A very long time ago, back when we lived in New Haven, day trips to Manhattan were a pretty regular occurrence for us. One of these trips included good friends of ours and we spent the day visiting the MoMA, doing a little shopping at Barney’s New York, getting a drink at L’Orange Bleu in SoHo, and finally getting dinner at the downtown Les Halles in the Financial District. (Of those four places mentioned, the only one that still exists is the MoMA. YIKES.) While at Barney’s, we were on the escalator headed up when we noticed Padma Lakshmi headed towards the down escalator. Dressed in little more than jeans and a grey sweatshirt, she looked as lovely as ever, and Michael ended up following her down to awkwardly stammer to her how much of a fan he was of Top Chef. While we didn’t have many celebrity encounters in our time living in the New York metro area, at least we had some memorable ones.

Obviously we stan Top Chef and its hosts and its cheftestants in this space, but Lakshmi specifically has shown herself to be a delightful presence on Instagram during the pandemic. Whether she’s cooking something in her gorgeous kitchen, doing awkward TikTok dances with her daughter, or highlighting the injustices of the day, she’s a bright spot in an increasingly frustrating time. (One memorable moment is that in response to a complaint that she wasn’t wearing a bra in her cooking videos, she then cooked while only wearing a sports bra on, which is absolute perfection.) 

In retrospect, I’m sure that part of it was to help her promote her new Hulu show as well as the latest season of Top Chef, but she comes across as so genuine that I don’t care a bit. And thank goodness both of those shows were finished before the pandemic halted most TV production: the All-Stars season was well-done without a lot of messy drama, while Taste the Nation is the food and travelogue show we need right now.

Very much in line with the likes of Parts Unknown and Ugly Delicious, Taste the Nation is unafraid to examine the politics that are very much part of our food culture. The show wasn’t even meant to be focused on food initially; per several interviews and articles, Lakshmi wanted to make a show that focused on the immigrant experience in America following the aftermath of the 2016 election. As an immigrant herself–she emigrated from India with her mom as a child–she wanted to create a narrative counter to that of the current administration that wants to demonize anyone who wants to come to the U.S., especially people of color. 

The premiere episode addresses this head-on as it’s set right on the border in El Paso, Texas. In what’s been probably the most controversial part of the episode, Lakshmi first talks to the chefs–most who live across the border in Juarez in Mexico–of local icon H&H Car Wash before then speaking to the restaurant’s owner, a staunch conservative who supports Trump but also bemoans that the new border policies have substantially increased the commutes for his employees. Lakshmi doesn’t push him on this dissonance, which has drawn criticism as she’s holding his hand for most of this conversation. She’s received this with grace and has pledged to do better if Hulu grants them another season. (Please Hulu, give them another season!) We’re about halfway through the series now, and the episode set in the Carolinas in which she speaks at length with food historian Michael W. Twitty about the Gullah Geechee culture is a highlight.

While watching it, consider making Lakshmi’s sweet and sour shrimp as found in Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook. It’s a lovely combination of an accessible weeknight meal with a proper kitchen project, and it does require procuring some specialty ingredients like preserved lemons and dried apricots, both of which I can easily get at my main supermarket, a subsidiary of Kroger for what it’s worth. The toasted cumin and fennel make your kitchen smell amazing, the turmeric adds a golden glow, and the preserved lemon and dried apricot deliver on the sweet and sour. Served on its own or with cooked rice, it makes for a flavorful summertime meal.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp with Cherry Tomatoes

Lightly adapted from Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook with the recipe provided by Padma Lakshmi

Serves 2-4 (4 if serving with rice)

• 1 lb shrimp (21-30 count), peeled and deveined
• 1 TB fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 TB canola oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• 1 cup minced shallots
• 1 cup diced yellow or orange bell pepper
• 2 dried red chiles (I use Japonés for extra heat, but that’s up to you)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 TB unsalted butter
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup dried diced apricots
• 1 whole preserved lemon, seeded and diced
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and ¼ tsp of the kosher salt into a medium bowl, toss well to coat, and set it aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the cumin and fennel seeds and let them cook until they are fragrant, which should only take 30 seconds. Add the shallots and bell pepper and saute for another five to seven minutes. 

Then add the ginger, garlic, and dried chiles to the pan and cook for another three to four minutes before adding the butter and tomatoes, reducing the heat to low, and simmering for another 12-15 minutes or until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced by half. 

Once reduced, you can then add the lemon, apricots, and turmeric and simmer the sauce for another five minutes more. Taste the sauce, and add more kosher salt to taste. 

Finally, add the marinated shrimp and toss well to coat in the sauce, and then let the shrimp cook until they are opaque–about three to four minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the cilantro, and serve immediately.