Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation

For a limited time we have copies signed by Zaynab Issa.

Combining threads from the several cultures which make up her background, Zaynab Issa appealingly captures a new phase in American home cooking, happily combining ancient traditions with the adaptations of earlier generations of immigrants.

Issa’s parents came from Tanzania, members of the Khoja ethnic group who were originally traders from India. They raised her in suburban New Jersey, where she was exposed to and entranced by the food brought by people from other cultures. 

Her recipes reflect traditions in which complex flavors are valued, as is the act of cooking itself. While there are some dishes which come together quickly, like coconutty corn which employs frozen kernels, coconut milt, turmeric, cilantro, and lemon, it’s more common to find recipes which deliver their interesting flavors as a reward for the investment of a little more time, even if it’s just for marinating.

For example:

• Calabrian chili chicken with caper raita

• French onion ramen

• Red curry orzotto with mushrooms and peas

• Spicy lamb and cumin noodles

• Chocolate cake with chai buttercream

As an adapter, Issa often includes suggestions for substitutions if you find an ingredient difficult to obtain, though the food is intriguing enough that we’d be motivated to try it her way.

Hardcover. Color throughout.