Latest news with #ZaynabIssa
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tandoori Tacos Are A Summer Snack That Belongs In Your Backyard
At first glance, you might wonder where a recipe for something called 'Tandoori Tacos' comes from. In India, a clay oven called a tandoor is used to cook meats marinated in yogurt. Tacos are, of course, one of the most beloved dishes of Mexico. The author of this recipe, Zaynab Issa, grew up in New Jersey, the child of immigrant parents from Tanzania. But as Issa explains in her recent cookbook, Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes For A New Generation, this recipe for Tandoori Tacos is as American as it gets. 'Most of us have a story of migration— if not you, then maybe your great-great-grandparents, but this reality remains: the culture of your homeland has mixed with the culture of others here, creating an entirely new one,' she writes. (MORE: Hyperlink more articles here) 'As I've grown up and lived here, my perspective on American food has shifted to reflect a new understanding: America itself is a third culture nation.' The 'third culture' she describes is a combination, one that is informed by the culture of a homeland as much as the new home that it belongs to. This recipe combines freely in exactly that way. Using the yogurt-marinating technique of Indian tandoori cooking to tenderize the skirt steak, the sweet pop of orange juice from Mexican carne asada and Cuban mojo. Topping it off with a few cherry tomatoes, this is a delicious lunch that belongs in a summertime backyard anywhere in America. Ingredients 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) plain whole-milk yogurt 1 tablespoon orange juice, optional 1 tablespoon plus 1⁄2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided 11⁄2 teaspoons garam masala 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika 1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric 6 garlic cloves, finely grated 1-inch piece ginger, finely grated 1 1⁄2 pounds (680 g) skirt steak, cut into 4 (4- to 6-inch) segments 1⁄2 medium red onion, finely chopped 1 cup (145 g) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced 1 cup (40 g) roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Flaky sea salt 12 to 16 (5-inch) tortillas, for serving Sour cream, for serving Lime wedges, for serving Instuctions To make the marinade: Combine the yogurt, orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt, the garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add the steak and mix well to coat completely. Marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To assemble: Combine the onion, tomatoes, chili, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve. Add the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt just before serving. Heat a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until very hot or smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and working with 2 steak segments at a time, sear until deeply browned on both sides and cooked to your desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium (140°F/60°C on a meat thermometer). Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 2 steaks. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm. Return to the steak and thinly slice it against the grain and then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the steak on the tortillas and top with some of the onion mixture and sour cream. Serve the tacos with lime wedges for squeezing over the remaining onion mixture. Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Photos copyright (c) 2025 by Graydon Herriott. Published by Abrams. copy writer Wyatt Williams is exploring the relationship between weather, food, agriculture, and the natural world. MORE ON - Kick Off The First Days Of Summer With A Tomato Sandwich - Have A Hot Date With This Palm Springs Date Shake - On The French Riviera, Gazpacho Tastes Like Summer
Tatler Asia
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
From viral videos to page turners: 8 food influencers whipping up bestselling cookbooks
2. Sarah Ahn (@ahnestkitchen): 'Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes' Sarah Ahn didn't set out to write a cookbook. She just filmed what her mum (or umma in Korean) was cooking. What does her mum pack for her dad, an exterior painter who works up to 12 hours a day outdoors? Why is her umma's multigrain rice not just a more protein-packed alternative, but a testament to her family's resilience? And what homemade food does she pack for their dog when they go out of town? The warmth and intimacy of their kitchen struck a chord with followers, and that connection turned into Umma , her New York Times bestselling cookbook. It's part story, part instruction manual, with banchan, kimchi and stews passed down over generations. Think Crying in H Mart , but blended with the everyday practicality of home cooking. Read more: What makes Korean food a social media sensation 3. Zaynab Issa (@zaynab_issa): 'Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation' Zaynab Issa's Third Culture Cooking is exactly what it sounds like: a recipe book shaped by the in-between. Raised with East African and South Asian roots in suburban America, Issa creates recipes that make space for all of it—tandoori tacos, samosas two ways and chocolate cake with chai buttercream. She started with a college recipe zine, moved through food media brands BuzzFeed and Bon Appétit and built a following with TikTok recipes like her cheddar and white bean dip (55 million views on TikTok alone). Her cookbook reflects that journey: part nostalgia, part experimentation and entirely personal. Book sections include tips on cooking by