My January Favorites

What to Cook in January, plus more.

Happy New Year! I sincerely hope this year brings you warmth and joy and all your dreams come true. In addition, I hope you took some time off to relax and unwind. I don’t have any resolutions to smash this year, which feels liberating. However, I’m ready for a shift from the holiday moods and the flavors that predominate at the end of the year. This month, I’ve got citrus on my mind, and most of the Meyer lemons on my small dwarf tree will soon morph into jars of the lemon pickle from Season and preserved lemons from The Flavor Equation while I finish reading The Secret Lives of Color. I came across this fascinating mystery centered around Cracking the Case of South India’s Missing Vegetables and will keep following it as it unfolds.

Have a great week,

Nik

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I’m giving you “fun” homework this week. It’s nothing complicated; I need your help gathering data for an upcoming newsletter. Use the button below to enter your observations. The form will collect responses until January 8th. Thank you!

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I’m trying something new here; once a month, I’ll send out recommendations for recipes for you to try. If you cook them, grab a photo or video and tag me in them so I can see and share it with everyone.

It’s cold, and I want to either keep the oven on, stand by the stove, or, even better, eat hot food all day long. Rassam is a South Indian dish made with lentils, and I’ve incorporated a wide variety of fresh herbs to make this Green Goddess Rassam. A roast chicken goes a long way; try this one flavored with lemon and garlic. Every rice-eating country has some form of rice pudding, and this is my classic version of Kheer.

This delightful and unfussy apple and date cake is perfect in winter. I did a deep dive into grilled cheese sandwiches and developed my version of the perfect one. For a lighter and easy meal, roast a cauliflower and season it with chaat masala to make tacos.

Curry leaves show up twice this month in the Rassam and this crunchy cabbage chicken salad, forming the basis of the vinaigrette. Burnt honey is another way of saying caramelized honey; it compliments the flavor of the early grey in this pound cake. Serve this fragrant spicy eggplant braise with ground lamb over steamed rice; it doesn’t need anything else to go with it.

I love writing and photographing, and my passion has joyously manifested in three cookbooks. This month, I’ve picked three recipes for you: The Roasted Cauliflower in Turmeric Kefir Sauce from The Flavor Equation (recipe in the book and here), the Sweet and Sticky Brussels Sprouts from Veg-Table (recipe in the book), and The Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Season (recipe in the book and here). Want to learn more about my cookbooks and buy a signed copy? Now Serving LA has signed copies available, but you can also find copies of my books here.

Some major blog updates this week. I’ve curated all my favorite items that save my life in the kitchen and make my recipes taste more flavorful. I’ve sorted them into Appliances, Tools, and Pantry items based on the questions you’ve asked me; if you see something missing or want to know where to get it, let me know, and I will add it to the list.