NAVEEN RAJA

Founder of Mumbai Spice Company, Portland, Oregan

Photo credit: Jillian Lancaster

Photo credit: Jillian Lancaster

Where are you writing this from in the world? What are you eating?

Namaskar world! I am very excited to be a guest today. I am currently writing this from the Spice Kingdom known to some as Portland, OR, USA. The past few days I have been cooking up a storm which means today for dinner we are going simple. I am leaning toward fresh shrimp tacos with a cabbage and carrot slaw.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I grew up in the state of Illinois about 40 minutes outside the city of Chicago. As a child of two working Indian immigrants, I spent a lot of time at home. I joke that the television raised me because I would watch cable TV for hours on end. One of my favorite shows was “The Food Network” which was my first exposure to non-Indian cooking. When it comes to craft, my mother was the one who taught me to cook. Her biggest fear was us kids eating junk food at school. When I was a teenager, she taught me how to make 4 decent dishes that I ate a few thousand times over the next 8 years. When I got my first job (and consequently my first paycheck), I invested the time to cook better and more diverse food.

What’s the vibe of Mumbai Spice Company?

Mumbai Spice Company's mission is to further the understanding of authentic and innovative Indian food in America. We know that learning a new cuisine can be hard and intimidating, which is why we have The Spice Raja. We brought in this king of flavor to help guide people through this journey. The goal is to teach you how to cook delicious food with a few laughs along the way.

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How would you describe your food? Any signature dishes?

I would say that my style is simple but high-quality. I have spent the last three years focusing on the basics of what makes a good foundation for a chef. I studied everything from French technique for roasting whole chicken to Indian technique for aloo sabzie. I do not think I have a signature dish yet but maybe someday?!

What’s exciting you in the food world at the moment?

A return to the kitchen! This pandemic has been hard, but I have seen a resurgence of folks returning to their stovetops. Part of that journey is learning what makes good food. Instead of heading out to their favorite Indian restaurant, we are attempting these dishes at home. For the food industry as a whole, I am advocating for the further progress of BIPOC chefs and industry members. Using platforms to elevate these voices and find equity is long overdue.

Who have been the biggest food influences in your life?

My mother has been and always will be my biggest food influence. She is forever my harshest critic and I don’t mind that. For many children, the bond they have with their heritage comes from the food they ate growing up. My mom provided me that connection from a young age by making staples of a Marathi household. In the professional cooking world, it’s Jaques Pepin. I have watched hours upon hours of his videos. His ability to show mastery while still breaking down a technique is phenomenal. In the food writing space, it has to be The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. It was my first exposure to the amazing world of vegetarian cooking outside of Indian cuisine.

And the biggest non-food influences in your life?

For years I had a travel obsession. I proudly stamped out every page in my passport and have traveled to 40+ countries. That experience was beautiful. It allowed me to experience food in a way I could have never imagined. True magic happens by eating a cuisine’s dishes in its home country. I learned an immense amount about authenticity when eating around the world. During the pandemic, I have sought out personal narratives and cultural literature to find inspiration.

How does it make you feel when you’re asked the questions ‘where are you from’?

I identify as Indian-American which is nothing short of complex. I live the life of the double minority. In the country I was born, I am Indian. In the country of my ancestors, I am American. It took me until my early twenties to be proud of my cultural heritage. I regularly cultivate and expand my understanding of my Indian roots. In my culture, we cook our food with love, compassion, and hospitality. Every Indian kid knows that an auntie would ever let you leave their house on an empty stomach. When I think about my home in America, it is of utmost importance to keep my Indian heritage at the forefront.

What are your thoughts on ‘authenticity’ in the context of food?

I have spent years dissecting the concept of authenticity. What can look authentic to some looks fabricated to another. True authenticity is rooted in connection and intention. What is the chef's connection to this dish, cuisine, or concept? What is their intention by serving this food? Claiming authenticity requires deep reflection and consideration for the larger context beyond cooking.

And on the word ‘fusion’ in the context of food?

As an Indian-American, fusion has inevitably become part of my food identity. When we could not drive to the Indian supermarket, we used tortillas instead of roti. In adulthood, I have made chicken tikka masala pizzas and garam masala margaritas. Both are delicious and yet non-traditional to the parent cuisines. While dilution does happen, this is a natural part of raising a child in a different country. I experienced this while living in Singapore. There you found a delicious blend of Indian, Malay, and Chinese cuisines. They intermixed flavors I had never tasted before. When fusion is an assertion of one’s ethnicity and experience, it can be done right.

Today, there are fewer examples of fusion gone wrong, but they still exist. Generally, this occurs when industry leaders appropriate food for profit without considering the impact of their actions. Thankfully, consumers have become more critical of these establishments and spoken about the dangers of appropriation in food.

What are your views on ‘cultural appropriation’ in the food world? Can anyone ‘own’ a cuisine?

Food appropriation is the antithesis of authenticity because it lacks connection and intention. We see the popularity and accessibility of international travel increased in recent years. Many of these travelers are seeking culture as well as food. When looking at who has access to this luxury, it tends to be non-BIPOC. The results of this are two-fold. On one hand, someone can travel to a country, fall in love with the food, and incorporate aspects of that cuisine into their own existing food culture. We call that inspired cooking. What has come under fire in recent years is the other side - the people who travel to a country seeking an opportunity to return home to exploit a cuisine solely for financial gain. The worst part is that these restaurateurs claim that this adaptation is “authentic.” That claim of authenticity builds a misunderstanding of the cuisine.

BIPOC community members constantly have to fight the Western perception of their food and often get locked out of the market because of it. My personal experience in the spice industry is no different. I have many competitors that are non-Indian owned that tell the story of India through a foreign gaze. I spend a lot of my time unwinding the threads of Indian food perception from decades of gross-simplification. The industry appropriated the complexities of one billion people to a catch-all cuisine known as "Indian food." I want to change that.

We have conditioned ourselves to this behavior and refrained from questioning it. Thankfully, this is beginning to change. We are seeing more BIPOC chefs and owners reclaim their cuisines. Chefs are stepping up to show the breadth of food that exists beyond antiquated westernized menus. I see this resurgence especially with food from the East Asian and Latin American regions. As consumers, we should support and encourage this not only because it’s delicious, but because it is equitable and authentic.

How do you hope that narratives on food and race develop in a post-Covid world?

I hope that more people of color get a chance to share their history. In America, the Black Lives Matter movement has shown gross inequality across many industries, food being one of them. As minorities, it is our time to share what it means to be BIPOC and tell that story through our food. The kitchen table is the best place to have conversations; to listen and learn from your fellow humans. 

Finally, the plug section…

I am the owner and founder of mumbaispicecompany.com. We source, package, and sell the highest quality Indian spices. We share the cultural narrative of being Indian-American through cooking tutorials and technique breakdowns on our Instagram & youtube channels (@mumbaispicecompany). Join us in building the Spice Kingdom!

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