02 May 2023

Andaza by Sumayya Usmani - A memoir of food, flavour and freedom in the Pakistani kitchen

Sumayya Usmani is a storyteller, food writer and in her own words ‘an intuitive creative and enchantress of spice’. Here at Steenbergs, we have worked together with Sumayya for several years, helping to bring her own unique Pakistani Garam Masala to market and creating a spice bag (Sensory Spice Selection by Sumayya & Steenbergs) filled with key spices and blends for those wishing to recreate her evocative recipes. 

Her first two award-winning cookbooks (Summers Under the Tamarind Tree and Mountain Berries and Desert Spice) established her as the voice of Pakistani cooking in the UK and we are delighted to celebrate her recent publication of Andaza – a memoir of food, flavour and freedom in the Pakistani kitchen.

Andaza takes us on an emotional journey through Sumayya’s childhood in Pakistan to the start of new beginnings in Scotland, with tales and reminisces of food, cooking and love. Interspersed with family recipes, we follow Sumayya as she discovers the true meaning of Andaza – ‘the art of sensory cooking, the ability to create flavours intuitively’ – and understands that, whatever she goes through and wherever she is, she will always be able to create a taste of home through her cooking.

To find out Sumayya’s favourite spice, her ‘desert island’ meal and her top tips for storing spices, do take a look at our Q&A with her last year, following her successful Celebratory Pakistani Feast with The Cookaway. 

COMPETITION TIME!

We are delighted to have a signed copy of Sumayya’s book to give away to one lucky winner, along with a fabulous collection of sustainable, organic spices. Specially chosen for their authenticity and use in Pakistani cooking, the section includes cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, saffron, mace blades, star anise, green cardamom pods, coriander seeds, whole cloves, black cardamom, black peppercorns, Kashmiri chilli, turmeric and ajwain. 

Simply ENTER HERE for a chance to win.