Nik’s Bombay Frittata

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Fall is the season for the year’s most anticipated cookbooks and this year one of them is Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food by my good friend Nik Sharma, the blogger behind A Brown Table and columnist of A Brown Kitchen at the San Francisco Chronicle.  Nik came to food after several years as a scientist and views his kitchen just like a lab. The results are a wonderful alchemy of flavors and textures. When he talks about food, he discusses the chemistry of ingredients and the reactions that happen when the right ones come together – it’s fascinating. Nik is also a gifted photographer with a distinct style that is difficult not to be drawn in by. I think he was the first photographer to make brown hands visible in food photography, which may seem like an inconsequential detail but it was a giant leap in a world that is often dominated by white chefs, food photographers, bloggers and writers.

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The recipes in the book weave Nik’s culinary influences from growing up in Bombay, living in the Midwest and in DC, visiting his in-laws in the South and eventually settling in the Bay Area. It’s not only the places he has been, but also his identity as a gay Indian immigrant that have shaped his style of cooking. Although Nik and I are close, in reading his book, I started to understand why leaving home was imperative for him to live the life he was meant to lead and become who he is today. In light of Section 377 being overturned just this September in India, which put an end to more than 150 years of anti-LGBT legislation, his account could not be more poignant. I believe Season will be remembered for years to come for his story and the uniquely beautiful food he creates.

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In flipping through the book, it was difficult to decide what to make first.  I finally chose his Bombay frittata because it’s a recipe inspired by one his mother would make for him growing up. It combines the flavors of ghee, garam masala, crème fraîche, scallions, cilantro and paneer – can’t go wrong there. The aroma when this frittata is baking in the oven is heavenly; it was truly delicious.  We had leftovers and they were just as good the next day. I omitted the chilis so I could feed Alok some and then spiced it up with a little bit of my Curry Ketchup on the side.

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