insanely popular North African/Middle Eastern dish of jammy tomatoes and yolks eggs. The first I ate it, I realized this is basically tomato-onion gravy which is the base of so many North Indian dishes.”

I used two new products for this dish. One is ginger confit from Milk Street. It’s incredible if you don’t feel like scraping or chopping ginger root. The second is a common brand where I live, but I like that the tomatoes are in sauce instead of water. They were perfect for the shakshuka.

Masala Shakshuka

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large white onion
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green Serrano pepper, minced
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup water (if needed)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 4 to 6 minutes, until soft and tender, then add the Serrano pepper, garlic and ginger and give it a good mix.

Allow the mixture to cook for another minute, then add the Garam masala, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and turmeric.

Stir to make sure the spices even coat the vegetables, then add the tomatoes with their juices to the pan. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes so that all the flavors meld. Stir in the milk to make the gravy more silky. If the sauce is too thick and jammy at this point, add a little water and let it simmer for another 2 to 4 minutes.

Use a spoon to carve out four wells in the tomato mixture and crack an egg into each.

Sprinkle the feta around the pan. Cover the pan and cook the egg whites set but the yolk remains runny, 2 to 3 minutes.

Scatter cilantro over the top and serve.

I served naan on the side.

This recipe is perfection. There’s a perfect amount of heat, and the seasoning is on point.

I used the milk, per the recipe, but I prefer the vivid red color of the tomatoes before adding the milk, so I won’t do that again. No water was necessary.