“………..The man used to walk around with a little cart filled with hot sand and all the corns buried in it, which is how they were cooked. The Bhutta Wala, or corn man, would pull out a corn, peel off the jacket and rub it with a mixture of fresh lemon juice, salt and chili powder, yummy!”

Mother, accountant, entrepreneur, and cooking school instructor, Huma Siddiqui is intent on keeping Pakistani food traditions alive. In Pakistan, food is so much more than sustenance; it is the foundation of the family. Siddiqui has written a book that gives us a snapshot of Pakistani life. From the Choori wali (woman with bangles) fascinated by Siddiqui’s family’s refrigerator to the Unday Wala (egg man) whose eggs did not float (the test of a good egg), Jasmine In Her Hair is awash in everyday occurrences that bring Pakistan to life. In brief easy to read vignettes, this book takes you from feast to famine and back again.

Having established the importance of the table in one’s life, Siddiqui delivers accessible, home-style dishes perfect for today’s palates. Simple, honest and easy to prepare, the recipes are rife with spices. Garlic, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander and cumin, traditional to Pakistani cooking, deliver haunting, yet familiar flavors. But when prepared as Siddiqui points out, these spices should accent not overwhelm Pakistani cooking. Simple authentic dishes from kofta (beef meatballs) to lamb curry to samosas dot this cookbook that is filled with 56 recipes and many photos. It is set up in six sections: Home Sweet Home, Day to Day life, Meatless Days, Celebrations, Jasmine in Her Hair, New Beginnings—each proceeded with recipes. Traditional menus are also suggested.

All recipes may be reprinted
Jasmine In Her Hair
By Huma Siddiqui
Publication Date: April 2004
152 Pages. 56 Recipes.