mood, setting yourself up for success in the kitchen and entertaining without crashing out. Read more: 5 tips from food influencers on how to film better Foodstagram reels 4. George Lee (@ 'A-Gong's Table: Vegan Recipes from a Taiwanese Home' George Lee's cooking journey began not in culinary school, but in the quiet rituals of grief. When his grandfather (or a-gong in Taiwanese) passed away, Lee and his family followed Buddhist funeral customs and abstained from meat for 100 days. During that time, he received a masterclass in cooking from monastery nuns. What started as a spiritual observance grew into a popular blog, a social media following and a cookbook. A-Gong's Table is filled with plant-based Taiwanese recipes that taste like home: sweet potato breakfast congee, meatless braised 'pork' rice and umami-rich sauces from scratch. Photographed across Taiwan, the recipe book reads like a love letter to heritage and a more compassionate way to cook. Read more: 5 vegan-friendly resorts in Southeast Asia that deliver on luxury 5. Tue Nguyen (@twaydabae): 'Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking' From culinary school to mukbang videos to sold-out pop-ups, Tue Nguyen has had an unconventional rise—one that now includes her restaurant DiDi and a cookbook named one of the best of 2024 by The New York Times. Nguyen first captured audiences with joyful, flavour-packed dishes like fish sauce eggs, seared scallops and weeknight pho that prove you don't need hours to cook with soul. That same energy animates her cookbook Di An, a celebration of her heritage at full volume, grounded in accessible techniques. If you want a recipe book that balances tradition with practicality, this one earns its shelf space. Expect recipes like shaking beef, braised catfish and bo kho 'birria' tacos that feel both nostalgic and entirely new. Read more: What is it about Vietnamese cuisine that drives the whole world crazy? 6. Carolina Gelen (@carolinagelen): 'Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes' Carolina Gelen's cooking is as inventive as her thrift-store hauls during her early days online. Born in Transylvania and now based in the US, she rose to viral fame with cosy recipes like butter beans alla vodka and orange cardamom olive oil cake—dishes that feel special without requiring anything fancy. That approach powers Pass the Plate , her debut cookbook and a 2025 James Beard Award nominee. What sets Gelen apart is her ability to make humble ingredients feel exciting. Think chicken schnitzel with caramelised lemon gremolata, upside-down pineapple coconut cake and pantry-friendly riffs on her Romanian and Hungarian culinary roots. For home cooks looking to maximise flavour and cook with joy, Pass the Plate will have you asking for seconds. 7. Nisha Vora (@rainbowplantlife): 'Big Vegan Flavor: Techniques and 150 Recipes to Master Vegan Cooking' A former lawyer turned food content creator, Nisha Vora is a go-to source for plant-based meals that don't feel like a sacrifice. Her detailed how-to videos and bold flavour profiles—rooted in her Indian heritage and global inspirations—bring vibrancy to vegan cooking. A New York Times bestseller and James Beard Award nominee, her cookbook Big Vegan Flavor lives up to the name. It's a masterclass in seasoning and technique, featuring internationally inspired recipes, flavour bombs to make everyday meals pop and smart swaps that cater to your cravings and pantry. Designed for both new and seasoned plant-based eaters, Vora's cookbook doesn't just replace meat with tofu—it reimagines vegan food as something deeply craveable. Read more: 12 Instagram accounts to follow for the best vegan recipes 8. Owen Han (@ 'Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich' Dubbed as TikTok's Sandwich King, Owen Han built his following one ASMR cooking video at a time. Drawing from childhood summers spent cooking with his Italian grandmother and Chinese father, Han brings a cross-cultural lens to handheld meals. His viral 2021 shrimp toast with gochujang mayo—a mashup of Cantonese and Korean flavours—cemented his reputation for bold, unexpected pairings. His cookbook Stacked makes good on that reputation. It's not just about bread—anything you can hold in your hands can be a canvas for flavour. Think Peking duck wrap, hoisin pork burnt ends bao and butter chicken burrito. Easy to follow, full of flavour and anything but basic. Read more: Beyond McDonald's McGriddle: 9 breakfast sandwiches in Hong Kong for which you don't have to queue up from 4am
New York Times
07-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
This Sheet-Pan Chicken Is the Perfect Dinner Recipe
The biggest (and possibly only) challenge of sheet-pan cooking is recovering the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. These caramelized juices and drippings from meats, fish and vegetables can add glorious complexity to any dish — if you can pry the baked-on puddles off the surface of the pan, that is. With a skillet, you simply deglaze it by adding some liquid and then simmering until the browned bits dissolve. But the low sides and way-bigger-than-a-burner width of a sheet pan can make that maneuver awkward. In her recipe for sheet-pan malai chicken and potatoes, Zaynab Issa shows us how to do it right. By pouring liquid into a still-hot pan, she eliminates the need to simmer — she just gives everything a firm stir. Zaynab uses heavy cream and lemon to unlock the drippings, which are an especially savory mélange of warm spices, chicken fat and green chiles. Spooned over roasted, yogurt-marinated chicken thighs and soft potatoes, it makes a rich and silky sauce for this delightful, curry-inspired dish. Featured Recipe View Recipe →
