What Garden State Desis are making this Thanksgiving

For years, my connection to Thanksgiving was a complicated one. Beyond the comforts of time off and gathering with loved ones, I was keenly aware of the holiday’s painful history, rooted in colonization and oppression, facts I shared over dinner with my family. Yet, for my immigrant parents who came from countries also marked by colonialism, the holiday’s simpler legacy prevailed.

From their experiences, they taught me that despite the challenges we face, history included, moments of joy are necessary for building strength and reminding people of what truly matters—the love and community we create. For my parents, food was often the central way they demonstrated their love and joy. 

Food is the main event at any Desi gathering, and the pleasure we take in cooking and eating together is a foundational part of our community. Since Thanksgiving centers entirely on a shared feast, the concept naturally translates to our tables, allowing us to celebrate and blend traditions in our own ways. 

By speaking to people across New Jersey, I compiled a list of what they make on Thanksgiving. A mix of traditional and Desi-inspired dishes, these recipes are a testament to how Desis in America have made Thanksgiving their own.

Samira: Sweet potatoes with sage cream sauce

Local chef Samira Ghani writes a popular food blog called “Slice of Gourmet.” She shares a recipe for Sweet Potatoes with Sage Cream Sauce. This decadent dish of velvety potatoes and herbed sauce is filled with cozy warmth for cold November nights.

The dish has become a Thanksgiving favorite in Ghani’s home, something her family craves each year. According to Ghani, “There is a quiet kind of comfort in this dish, the kind that makes you close your eyes for a moment and savor the bite fully.”

Sweet Potatoes with Sage Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
8-10 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 sage leaves, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 teaspoon oil

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the sliced sweet potatoes in rows standing. Add dots of butter all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In your heavy cream, add a little salt, pepper, and crushed garlic cloves.
4. Pour over the sweet potatoes.
5. In a frying pan, heat the teaspoon of oil and when hot, add your sage. Fry until crisp and pour all over the sweet potatoes.
6. Cover and bake in the oven for about an hour or until the potatoes are soft.
7. Remove the foil and bake until the top is slightly browned. 

Amreen: Chicken patties

Amreen Junaina uses frozen parathas to make chicken patties. She first made the recipe with her mother, and since then, it has become a favorite among friends. The base recipe, embedded below, is versatile and can be used with a variety of fillings. 

For Junaina, this is a year-round staple: “This recipe doesn’t just taste good, it’s special to me and it brings me joy making it for others.” 

Rahat: Zeera cookies

Rahat Bakery, located in North Brunswick, presents a recipe that reflects its spirit of bringing sweet and savory treats to every table—while staying connected to its Pakistani roots. The bakery first opened in Lahore and became a household name, only recently opening its first stores in the U.S. in Texas and New Jersey.

Sana Saeed Khan, one of the managing partners at Rahat’s NJ location, provides the recipe for their beloved Zeera cookies. “We’ve been adding kuch meetha, kuch namkeen to celebrations since 1950, and as we experience our first Thanksgiving in this region, we feel it’s the perfect moment to celebrate with this classic cookie. It’s our way of honoring where we come from while embracing our new home.”

Zeera (Cumin) Cookie
The original metric measurements have been converted. Our suggestion is to follow the metric ones if you can.

Ingredients:
375 grams or 1 ⅔ cup room temperature butter
2 eggs
625 grams or 5 cups flour (do not pack when scooping; level each cup)
250 grams or 2 cups powdered sugar
2 grams or ½ tsp baking powder
0.5 gram or 1 small pinch yellow food coloring (2 drops if using liquid)
1 tsp vanilla essence
5 grams or 2 tsp milk powder (Nido is the preferred brand)
5 grams or 1 tsp salt
40 grams or 6 tbsp Zeera (cumin seeds) - Dry roasting them in a pan for 2 minutes will yield a stronger flavor. You can reduce the amount of seeds based on how strong of a cumin flavor you prefer; 1-2 tbsp is a good starting point.

Method:
1. Start by combining the butter, milk powder, and salt in a mixer or bowl. Let it mix on medium speed for a few minutes, or mix together by hand.
2. Add the sugar and keep mixing until everything comes together.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix after each addition. The mixture should get light and foamy. Then mix in the vanilla essence and food coloring.
4. Add the flour and baking powder until the batter is fully combined and smooth. Do not over mix.
5. Once the dough is ready, take it out of the mixer, wrap in plastic wrap, and pop it into the freezer for 20-30 minutes or the fridge for 1 hour so it firms up. Do not skip this step!
6. When it’s chilled and firm, place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. Make an even sheet of dough. Sprinkle a little flour and zeera (cumin) as desired while rolling.
7. Cut the dough into whatever shapes you want.
8. Place the shaped cookies onto a tray lightly dusted with flour so they don’t stick.
9. Bake the cookies in an oven at 320 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

Auyon: Eggnog

Auyon Mukharji, co-author of the cookbook “Heartland Masala,” which Central Desi recently covered, has been on a heavy eggnog kick over the last few holiday seasons.

“Serving friends and family a mixture of rum and raw eggs feels both delightfully nostalgic and subtly subversive,” Mukharji said. He shares this recipe for a mid-century eggnog.

Claire Claiborne’s Eggnog from 1959
Recipe taken from Ed Behr’s Substack, “The Art of Eating.”

Ingredients:
12 large eggs, separated
200 grams (1 cup) sugar
125 milliliters (1/2 cup) dark rum or bourbon
1 teaspoon cream of tartar, if you use a non-copper bowl
Nutmeg, for grating
1 liter (1 quart) heavy cream

Method:
1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the sugar partly dissolves and the color turns pale — whisk, wait a few minutes, whisk, wait a few minutes, whisk again to form a foam. Whisk in the rum or bourbon.
2. If you have a large unlined copper bowl, rub it with vinegar and salt, rinse and dry it with a clean towel, and beat the egg whites in it until they just form stiff peaks. With a non-copper bowl, add the cream of tartar to the whites and beat them. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture, and add a grating of nutmeg (a Microplane is the perfect tool).
3. Whisk the cream to soft peaks and fold that into the egg foam. Optionally, pour the eggnog into a punch bowl. Grate a little nutmeg on top of the eggnog and ladle it into cups, each with a spoon. Serves around 3 dozen people.

Aisha: Pumpkin pie

In Aisha Anwar’s experience, Pakistanis take Thanksgiving very seriously. She credits the enthusiasm for the holiday being based around a turkey and not a pig, so it’s more accessible because Pakistani Muslims, especially, can eat turkey.

For the holiday, Anwar makes this pumpkin pie, one she considers the best after testing multiple recipes. Cream cheese is the secret ingredient, which makes it taste like a pumpkin cheesecake pie. Her tips are to use less powdered sugar in the filling than the recipe calls for and to warm up each slice before serving.

“All the food rules bend on Thanksgiving, and for one big meal, everyone at the table is happy to be in America. It’s the one day a year that Pakistanis will eat pie and pride themselves on knowing terms like ‘stuffing’ even if English isn’t their primary language,” Anwar said.

Ambreen: Green bean casserole

Central Desi’s Founding Editor Ambreen Ali makes Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving. This year, she’s doubling the mushrooms and using a mix of oyster, maitake, and creminis to make the side dish more robust. Ambreen adores traditional Thanksgiving food and finds its simplicity relative to Desi cuisine refreshing.

“This dish offers a from-scratch way to enjoy green bean casserole, which is usually made with canned pantry goods. I also ate an obsessive amount of Cream of Mushroom Soup as a kid, so I really love the rich mushroom flavor in the base of this dish. It's a great way to get kids to eat veggies!” she said.

Ifrah: Three Sisters Salad

As for me, I’m known as the baker in the family, but I’ll flip the script and share a savory recipe instead. The first Thanksgiving that I discussed the holiday’s history with my family, I made Three Sisters Salad, an Indigenous recipe that honors the symbiotic relationship between corn, beans, and squash when they are planted together. I’m one of three sisters, so it felt even more apt. Since I first made it, my mom has asked for it every year. The dish is simple, nutritious, and perfectly captures the colors of autumn. 

Whether you observe Thanksgiving or are just celebrating a long weekend, we hope these recipes inspire your feast. May your tables be filled with the blessings of good food and the company of your loved ones.

Ifrah Akhtar is the associate editor of Central Desi.

Upcoming events this week (Nov. 27 - Dec. 2)

November 27 - Thanksgiving Dinner and Karaoke
6 PM
Gagan Palace Indian Restaurant
33 S White Horse Pike
Stratford, NJ 08084
Celebrate a Desi Thanksgiving with amazing food, including turkey, and singing. There are limited seats, and RSVP details can be found here. 

November 28 - Haddonfield Hot Cocoa Walk
Starts at 5 PM
Downtown Haddonfield
Haddonfield kicks off the holiday season with Candlelight Shopping and a Cocoa Walk. Check their Instagram post for a list of participating locations.

November 28 through December 21 - Asbury Park Holiday Bazaar Series
Various locations
The Holiday Bazaar is a popular annual event split between Asbury Park and Long Branch. Inspired by Germany’s Christmas Markets, it showcases handcrafted goods and gifts by local and regional makers and small businesses. There is live entertainment, food, workshops, kids activities, and more. Learn all about it here.

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