ONLINE EVENT
Take a lunch break with MOFAD as we hear from cookbook author and food writer Sonal Ved, Indian food historian and archeologist Kurush Dalal, and chef Prateek Sadhu of Masque, #32 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021. At the brink of the release of Ved’s newest book, Whose Samosa Is It Anyway? , the trio will be joining us on zoom from India to discuss the history of this 4000-year-old cuisine and how it is shaping its future.
Ved, Chef Sadhu, and Dr. Dalal will consider issues such as the importance of indigenous ingredients like turmeric, pepper, mangoes and their connection to Ayurveda. They will dive into the need to look back to look forward and lastly, the concept of cultural appropriation of cuisine, from chai and turmeric lattes, ghee butter to naan bread, and their place in real Indian cuisine.
The program will also include a virtual cooking demo of Proto Curry by Chef Sadhu, the world’s first curry. It is stitched from the culinary pieces left on Harappa excavation sites.
Purchase Whose Samosa is it Anyway?: The Story of Where ‘Indian’ Food Really Came From by Sonal Ved
This program is free but registration is required.
SONAL VED
Sonal Ved is a Mumbai, India-based food writer. She is the author of two New York Times accredited food books. Her second cookbook Tiffin chronicles 500 authentic recipes celebrating India's regional cuisine and has three editions: US, UK and German. Her latest book Whose Samosa Is It Anyway? —an Amazon-bestseller—traces the story of where ‘Indian' food really came from. She is the India chapter organiser for Veggie Mijas, a collective centering women of colour, GNC, femmes, queer and trans, BIPOC in aspects of plant-based food choices and environmental justice work. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, Food52 and Thrillist among others.
KURUSH DALAL
Dr. Kurush Dalal is an archaeologist, historian and culinary anthropologist.
He teaches archaeology and its allied disciplines at the INSTUCEN Trust. Additionally, Dalal writes and consults with Live History India and runs his own Culinary Anthropology Workshops.
PRATEEK SADHU
Born in Baramulla, Kashmir, Chef Prateek Sadhu attended the Culinary Institute of America, graduating with double gold medals. After stints at several of the world’s finest kitchens including Alinea, The French Laundry, Le Bernardin, and Noma, he opened Masque in the heart of Mumbai in September 2016. Sadhu uses his individual experiences — his Kashmiri roots, travels, and the innate internationalism — as the lens to look at more universal Indian culinary traditions.
Chef Sadhu ranked among the top 10 on Food Tank’s 2016 list of restaurant innovators in the world. That same year, he was awarded most innovative chef of the year by the Western Culinary Association of India. In December 2017, he was named Chef of the Year at the Conde Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards.
In August 2019, Masque was ranked on Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure’s collaborative, inaugural list of the World’s Best Restaurants, and in 2020, the restaurant won the Miele One to Watch Award at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. In 2021, Masque ranked #32 on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants the only Indian entry restaurant from Mumbai.
In 2020, Chef Sadhu launched “Masque Lab,” a space dedicated to investigation and experimentation into new ingredients and techniques.