What do you think?
Rate this book
Padma's All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond: A Cookbook
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF 2025: The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Taste of Home
“[Lakshmi] is the perfect person to help us understand how immigrants are changing the way Americans eat . . . . A spicy blend. . . . Delicious.” – The Wall Street Journal
In this very personal book—the result of seven years of traveling and tasting, listening and observing for her award-winning Hulu show Taste the Nation—Padma Lakshmi compiles more than 100 recipes from the immigrant and Indigenous communities she visits, as well as many from her own family, showing us what really comprises American cuisine.
Recipes
• Plum Chaat • Tomato Egg Drop Soup • Yogurt Tahdig • Pasta all’Amatriciana
• Jollof Rice • Saag and Grits • Shoyu Poke • Pad Thai Fish • Jerk Chicken
• Amazonian Tamales • Biracial Latkes • Vegetable Pakori • Coconut Rice • Banana Lumpia • Strawberry-Cardamom and Cream Cake • Masala Chai •
Padma’s All American is filled with mouth-watering recipes, adapted here for the home cook—along with profiles and stories from the people who inspired the dishes. It is a joyful book—a love letter to the people who create and evolve American cuisine every day and a road map to the foods that give America its vibrant palate, from one of our most essential culinarians.
“[Lakshmi] is the perfect person to help us understand how immigrants are changing the way Americans eat . . . . A spicy blend. . . . Delicious.” – The Wall Street Journal
In this very personal book—the result of seven years of traveling and tasting, listening and observing for her award-winning Hulu show Taste the Nation—Padma Lakshmi compiles more than 100 recipes from the immigrant and Indigenous communities she visits, as well as many from her own family, showing us what really comprises American cuisine.
Recipes
• Plum Chaat • Tomato Egg Drop Soup • Yogurt Tahdig • Pasta all’Amatriciana
• Jollof Rice • Saag and Grits • Shoyu Poke • Pad Thai Fish • Jerk Chicken
• Amazonian Tamales • Biracial Latkes • Vegetable Pakori • Coconut Rice • Banana Lumpia • Strawberry-Cardamom and Cream Cake • Masala Chai •
Padma’s All American is filled with mouth-watering recipes, adapted here for the home cook—along with profiles and stories from the people who inspired the dishes. It is a joyful book—a love letter to the people who create and evolve American cuisine every day and a road map to the foods that give America its vibrant palate, from one of our most essential culinarians.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2025
33 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Padma Lakshmi
14 books164 followersPadma Lakshmi is an American television host, producer, author, model, and activist whose multifaceted career has spanned fashion, food, literature, and social justice. Born Padma Parvati Lakshmi in Chennai, India, she immigrated to the United States as a child, where she was raised by her mother, a single parent and oncology nurse. Overcoming significant personal hardships, including bullying, health issues, and sexual trauma, Lakshmi has used her platform to advocate for marginalized voices and promote cultural understanding.
Lakshmi first rose to international prominence as a fashion model. Discovered while studying abroad in Madrid, she quickly became the first Indian model to build a successful career in fashion capitals like Paris, Milan, and New York. She worked with renowned designers such as Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Alberta Ferretti, and posed for iconic photographers including Helmut Newton and Mario Testino. Her modeling work, often showcasing the seven-inch scar on her arm from a childhood car accident, challenged traditional beauty standards and redefined representation in the fashion industry.
She transitioned into television with hosting roles on culinary travel shows and ultimately became best known for hosting Top Chef, a position she held from 2006 to 2023. As both host and executive producer, Lakshmi earned multiple Emmy nominations and three Critics’ Choice Awards. She later created and produced Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, a Hulu docuseries exploring immigrant and indigenous culinary traditions in the United States. The series received widespread critical acclaim, winning multiple Critics’ Choice Awards and a James Beard Foundation Award.
Lakshmi is also a best-selling author. Her debut cookbook Easy Exotic won a Gourmand World Cookbook Award, and her memoir Love, Loss, and What We Ate became a New York Times best-seller. Her other publications include Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, and the children’s book Tomatoes for Neela. She has also contributed essays and articles to The New York Times, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, and guest-edited The Best American Travel Writing 2021.
In business, Lakshmi has built several successful ventures. She created The Padma Collection, featuring fine jewelry and home décor, and launched Padma’s Easy Exotic, a line of teas, spices, and organic foods. In 2024, she introduced Padma X Bare Necessities, a lingerie line celebrating body inclusivity.
A fierce advocate for women's health, Lakshmi co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America after being diagnosed with the condition herself. She is also an ACLU ambassador for immigration and women's rights and a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador. Her activism spans reproductive rights, anti-colorism efforts, and immigrant justice.
Lakshmi’s achievements have earned her numerous honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Carnegie Corporation’s Great Immigrants Award, and inclusion in Time magazine’s 2023 list of the 100 most influential people. In 2024, she became a visiting scholar at MIT and received the ICON Award from Boston University. Through her work, Padma Lakshmi continues to empower communities, celebrate cultural diversity, and advocate for equality on a global scale.
Lakshmi first rose to international prominence as a fashion model. Discovered while studying abroad in Madrid, she quickly became the first Indian model to build a successful career in fashion capitals like Paris, Milan, and New York. She worked with renowned designers such as Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Alberta Ferretti, and posed for iconic photographers including Helmut Newton and Mario Testino. Her modeling work, often showcasing the seven-inch scar on her arm from a childhood car accident, challenged traditional beauty standards and redefined representation in the fashion industry.
