SUGAR & SPICE

Five quick-fire questions with America’s newest vegan sweetheart PRIYANKA NAIK

MAYBE YOU RECOGNIZE Priyanka Naik by her signature cherry-red glasses, from her morning show cooking segments, or one of her viral recipe Reels (giant fusilli with spinach-jalapeño pesto, anyone?). However you may have gotten hooked, one thing’s for sure: this New York-based chef, author, and TV personality is heating up the vegan scene, and it’s not just because of her arsenal of chilis, chutneys, powders, and seasonings. VegNews caught up with this rising star for a few rapid-fire questions to find out what makes her tick, how she’s tackling the holidays, and why she’s nuts for cashews.

Favorite holiday tradition? Making tons of handmade snacks and sweets for Diwali—the Hindu Festival of Lights—usually around October or November. My favorites are shankarpali (a sweet biscuit-like snack) and chakli (spicy chickpea flour-based snacks).

Three foods you can’t live without? Bread, nuts (any kind), and anything spicy.

The meal you can eat every day? My mom’s pav bhaji—a Mumbai street food consisting of vegetable curry and soft rolls. It’s also the dish that inspired my winning meal that earned me the title of Food Network Champion in 2017.

Go-to snack? Cashews lightly sautéed with vegan ghee, black salt, red chili, cumin, sugar, salt, and black pepper. I eat them with hummus, pita, coriander, and fresh veggies like cukes, tomatoes, and carrots.

Holiday dish you’re most looking forward to? Anything my maa makes, but probably her cauliflower-black pepper pulao. For American holidays, it’s apple pie with caramel—I’m a sweets gal.