Home Cooking – “Sari Not Sorry” (October 24, 2025)

Overview

In this rich and heartfelt episode of Home Cooking, Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway reunite for a new season and take listeners to Boston, where they host a live conversation at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. The centerpiece is an exploration of Samin’s new book, Good Things, focusing on identity, food heritage, creative adaptations, and the unique ways food brings people together. Through audience questions and live readings, Samin and Hrishi dig deep into the joys and tensions of cross-cultural food, creativity in the kitchen, the realities of professional cooking, and the importance of honoring authenticity while embracing innovation.

Main Segments & Key Insights

1. Boston Food Tour & Sweet Tooth Adventures

[03:01–05:06]

• Samin and Hrishi recount their recent trip to Boston, confessing their mutual lack of restraint around local pastries, particularly from Sofra Bakery and Flour Bakery.
• Quote:
  Samin: “Let me order every single pastry in Boston.” [03:12]
  Hrishi: “You have no self control when it comes to buying things from restaurants because you want to support everybody and you want to try things. And then the restaurants have no self control because... they give you all kinds of extra stuff.” [03:14]
• The pastry consumption sets the stage for their playful, food-loving dynamic.

2. Samin’s Book “Good Things”: Readings & Reflections

[06:05–10:47]

• Samin reads two poignant passages:

  • Barberi Focaccia (Page 377): A warm recollection of her Iranian roots and the ritual of eating fresh bread with her grandfather.

    • Quote:
      Samin: “The bond between us was palpable. And it was strengthened by our shared love of nunbarberry, a thick, chewy flatbread topped with sesame or nigella seeds.” [07:08]

  • Yellow Buttermilk Cake (Page 402): On longing for belonging as a child of immigrants and her quest to recreate the perfect yellow cake from childhood.

    • Quote:
      Samin: “All I wanted as a kid was to blend in, to be normal just like everyone else. To be known instead of judged. And somehow, very early on, that yellow box cake with chocolate frosting came to represent the sense of belonging that was just out of reach.” [08:21]

• Reflections on identity, longing, and culinary innovation.

3. Audience Q&A: Food, Identity, and Adaptation

[11:41–22:40]

a. On Home-cooked Nostalgia & Persian Comfort Food

[11:41–13:49]

• Listener Shaila asks about comfort dishes that represent Samin’s roots.
  • Samin praises Parsi cuisine’s fusion of Persian and Indian flavors and recommends My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Ichaporia King.
  • For Persian comfort, she highlights “chicken with saffron and lemon” (joojeh kebab roast chicken) and rice dishes like tahdig and katte as her core comfort foods.
    • Quote:
      “Rice is for sure my comfort food.” [13:47]

b. Embracing Global Inspirations (and Fears of Appropriation)

[13:49–18:25]

• Hrishi notes the book’s globe-trotting inspiration, leading Samin to discuss struggles with cultural appropriation.
• Samin recounts her aborted attempt to adapt tacos al pastor for home cooks, weighing authenticity and ownership.
  • Quote:
    “I am very sensitive to appropriation, and I’m constantly sort of agonizing, am I doing that?” [14:06]
    • She emphasizes the need to give context, credit, and honor a dish’s origins when adapting recipes.
    • Success story: Piri piri chicken, which she credits thoughtfully, tracing its movement from South America to Africa via Portugal.

c. Food as a Meeting Point: Indian Adaptations

[18:44–22:40]

• Listener Sabrina asks which recipes from Good Things could pair with Indian food or be adapted in that direction.
• Samin and Hrishi brainstorm:
  • Sizzling spices in ghee (tadka/fodni) can make many dishes more “Indian-ish.”
  • Samin suggests a garlic and herb labneh (easy cousin to raita), piri piri chicken with added Indian spices, and her pandemic discovery: cardamom ghee.
  • Samin: “If you just add a little... turmeric and cumin cooked in ghee to anything, you can kind of take it in that direction.” [21:18]

4. Crowd-Sourced Challenges: Holiday Competitions & Chili Cook-offs

[23:06–37:07]

a. Diwali Cookie Exchange & Condiment Challenges

[23:06–26:38]

• Listener Aparna considers a Diwali-themed cookie exchange and competition ideas.
• Samin: Instead of just cookies, invite guests for a “condiment party”—everyone creates a fresh, acid-brightening condiment (e.g., fried sage salsa verde, chili oil, chutneys) to “acidify Thanksgiving.”
  • Quote:
    “What the table’s missing is freshness and acid. So I have taken a campaign to acidify Thanksgiving.” [25:14]

b. On (Not) Being Competitive and Bestseller Lists

[26:40–27:53]

• Samin jokes about her competitive side, especially in context of book rankings and being “number two” on the NYT Bestseller list.
  • Quote:
    “I go to a lot of therapy. But it would be a lie to not admit... the thought passed my mind: Wow, I just missed number one by that much.” [27:48]

c. Ohio Chili Contest Conundrums

[31:52–37:07]

• Listeners Ann and Liz seek advice for a winning chili in a region dominated by Ohio-style canned chili.
• Samin and Hrishi riff on their shared Indian heritage: hybrid “chole chili” (mixing classic bean chili with Indian chana masala/chole, plus all the right toppings).
  • Innovative ingredients: kidney beans, chickpeas, tomato paste, spices, yogurt, shaved chickpea sev, cilantro, cheddar.
  • Playful banter about what makes chili “chili”—and when it becomes chole instead.

