Curated Cuisine is a monthly series examining all things edible, from the chefs cooking the food to the writers reviewing the recipes. Meet the people shaping the food industry, both local and national and enjoy a post-show bite inspired by the conversation.
Spices are more than small jars that sit in your cabinet and make an appearance during meal prep. For Sana Javeri Kadri, CEO of Diaspora Spice Co., and recipe writer Asha Loupy those little jars represent the farmer who toiled in the fields with love to bring you that flavor. Kadri and Loupy have co-authored “The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook,” a new book that celebrates the spices from India and Sri Lanka. The cookbook centers on regenerative farms across South Asia where Kadri and Loupy spent time with the farmers who grow regional spices and the family recipes built on those traditions.
Tamika Francis, founder of Food & Folklore, sat down for a conversation with Kadri and Loupy to explore their new collection of 85 recipes.
About “The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook”
From Diaspora Spice Co., the progressive spice company rooted in flavor and equity, comes a cookbook celebrating beautiful, simple and seasonal cooking with 85 recipes adapted from India and Sri Lanka’s best family spice farms.
Diaspora Spice Co. sources the most flavorful, fresh spices in the world from 150 regenerative farms across South Asia — from elders, indigenous communities, young changemakers and brilliant multi-generational farming families across India and Sri Lanka who are leading the way in sustainable and climate change–resistant agriculture. Filled with culinary storytelling, “The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook” highlights these farmers and their spices with profiles and evocative photography, plus 85 recipes for simple, seasonal and powerfully delicious meals.
CEO and founder Sana Javeri Kadri and recipe writer Asha Loupy realized that eating with the people who grow our spices unveils a whole new dimension in our cooking. For instance, the Mir family, who works all year to grow and harvest their saffron, shared not only their technique for blooming the vibrant spice and how to make sure every thread is fully utilized, but their unforgettably delicious dishes. Adapted for a global pantry, these recipes share the warmth of true South Asian home cooking at its truest and tastiest, starting with chutneys and pickles, snacks and veggies, traveling through to mains from the sea and from the land, rice and breads and ending with drinks and desserts.
Kadri and Loupy also note which recipes are the most beginner friendly, freezer friendly, good for a dinner party menu (like a Diwali feast) and which lend themselves to be pantry building blocks, all for a super easy-to-navigate cookbook.