Digging into America’s melting pot

‘Top Chef ’ host’s new series celebrates food of immigrants, Indigenous people

PADMA Lakshmi would like to talk about cheating. It always starts with her eye catching an irresistible, heart-stopping, cool … tub of ricotta cheese.

“My idea of a cheat meal is this weird recipe,” the “Top Chef ” host says. “It’s half enchiladas, half lasagna and all cheese. The dish has pepper jack cheese, Muenster cheese, ricotta, queso fresco, plus fresh green tomatillo sauce. It’s made with layers.”

“Did I mention the ricotta?” the Emmy-winning 49-year-old author and TV host jokes. “It’s baked, decadent and delicious. I have to box and jump rope for two hours the next day, but it’s all worth it.”

So is her new docuseries, “Taste the Nation” (now streaming on Hulu), which has Lakshmi — who emigrated from India to the U.S. at age 4 — exploring the cuisine of 10 immigrant and Indigenous communities across America.

How did you deal with tasting different foods when you came here?

At first I found it hard to eat a lot of typically American foods. It was the 1970s and my mom would always take me to restaurants where at least they had rice, so I could eat something that was familiar. We went to a lot of Chinese and Mexican places. There I was ordering the rice. I’d always ask for extra Tabasco or soy sauce to really spice it up. It was the only way in those days that I could concoct something that seemed edible.

Was there any American food that you disliked at first?

Peanut butter. As a child, I thought it had such a weird texture and odd taste. It wasn’t totally sweet. It wasn’t totally salty. Plus, what was the deal with it sticking to the roof of your mouth? Of course, now I love peanut butter, and my palate has learned to enjoy that combination of salty-sweet.

How are you avoiding gaining The COVID-19, as people are calling it?

My general rule is, if we eat something really decadent one night, the next dinner has to be a really healthy one. For example, last night we had lentils, rice and cauliflower. It was a simple Indian dish that was so delicious. That was on the menu because the previous evening, we indulged in the rich chicken and dumplings recipe. I think the key is mixing it up, so you don’t feel denied.

Dominic Valente Hulu Emiliano Marentes, owner of Elemi, works in his kitchen as host Padma Lakshmi looks on in a scene from the new Hulu documentary series “Taste the Nation.”