When I was in my 20s, and living in NYC, I experienced 3 categories of eating: take out at work, fabulous restaurant hopping, and a weekend of glorious Kashmiri meals every couple of months when I went home.
Most obviously missing was any semblance of home-cooking and eating for nutrition. Worse still, it did not occur to me that this could be problematic! That is, until I hit a wall of exhaustion and malnutrition so severe my mother, the OG MOJI, froze and Fedexed me my favorite dishes when I couldn't make it home one time! That was the moment I realized I needed to learn to cook the kashmiri dishes I so craved.
When I complained to moji about not having any time to learn to cook properly she gave me a very simple spinach recipe. It involved sautéing leafy greens with whole cumin seed, finishing with a little salt, lemon and garam masala and eating it with a fresh bowl of steamed basmati rice topped with a fried egg.
I made this solo meal at 10 pm one night after work and I have such a distinct memory of feeling like my body was coming alive. Iron-rich foods definitley pack a punch! I felt so content to nourish myself. It was a subtle yet empowering moment that set me on the path to seeing cooking as self-care.
If you need a boost of energy give moji's Palak Masala a try!
