Cooking with Beauty, Purpose and Intention with Zaynab Issa

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Cooking with Beauty, Purpose and Intention

with Zaynab Issa (plus, her Tandoori Tacos recipe!)

Nicki Sizemore

May 06, 2025

Hello my friends, and welcome back to the show! I have such a delicious episode for you today with cookbook author, recipe developer and content creator Zaynab Issa, all about the power of purpose in the kitchen. Zaynab worked as a food editor at Bon Appétit magazine, is a current contributor to New York Times Cooking, and is the author of the new book, Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation.

We dive into so much in this episode, starting with Zaynab’s style of cooking. Rather than just being an amalgamation or fusion of the American foods she grew up loving and the Khoja cuisine that her mother and grandmother cooked, her style of cooking is unique hers—it’s an authentic expression of who she is. We explore how cooking can become a powerful place to find ourselves and to discover our unique preferences and aesthetic.

We also get into the topic of beauty. Zaynab shares her philosophy around beauty in life and in the kitchen, and how it can enrich the experience of eating, even if (or maybe especially if) we’re just cooking for ourselves. She shares her tips for creating beauty on the plate, from food styling tips, to how she chooses vessels, to tips for arranging the table.

She also describes the meals she’s been loving lately (including her go-to breakfast and favorite comfort foods), and she’s shared her recipe for Tandoori Tacos (below!), which are are a brilliant take on a weeknight staple.

Tandoori Tacos from Third Culture Cooking, by Zaynab Issa; Photo copyright (c) 2025 by Graydon Herriott

Throughout the conversation we keep coming back to the notions of purpose and intention. When we bring intention into the kitchen, we have the power to transform the simple act of feeding ourselves into an experience of presence, connection and self care. This sums up my mission here on the podcast and newsletter (and forthcoming book!). Cooking can be so much more than just a means to an end—it can be the gateway to something deeper, if we’re open to it.

I think you’re going to walk away from this conversation inspired and hungry!

If you find this work inspiring or helpful, please support it in any way you can! This ad-free space is made possible only through community support. You can share the episode, rate it on your podcast app, or become a paid subscriber for just a few dollars a month. As a paid subscriber you’ll have access to the full recipe archive (featuring over 100 gluten-free recipes), free cooking classes, discounts on one-on-one sessions, bonus content, and more. Most importantly, you’ll make all this work possible. Thank you for your support! ❤️

You can listen to (or watch) today’s episode right here, or, better yet, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or You Tube.

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I’ll be back on Friday with a new recipe, but until then, remember to nourish yourself with intention and love.

xo, Nicki

TANDOORI TACOS

Serves 4 to 6 | 1 hour 30 minutes

The term tandoori in South Asian cooking typically refers to yogurt- marinated protein cooked in a clay oven known as a tandoor. So, while this taco hasn’t been anywhere near a tandoor, the yogurt-marinated skirt steak that sears hot and fast reminds me of that same concept.

The marinade draws inspiration from traditional tandoori chicken, with a mild, fruity heat from Kashmiri red chili powder and, of course, a yogurt base for tenderizing. The orange juice adds sweetness and serves as an additional meat tenderizer, a technique I borrowed from Mexican carne asada and Cuban mojo, dishes I came to know and love from my time at the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen (shout out to Inés Anguiano, who was always so mindful of my halal diet and made her unreal carne asada for me quite a few times). As ever, the salad ingredients are flexible—you can swap alliums and chili varieties with whatever you have on hand.

1⁄4 cup (60 ml) plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice, * optional
1 tablespoon plus 1⁄2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
11⁄2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder*
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 garlic cloves, finely grated
1-inch piece ginger, finely grated
11⁄2 pounds (680 g) skirt steak, * cut into 4 (4- to 6-inch) segments
1⁄2 medium red onion, * finely chopped
1 cup (145 g) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 jalapeño, * thinly sliced
1 cup (40 g) roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems*
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flaky sea salt
12 to 16 (5-inch) tortillas, for serving
Sour cream, * for serving Lime wedges, for serving

*INSTEAD OF . . .

Orange juice, use 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar plus 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

Kashmiri red chili powder, use 21⁄2 teaspoons paprika plus 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Skirt steak, use rib eye or sirloin

Red onion, use yellow onion

Jalapeño, use bird’s-eye or serrano chili

Cilantro, use mint or dill

Sour cream, use crème fraîche or plain Greek yogurt

METHOD
To make the marinade: Combine the yogurt, orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt, the garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, garlic, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add the steak and mix well to coat completely. Marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

To assemble: Combine the onion, tomatoes, chili, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve. Add the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt just before serving.

Heat a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until very hot or smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and working with 2 steak segments at a time, sear until deeply browned on both sides and cooked to your desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium (140°F/60°C on a meat thermometer). Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with flaky salt, and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 2 steaks.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel to keep warm.

Return to the steak and thinly slice it against the grain and then crosswise into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the steak on the tortillas and top with some of the onion mixture and sour cream. Serve the tacos with lime wedges for squeezing over and the remaining onion mixture.