Sadaf Hussain, food historian and writer, on his new book ‘Masalamandi’: ‘Cooking and eating are both divine for me’

The creation of storytelling successful food

When asked astir his knack for storytelling, Hussain offered a philosophical take: “You, me, and each of america are stories. We beryllium today, but tomorrow, lone our stories volition remain. Whether done books oregon movies, I person ever loved storytelling.”

With Masalamandi, Hussain’s extremity was to unravel the mysticism of Indian spices that signifier age-old recipes. For him, nutrient is an acquisition that extends beyond taste—it is astir the stories down each dish. “For nutrient to beryllium genuinely enjoyed, it indispensable person a story. That’s wherefore I constitute successful a conversational style—it makes nutrient past much engaging,” helium said.

Talking astir the non-linearity of nutrient history, helium cites the ongoing statement implicit the origins of food chicken arsenic a premier example: “Families are warring implicit who truly invented the recipe, but I deliberation it’s this communicative that made the crockery popular. Similarly, chickenhearted tikka masala became a nationalist crockery successful the United Kingdom, with claims that a Pakistani cook successful Glasgow created it.”

For the chef, nutrient is simply a operation of logic and romance. His pop-ups and nutrient walks are designed to immerse radical successful the joyousness of eating, encouraging them to admit the practice down each bite. “Cooking and eating, some are divine for me. I privation radical who travel to devour with maine to bask nutrient arsenic overmuch arsenic I do,” helium said.

Food divides arsenic overmuch arsenic it unites

Hussain believes that portion nutrient is often seen arsenic a unifier, it tin besides beryllium divisive. “Food has ever been political. The cardinal is to respect what others eat, without attaching motivation oregon ethical superiority to 1 cuisine implicit another,” helium said, recalling the clip helium shared with a radical helium had taken connected a nutrient locomotion however “upper caste” Brahmins did not let the alleged “lower caste” radical to devour biscuits. According to him, “If you privation to power a community, you power its food.”

Another furniture of nutrient politics, helium noted, is sex favoritism successful the kitchen. “For generations, women person cooked but seldom served themselves first. Our mothers and grandmothers made meals, yet men ate earlier them. Fortunately, I grew up successful a household wherever this was not the norm. My parent had paralysis connected 1 side, truthful my begetter took connected a batch of the cooking. In fact, our full family—my dad, my brother, and I—cooked together,” helium said.

He besides shared a telling anecdote astir a pistillate person who, contempt being a nonrecreational chef, was expected to navigator astatine location aft work—an anticipation seldom placed connected antheral chefs. Hussain’s children’s publication The Carrot Soup explored specified sex dynamics.

A emotion for thoroughfare food

A connoisseur of Indian thoroughfare food, Hussain urges radical to clasp it without elitist biases.

“There’s a misconception that each thoroughfare nutrient is unhygienic, yet it has inspired galore fine-dining menus. The thoroughfare nutrient of a metropolis reflects its culture. In Delhi, radical emotion deep-fried chole bhature, taking their clip to bask a leisurely Sunday meal. In contrast, Mumbai’s vada pav civilization is fast-paced, mirroring the city’s hustle.”

Sadaf enjoys a sheet of nihari successful the streets of Old Delhi. (Image: Instagram/@sadaf_hussain)

Hussain said helium admires cities similar Lucknow, Kolkata, and Kochi for their dedication to preserving nutrient traditions. “They are profoundly passionate astir their culinary heritage, which helps support it alive. In Delhi, determination is simply a increasing effort to revive forgotten dishes, but overmuch much tin beryllium done successful preserving property aged recipes. Masalamandi is my tribute to the divers spice blends that specify Indian cuisine—from biryani to chai and parathas. As the publication says, ‘One spice tin alteration an full dish’.”

MasterChef and culinary heroes

Since appearing connected MasterChef India, Hussain has been an avid instrumentality of the show. As for his favourite judges, helium said, “I respect some Chef Vikas and Chef Ranveer. Ranveer, successful particular, shares my emotion for storytelling, truthful I consciousness a beardown transportation with him.”

He besides paid homage to the legendary Imtiaz Qureshi, who passed distant past year. It was helium who pioneered the “dum pukht” benignant of dilatory cooking. “He was 1 of India’s top chefs. When I met him for the archetypal time, I was wholly starstruck. His estimation was truthful immense that anyone with the surname ‘Qureshi’ wanted to beryllium associated with him,” Hussain said.

When asked if helium envisions owning a restaurant, Hussain said helium prefers the thought of a cafe over good dining. “I privation radical to travel in, relax, and person fun.”

He shared his emotion for nutrient saying, “As a kid, I wanted to beryllium the fattest idiosyncratic connected Earth. My Amma would service maine 4 meals wrong the archetypal 5 hours of the day.” Today, his perfect indulgence is simply a quiescent infinitesimal with a bully cupful of coffee. And done books, pop-ups and nutrient walks, Hussain continues to stock the magic of food, 1 communicative astatine a time.