5. Deep Dives Into Iranian Pantry Staples

[37:07–43:02]

a. Dates: More Than Just a Snack

[37:26–40:35]

• Anita asks for ways to use up dried dates.
• Samin suggests:
  • Alice Medrich's “Fruit and Nut Cake” (dense loaf, great for cheese boards or slicing thin).
  • Dates in salads (e.g., snap pea salad with dates).
  • Dates in oats with cardamom ghee and peanut butter.
  • Quote:
    “My number one favorite way to use up a large amount of dates is a recipe called fruit and nut cake by Alice Medrich.” [37:49]
• Playful aside about not knowing “TikTok.”

b. The Power of a Pound of Sumac

[40:49–43:02]

• Sam seeks tips to use up a pound of sumac.
• Samin explains sumac’s tart, floral flavor and tradition of always being on the table with kebabs.
• Suggests batch-mixing za’atar (herb, sesame, sumac blend) and gifting it.
  • Quote:
    “With a pound of sumac, you could make a very large batch of za'atar and then put it into tiny jars and give it away as gifts.” [42:39]

6. Thoughtful Rapid-Fire: Snacks for Dancers, Career Advice for Chefs

[43:02–52:15]

a. High-Protein Snacks for Busy Young People

[43:16–47:34]

• Annie (12) looks for non-messy, room-temp portable snacks before ballet.
• Samin’s quick-nutrition picks:
  • Peanut butter packets, Babybel/string cheese, hard-boiled deviled eggs (no green rims!), hummus with crackers/veggies, mini bean and cheese burritos.
  • Hrishi: dates with almond butter (“nature’s Reese’s peanut butter cup”), beef jerky.
  • Tuna: maybe not optimal for the car...
  • Quote:
    “I have to have snacks everywhere because I just can’t risk becoming hangry. It’s bad news.” [44:15]

b. What Samin Would Tell Her 25-Year-Old Chef Self

[47:48–52:15]

• Susan asks what advice Samin would offer her younger self as a chef.
• Samin’s wisdom:
  • “You don’t have to sacrifice everything to be the best. Because actually, like, if you’re miserable, which I really was, you’re just going to make everyone around you miserable, which I did.” [50:23]
  • She unpacks how kitchens teach self-denial and the toxic “sacrifice is success” ethos. Now, she focuses on balance, self-care (real, not commercial), therapy, and compassion for her past.
  • Newer generations of kitchen professionals, she says, are more radical and self-respecting.
  • Quote:
    “Being an artist is about being able to pay attention to what’s happening inside of you and what’s happening outside of you. And I was living so deeply in my head, I was not in the world in any way.” [51:05]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cookbook Writing and “Good Things”:
  Hrishi: “The reason why I wanted to highlight those two spots specifically is because those passages were about a focaccia recipe and a yellow cake recipe. And yet they were also both about being from Iran, growing up in San Diego, and the distance between those two things.” [10:47]

• On Cultural Appropriation:
  Samin: “I feel like as long as I’m sort of doing my homework and giving an appropriate amount of context, it feels like I’m not taking. It feels like I’m opening a door, you know, and inviting people in.” [17:48]

• On Adapting Recipes:
  Samin: “There are many regional names for when you sizzle spices in ghee, and it becomes this kind of aromatic flavor base. So that’s a super simple way you can basically turn any soup into something more Indian-ish.” [19:53]

• On Acidifying Thanksgiving:
  Samin: “I have taken a campaign to acidify Thanksgiving.” [25:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Boston adventure + banter: 03:01–05:06
• Live reading from Good Things: 06:36–10:47
• Comfort foods, Iranian and Parsi cuisine: 11:41–13:49
• Global recipe inspiration & authenticity: 13:49–18:25
• Indian adaptations & pandemic ghee: 18:44–22:40
• Diwali competition & condiment party: 23:06–26:38
• Chili cook-off: “Chole chili” brainstorm: 31:52–37:07
• Dates, sumac, & using pantry staples: 37:26–43:02
• Protein snacks for busy kids: 43:16–47:34
• Advice for young chefs on self-care: 47:48–52:15

Tone & Style

Throughout the episode, Samin and Hrishi’s banter is playful, affectionate, and honest. Samin’s storytelling is rich with sensory detail and humility, revealing the layers of identity embedded in her cooking. The episode is thick with personal anecdotes, culinary wisdom, and frank discussion of the complexities of modern (and inherited) foodways.

Summary

“Sari Not Sorry” is an especially warm, wide-ranging live episode in which Samin and Hrishi entertain, inform, and inspire, weaving together questions of heritage, creativity, and care with the tactile pleasure of food. Whether debating chili ingredients, dishing on competitive cooking, or offering advice for young (and not-so-young) cooks, the hosts create a generous and insightful conversation that welcomes listeners of all backgrounds into their culinary—and emotional—world.