July-September 2025 COTM + COOKING FROM thread -- MEERA SODHA

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
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Welcome to the Summer COTM (which now lasts a quarter) reporting thread for New York Times Cooking.

This is the thread for the second selection for this COTM – Recipes from MEERA SODHA.

(The other thread for this quarter is Julia Turshen.)

As the thread covers all recipes from the author, which is a prolific collection, we will also use this going forward as a “Cooking From” thread.

HAPPY COOKING – AND SHARING!

Quick housekeeping notes:

  • To report on a recipe, please list the TITLE in ALL CAPS.
  • Please REPLY to a previous report on a recipe if someone tried it before you — that way all posts for a given recipe are linked together and can be followed easily via the helpful linking arrows the site software enables.
  • Do add a LINK to the recipe if there is one available.
  • Feel free to list ingredients and summarize method in your own words, but please do not copy the text of a recipe here verbatim to respect copyright.
  • PICTURES are encouraged, and make the recipe reports come to life!

Eat Your Books indices for each book are linked above. (To search for a recipe online if you don’t have access to the book, use for the exact recipe name (“in quotes”) and you may very well find that the recipe exists on the internet via a publication or a blogger reporting on it.)

Here is the COTM archive and here is the Master List of Cooking From threads.

Here are last quarter’s COTM threads:

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KIDNEY BEAN CURRY from Made in India

This is my favorite thing from this book, and one of my favorite meals when LLD isn’t home. Recipe can be found here: https://whatfoodimade.wordpress.com/2020/07/19/junjaro/. Don’t be tempted to use ground cinnamon instead of the stick. I always use canned beans. I absolutely love this over rice with some cucumber raita on the side.

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JUMBO SHRIMP w/ GARLIC & MUSTARD SEEDS, Made in India p. 138

This is delicious and easy; basically an Indian flavored shrimp scampi. Mustard seeds are divided - half are put in a pan with butter until they start to pop. Then add curry leaves (I didn’t have any, so skipped them) and garlic and stir fry for a minute or so. Next add the rest of the mustard seeds, which you’ve cracked in an M&P, salt, chili powder, a finely chopped chili, and turmeric. Stir around for a minute or so, then add the shrimp. These only take a couple of minutes to cook. Add lemon juice and garnish with sliced shallots.

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I want to make this … I’m sure it’s even better with those curry leaves … I love them!

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I had a tiny bit of rajma chawal somewhere this week, and it reminded my of how popular this recipe (and the chhole / chana / chickpea recipe she calls Workers’ Curry) was.

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I was pretty disappointed with this, nothing wrong at all, but not spectacular. I used cannellini beans, all the other ingredients as written. First time I made pangrattato though – could find more uses for it, I’m sure!

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We love it on pasta!

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