She transitioned into television with hosting roles on culinary travel shows and ultimately became best known for hosting Top Chef, a position she held from 2006 to 2023. As both host and executive producer, Lakshmi earned multiple Emmy nominations and three Critics’ Choice Awards. She later created and produced Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, a Hulu docuseries exploring immigrant and indigenous culinary traditions in the United States. The series received widespread critical acclaim, winning multiple Critics’ Choice Awards and a James Beard Foundation Award.
Lakshmi is also a best-selling author. Her debut cookbook Easy Exotic won a Gourmand World Cookbook Award, and her memoir Love, Loss, and What We Ate became a New York Times best-seller. Her other publications include Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, and the children’s book Tomatoes for Neela. She has also contributed essays and articles to The New York Times, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, and guest-edited The Best American Travel Writing 2021.
In business, Lakshmi has built several successful ventures. She created The Padma Collection, featuring fine jewelry and home décor, and launched Padma’s Easy Exotic, a line of teas, spices, and organic foods. In 2024, she introduced Padma X Bare Necessities, a lingerie line celebrating body inclusivity.
A fierce advocate for women's health, Lakshmi co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America after being diagnosed with the condition herself. She is also an ACLU ambassador for immigration and women's rights and a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador. Her activism spans reproductive rights, anti-colorism efforts, and immigrant justice.
Lakshmi’s achievements have earned her numerous honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Carnegie Corporation’s Great Immigrants Award, and inclusion in Time magazine’s 2023 list of the 100 most influential people. In 2024, she became a visiting scholar at MIT and received the ICON Award from Boston University. Through her work, Padma Lakshmi continues to empower communities, celebrate cultural diversity, and advocate for equality on a global scale.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
2025
October 2, 2025Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf
November 27, 2025
I love this cookbook. The immigrant and Indigenous stories shared alongside the recipes are so moving, and I appreciate the framing of American food as that which immigrants brought with them to this country. We made the stuffed flatbread as our first recipe from the book and were immediately hooked. There's a great variety of easy / medium / hard recipes, and nothing felt out of reach for a home cook. I only wish there were more vegan recipes!
January 13, 2026
filled with good recipes, and even better stories- all based in how "American" cuisine is inherently immigrant food and celebrates that
September 18, 2025
Thank you to Ms. Lakshmi and the publisher for access to this e-book in exchange for my review.
Knowing this author from television and having enjoyed the show that this book is based on, I was expecting a vast and colorful array of foods and well-written recipe introductions. What is offered even more in this book is an overwhelming tonic of warmth and genuine interest from the author in the story and tradition behind each dish. Stories in this book made me feel a lot about each dish… but also I am more connected and I genuinely cannot wait to cook certain dishes to honor the people that shared them.
In terms of the actual recipes and the layout of the book. I loved the standard sectioning and layout of each recipe, but what I loved MORE was the Feasts, laid out in beautiful scenes throughout the book. The Feasts beautifully crossed cultural boundaries and integrated dishes from many regions while still sounding like amazing pairings.
You get a lot of value in this books, and I would definitely recommend adding it to your collection.
Knowing this author from television and having enjoyed the show that this book is based on, I was expecting a vast and colorful array of foods and well-written recipe introductions. What is offered even more in this book is an overwhelming tonic of warmth and genuine interest from the author in the story and tradition behind each dish. Stories in this book made me feel a lot about each dish… but also I am more connected and I genuinely cannot wait to cook certain dishes to honor the people that shared them.
In terms of the actual recipes and the layout of the book. I loved the standard sectioning and layout of each recipe, but what I loved MORE was the Feasts, laid out in beautiful scenes throughout the book. The Feasts beautifully crossed cultural boundaries and integrated dishes from many regions while still sounding like amazing pairings.
You get a lot of value in this books, and I would definitely recommend adding it to your collection.
November 11, 2025
I loved her memoir and her work on Top Chef and Taste the Nation, so this book is wonderful just for having her voice so richly spoken throughout. The photography was amazing. But I didn't find a lot in here I wanted to cook, with a lot of ingredients hand-waved as "check your local Middle Eastern market" like that's something every town has. Nonetheless, I look forward to trying some of these soups this winter!
November 12, 2025
Padma is an incredible chef, TV host, mother and person. This cookbook tells incredible stories through food and how it can unite all of us. Her show brings many people of different cultures together and these recipes reflect just how diverse our world is and how culinary creations brings everyone together. I have been a fan of hers for such a long time and this book felt like I was traveling the world without leaving my kitchen! A must book for everyone!
November 7, 2025
This one hit me right in the heart and the kitchen. The way Padma writes about food — how it holds memory, identity, and love — reminded me why I’m happiest cooking at home. Every chapter made me want to pull out my spice rack and make something that tastes like comfort and curiosity at the same time. It’s tender, a little nostalgic, and full of flavor — just how I like it.
July 18, 2025
Having adored Padma since her days hosting Top Chef
I of course followed her when she broke away
to do her own culinary adventures.
With inherent charm and an undeniable passion for
discovering new food and the way a culture
represents and expresses itself with food.
Especially in America where we are one
country but a people divided.
The ways food can cross cultures
And more importantly allow a people to remember their heritage.
I of course followed her when she broke away
to do her own culinary adventures.
With inherent charm and an undeniable passion for
discovering new food and the way a culture
represents and expresses itself with food.
Especially in America where we are one
country but a people divided.
The ways food can cross cultures
And more importantly allow a people to remember their heritage.
January 9, 2026
What a treat for fans of Padma and her wonderful , inventive cooking. The book is filled with an international array of recipes, adapted for the home cook. Padma brings together the very best cooking from our nations melting pot. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews