Dinner Guests: Priya Krishna, Cord Jefferson, and Jia Tolentino | Pop-Up Magazine

What’s for dinner? Chef Priya Krishna makes her mom’s white bean-stuffed poblanos and shikanji, a refreshing Indian-style Gatorade. She’s joined by writers Cord Jefferson and Jia Tolentino - they talk WATCHMEN, racism in America, processing life through work, and what it’s like to be pregnant during the strangest summer in living memory.
In our DINNER GUESTS series, award-winning chefs lead you through easy-to-follow, delicious recipes. But you’re not the only one on the guest list: Each episode features a conversation between two creative friends - writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians - talking with each other about what they’re up to.
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PRIYA KRISHNA is a food writer who contributes regularly to THE NEW YORK TIMES, BON APPÉTIT, and others. She is the author of the cookbook INDIAN-ISH, co-written with her mother.
CORD JEFFERSON is a television writer, producer, and journalist. His TV credits include WATCHMEN, THE GOOD PLACE, and SUCCESSION. His journalism has appeared in THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, and ESPN THE MAGAZINE.
JIA TOLENTINO is a staff writer for THE NEW YORKER and the author of the essay collection TRICK MIRROR. Formerly, she was the deputy editor of JEZEBEL and a contributing editor at the HAIRPIN. She grew up in Houston and lives in Brooklyn.
Check out the recipes for Priya’s White Bean-Stuffed Poblanos and Shikanji in the comments below.
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CREDITS
Chef
Priya Krishna
Dinner Guests
Cord Jefferson
Jia Tolentino
For Pop-Up Magazine
Marin Cogan, Senior Producer
Elise Craig, Managing Editor
Derek Fagerstrom, Director, Special Projects
Kim Gooden, Copy Chief
Leo Jung, Creative Director
Anna Martin, Producer
Scott Polach, Producer/Editor
Albert Schatz, Tech Coordinator
“Slow Roll” from the album Road to Knowhere published by Fo Traques
Ana Munkey Music. Used by permission of Licensor. All rights reserved.
Photograph courtesy Priya Krishna
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RECIPE: White Bean-Stuffed Poblanos
Serves 4
Find someone who looks at you the way my mom looks at poblano peppers roasting in the oven. She discovered poblanos a few years back, when she was perusing the grocery aisle for a spicy pepper that could work as a base for stuffed vegetables. She bought a few, threw them in the oven, and was thrilled with the result: smoky, earthy, and with a manageable but distinct heat. The white beans get soft and creamy in the oven and absorb the flavors of the poblanos perfectly. File this dish under “recipes that look complicated but come together shockingly quickly.” Also, the leftover white bean stuffing makes an excellent dip.
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 small yellow onions, finely diced
2 Tbsp. ground coriander (freshly ground is best)
1 15-oz. can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more if needed
1 small Indian green chile or serrano chile, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime), plus lime wedges for serving
1 lb. small poblano peppers of roughly the same size (2 to 3 oz. each), slit lengthwise
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm ¼ cup of the oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the cumin seeds and cook until they turn a medium shade of brown, about 1 minute max. Add the onions and coriander and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
3. While the onions cool, mash the white beans with a potato masher or fork in a medium-size bowl until they have the consistency of chunky mashed potatoes. Add the salt, chile, garlic, lime juice, and cooled onions and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
4. Divide the filling evenly among the poblanos, using a small spoon to stuff the filling into each nook and cranny of the peppers.
5. Arrange the stuffed poblanos slit-side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the poblanos have shriveled and wrinkled at the area around the slits and turned dark green. Serve garnished with lime wedges.
White Bean-Stuffed Poblanos is excerpted from INDIAN-ISH © 2019 by Priya Krishna with Ritu Krishna. Photography © 2019 by Mackenzie Kelley. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

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RECIPE: Shikanji (Indian Gatorade)
Serves 4
Shikanji is the standard summertime drink that my mom’s family in India used to serve guests in lieu of soda (which was usually too expensive). Salt and pepper may not seem like the most obvious ingredients in a warm-weather beverage, but they add this indescribable addictiveness and lip-smacking tang that’s similar to the salty, energizing electrolytes in Gatorade - in fact, my dad literally calls this drink “Indian Gatorade.” Shikanji also happens to make a great base for a cocktail - add tequila, and you’ve got yourself an Indian-ish margarita.
¾ cup fresh lime juice (from about 6 limes)
¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup ice cubes, plus more for serving
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender with 2 cups water. Blend until everything is fully incorporated and a thin layer of foam forms on the top.
2. Fill four glasses with ice and pour the shikanji over the top, stirring with a spoon just before serving so the pepper is integrated throughout. Garnish each glass with one more tiny pinch of pepper.
Shikanji is excerpted from INDIAN-ISH © 2019 by Priya Krishna with Ritu Krishna. Photography © 2019 by Mackenzie Kelley. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

[@Nico5890]

I loved so many little things about this that I can't fit them all into a YT comment.
Thank you for allowing me to witness this conversation, even if I'm over a year late :) Love Jia and her book. This was my first intro to Cord + Priya but y'all are fascinating, lovely humans as well and I will look out for more from you!!