Saucy, Lemony Shrimp With Zaynab Issa

The cookbook author shares two recipes—and thoughts on checking in with yourself before you start making dinner.

I knew I’d like Zaynab Issa’s new book, Third Culture Cooking (Bookshop / Amazon), because I’ve been making her recipes from Bon Appétit over and over for awhile now, and her recent contributions to NYT Cooking have been absolute hits in my house. (Do not sleep on her chicken jalfrezi recipe!)

But I found myself particularly drawn to a section in the book that categorizes dishes by mood: cozy options like udon carbonara and spiced chickpea soup, low-lift recipes for nights when you don’t feel like stirring a pot, ideas for dinners led by nostalgia or romance or curiosity. In this week’s podcast conversation, I asked Zaynab about letting your mood guide your cooking plan.

“I think of cooking as a task like any other,” she says. “There are readiness levels, you know what I mean? You know where you’re at, and you should probably behave accordingly.”

Some nights, you dread even the shortest stack of dishes, and other nights, you’re pumped to slam your computer shut, turn on some music, and play around a little in the kitchen.

It can be tricky to know where you’ll be in advance. But sometime this week or next, I highly recommend cooking Zaynab’s saucy, lemony shrimp recipe—and her Afghani-meets-Italian eggplant pasta, both reprinted below.

Tune into the show to hear more about Zaynab’s flavor philosophy, her number one dinner party tip, and the most essential ingredients in her fridge and pantry.

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Zaynab mentioned:

Zaynab’s newsletter on Substack
Fast, Flavorful Chocolate Chip Cookies (with sesame oil!)
Salted Lassi and Strawberry Lassi (NYT Cooking gift links)
Preserved Lemon Tea Cake (Bon Appétit)
Aki’s Ginger Chili Pickle
Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar
Anna Paul’s viral Turkish pasta
Andy Baraghani and Chris Morocco’s Brothy Pasta With Chickpeas (Bon Appétit)
Zainab Shah’s Kharra Masala Fish (gift link; NYT cooking)
Eric Kim’s Gochujang-Glazed Eggplant With Fried Scallions (gift link; NYT cooking)

Zaynab’s cookbook picks:

Understanding Baking: The Art and Science of Baking (Bookshop / Amazon) by Joseph Amendola and Nicole Rees
Bethlehem (Bookshop / Amazon) by Fadi Kattan, especially the kofte and the eggs cooked in ghee with sumac
River Cafe London: Thirty Years of Recipes and the Story of a Much-Loved Restaurant (Bookshop / Amazon) by Ruth Rogers, Sian Wyn Owen, and Joseph Trivelli

Maggie mentioned:

Zaynab’s Gochujang Sesame Noodles (Bon Appétit)
Crispy California Turkey Burgers from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Ultimate Burger book (pssst: currently, I can see the recipe in the Amazon sample pages)
Chipotle paste story on Epicurious
From the ad break: Pakistan by Maryam Jillani
Stir and Scribble series: Staple, Snack, Sweet
Kenji López-Alt episode of The Dinner Plan

Photo: Graydon Herriott

Not So Norma Pasta

Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by

Zaynab Issa

. Published by Abrams, 2025.

Serves 4 to 6
1 hour

I have a deep love for both Italian food and Afghan food. And while they are not all that similar, they meet in this spectacular, satisfying vegetarian pasta that tastes like it took hours to make.

This dish is partly inspired by pasta alla Norma, a coastal Italian specialty made with eggplant and chilis, and partly inspired by mantu, Afghan filled dumplings served with a fragrant spiced tomato sauce and yogurt. The yogurt to finish might throw you, but just trust me, something magical happens on your palate when that tangy, garlicky yogurt combines with rich, spiced tomato sauce.

P.S. Some of my favorite Afghan food is made at Sami’s Kabab House in Queens. If you’re in the area, definitely pay it a visit.

INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup (75 ml) plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant (455 g), cut into 1-inch cubes
3 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
6 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons double- concentrated tomato paste
1 (28-ounce/794 g) can whole peeled tomatoes*
1 pound (455 g) rigatoni pasta*
1 cup (240 ml) plain whole-milk yogurt
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint,* plus leaves for serving

*INSTEAD OF . . .

• Whole peeled tomatoes, use canned crushed tomatoes

• Rigatoni, use another large pasta shape

• Mint, use dill

METHOD
Heat ⅓ cup (75 ml) of the olive oil in a large heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the eggplant and 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is softened and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add two- thirds of the garlic (4 cloves), the cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Cook to toast the spices, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until darker in color, about 3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, ½ cup (120 ml) water, and 1 teaspoon of the remaining salt. Crush the tomatoes using a wooden spoon until the sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce comes together, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than al dente. While the pasta is boiling, make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the mint, and remaining garlic (2 cloves). Set aside.

Returning to the tomato sauce, add the eggplant and continue to cook until the eggplant is tender and warmed through, about another 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked pasta to the sauce along with a ladle of pasta water. Stir to coat and continue cooking until the pasta has cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Divide among bowls and serve with the mint yogurt and mint leaves.

Photo: Graydon Herriott

Lemony, Herby Shrimpies

Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Published by Abrams, 2025.

Serves 2 to 4
45 minutes

Shrimp scampi was my sister’s go-to Red Lobster order, and this dish is shrimp scampi adjacent: just a little funkier and spicier thanks to the preserved lemon, the nontraditional herb combo, and the bird’s-eye chilis (inspired by the flavors of green chutney).

Using a mix of fresh and preserved lemons really drives home the lemoniness and adds that tastes-like-it-took-hours depth (the reason I love preserved lemon so much in general). And, of course, there’s plenty of punchy pan sauce for dipping with crusty bread, tossing with pasta, or just slurping up with a spoon.

INGREDIENTS
5 garlic cloves, divided
1½ pounds (680 g) large shrimp,* peeled and deveined
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 lemon, divided
2 green bird’s-eye chilis*
½ preserved lemon (about 40 g),* seeded and finely chopped
¾ cup (180 ml) chicken broth*
¼ cup (½ stick/55 g) unsalted butter
1 loosely packed cup (40 to 50 g) mixed herbs, such as parsley, mint, cilantro, dill, and/or chives, finely chopped
Crusty bread, cooked white rice, or pasta, for serving

*INSTEAD OF . . .

• Shrimp, use chicken, white fish, salmon, or thinly sliced steak, adjusting the cook time accordingly

• Bird’s-eye chilis, use 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 jalapeño or serrano chili

• Preserved lemon, use 2 tablespoons chopped capers, olives, or cherry peppers

• Chicken broth, use vegetable broth or beef broth

METHOD
Finely grate 3 of the garlic cloves and thinly slice 2 of them. Combine the shrimp, finely grated garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt in a medium bowl. Toss to coat the shrimp and set aside to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. I would do this first thing and then begin to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Meanwhile, slice the lemon in half, thinly slice one half, and juice the other half. You should have about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil and add the shrimp in an even layer; don’t worry if the pan is crowded. Cook, undisturbed, until the shrimp tails have turned pink, about 1½ minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until mostly cooked through, another minute or so. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a platter, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, along with the sliced garlic, chilis, and preserved lemon and stir to toast the garlic, 1 to 2 minutes. Once the garlic has browned in spots and is beginning to stick to the pan, deglaze with the chicken broth and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Stir in the lemon juice and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and lemon slices and keep stirring to emulsify the butter into the sauce. Return the shrimp to the skillet, add the herbs, and toss to combine.

Transfer to a platter and serve with crusty bread or rice, or toss with pasta.

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