Sana Javeri Kadri, founder of Diaspora Spice Co and co-author of the new Diaspora Spice Co Cookbook, wants you to stop neglecting your spice cabinet. 'I think people are really scared of their spice cabinet, or they ignore it,' she said.
Building a Transparent Spice Supply Chain
A decade ago, Kadri started a successful spice company with the goal of creating a more transparent spice supply chain and putting fresher products on grocery shelves. Now, with her cookbook released in March, she aims to teach people how to use spices like turmeric, black pepper, and cardamom intuitively.
One Golden Rule for Spices
'No raw spices ever,' Kadri emphasizes. 'You don't just sprinkle spices on top of things. You're toasting them, roasting them, simmering them, sizzling them.'
Inspiration from Indian Farmers
Kadri and co-author Asha Loupy spent over four months traveling in India, interviewing spice farmers and learning their cooking techniques. 'While we love giving people recipes for California-ish or American interpretations of our spices, the most beautiful food that I was eating with our spices was always what our farmers were cooking,' said Kadri, who grew up in Mumbai.
She hopes her book dispels myths about South Asian cuisine: 'That it's complicated, that it takes a lot of ingredients, that it's heavy or greasy.'
Go-To Seasonings for Toddlers
With two toddlers, Kadri relies on her Everything Grill seasoning, a blend of pepper, fennel, garlic, chili, oregano, and salt. 'I use it to season meatballs, put it on potatoes, and add it to marinades,' she said. Another favorite is her Popcorn Seasoning, a top seller at Whole Foods, made with chopped masala, dried mango powder, nutritional yeast, garlic, and turmeric. 'It's cheesy umami with a bit of tang and heat,' she noted.
Essential Tools for Spice Lovers
Kadri recommends a pepper mill with a metal grinding mechanism for optimal flavor. 'Plastic mechanisms dull quickly, and ceramic ones don't adjust grind size well,' she explained. She also uses a heavy mortar and pestle for crushing spices like fennel, cumin, and coriander, which she prefers over an electric grinder.
Easy Weeknight Meals
Her go-to meal is pozole, a Mexican hominy stew, using Rancho Gordo's prepared hominy. Another quick dish is pantry pasta with anchovies, tinned tomatoes, and fresh herbs. She recommends Sweet Prince tomato tins for their confit-like quality.
Favorite Cookware and Appliances
Kadri cooks primarily with a Lodge cast iron skillet and a Made In Dutch oven. 'I make soups, stews, and Indian curries in the Dutch oven,' she said. She also uses an Instant Pot for bone broth, a Zojirushi rice cooker for daily rice and congee, and a Boos cutting board that preserves knife sharpness.
Rice and Specialty Ingredients
Kadri brings back 30 pounds of rice from India every three months, preferring Indian long-grain and short-grain varieties. For Japanese-Californian rice, she recommends Koda Farms. She also uses Seka Hills olive oil, an indigenous-owned brand from California, and Song Tea's Shan Lin Xi Winter Sprout Oolong, which she describes as tasting like cotton candy.
Dinner Party Essentials
Kadri sets her table with durable East Fork dinner plates, which have never broken in eight years. She uses block-printed cotton table mats from Anokhi, which are machine-washable.
Top Cookbook Recommendations
Her favorite cookbooks include Fresh India by Meera Sodha, Tenderheart by Hedy McKinnon, The Rancho Gordo Pozole Cookbook, Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka by Cynthia Shanmugalingam, and Dishoom: The first ever cookbook from the much-loved Indian restaurant.
