Tongson’s personal cooking style relies on saving the ingredients or parts that traditionally, institutionally have less value — “something that you think is burdened by indignity, cheapness and trash” — and finding her own perfect application that proves otherwise. “Sometimes it is relevant to bring in the conversation that Nietzsche started, in relation to Britney Spears,” she says with a laugh.

When I went to college at Oberlin, where my parents met, I found out that my mom had not only been in the MOST hippie-dippie of co-ops, which was appropriately vegan, but was the head tofu maker there too. So I began to learn what she loves about tofu.

On this July 4th weekend, the only appropriate celebration of freedom is a repeat of Juneteenth. I’ve always had a festive and carefree association with strawberries, plus everyone’s bomb-ass strawberry Juneteenth desserts inspired me to make this cream cheese strawberry pie with a coconut cookie crust.

I pick up some tips and tricks from my dad for making his gunpowder — a South Indian dal and spice blend that I love to sprinkle on rice, and is also great on salads, toast and most snacks.

It’s not like traditional chicken pot pie filing is knocking anyone’s socks off, so Sarah and I decided to try out chicken korma pot pies with a turmeric crust. She gave them her highest food rating — “f*cked up” — so I’m sharing the recipe with you.

When I finally got the waffle maker from my mom that I’d been waiting for, and my friend Vinh;Paul was gifted an air fryer from his mom, we knew the only way to honor these new kitchen gadgets was to make our own version of fried chicken and waffles. Sarah’s end-of-summer celebration cocktail was the watermelon on top!

Sana Javeri Kadri brings her whole queer life to Diaspora Co., her company that’s decolonizing the spice trade, supporting Indian small farmers, and delivering banging spices to your kitchen.