Hey, it's Empire's book of the day. I'm Andrew Limbaung. There are the types of home cooks who

have to follow a recipe to the letter. And then there are the types who just use what they've got.

I get the sense that today's writer is on the second team here. Food writer Kusb Shah has a new

cookbook out called Amrikan, and it incorporates everyday American pantry

staples into Indian cooking. And she talked to Hira Nass Dipa Fernandez about being at that

midpoint of wanting to uphold and spread tradition without being bound to it, having the freedom to

throw some cream cheese or something on an Indian dish if it'll make it

better. That and Cushbush, Bush shares a pretty easy cabbage recipe that I'll probably make

for dinner this week. That's after the break. In the U.S., national security news can feel far

away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real

people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Okay, so for this next segment, I first had to make a cup of tea, well, masala

chai, actually, because it's a cookbook that really speaks to me.

It's by L.A. journalist and food writer Kushbusha, and it contains recipes for Indian dishes

that incorporate ingredients

like peanut butter, ketchup, and wait for it even bisquick.

Because as Shah writes, Indians who came to the US wanted to taste the foods of home,

and they often had to improvise when it came to ingredients.

They also adapted American

dishes to incorporate Indian flavors. Her book is called American, a play on the word

...