fried chicken from Himalaya Restaurant (Houston, TX)

I feel like I’m showing all my cards with this one… but if anything deserves a Rec, it’s one blessed by our patron saint of culinary curiosity, Anthony Bourdain

Himalaya pops up in Parts Unknown (season 8, episode 7) — and it would remain unknown because the strip mall that houses this hidden gem is completely unsuspecting

for starters, I was raised on double-dredged, homemade KFC, fried in Crisco in a well-seasoned (preferably generational) cast iron Wagner skillet. I thought that was the magic. Of Course I was naturally suspicious, but holding no reservations (no pun intended).

this Indo-Pakistani take blew my fucking socks off. A type of Chicken Wizardry transcends tradition.

perfectly crunchy, deeply spiced and oh-so tender!

this spot was graciously shared with me by clients while I was in Houston for work. one of them—a classically trained French chef—caught my face after the first bite and asked if I’d like to take a picture. normally I’d never stop a work dinner for that, but foodie to foodie… she knew.

***Restaurants like Himalaya are a reminder that American food is immigrant food—refined, reimagined, and remade with every wave that arrives. & maybe that’s what Bourdain understood better than anyone: the best American food has never come from standing still. it comes from people in motion—carrying recipes across borders, adapting them to new homes, and sharing them with everyone else

delicious proof that America’s table has always been set by immigrants!***