Get a taste of South Asian treats
In this edition of Saa Nasta, discover a local international tea party featuring local vendors, learn how to dish out a quick dinner in a pinch. Also, find out where to get your jhal muri fix while shopping for South Asian jewelry this weekend.
Local food blogger hosts International Tea Party
Alina Alam, also known on Instagram as @foodiesnapper is a Pakistani American food blogger who’s been documenting her tea time adventures since 2015. Alam grew up in Dearborn Heights.
Last weekend she hosted an International Tea Party featuring snacks and foods from Michigan vendors at Eleanor’s Cafe in Dearborn. She created three tables with Middle Eastern, European, and South Asian treats to showcase tea time across cultures.
“My whole point of food and tea is to showcase positivity… the desi culture, like Indian, Pakistani, Bengali culture… our cultures are based on hospitality and welcoming people,” she says.
An engineer by trade, Alam says she enjoys sharing her food adventures. She says the tea party shows diversity and community building.
“I want to show that there's more than the chai culture, and tea time is not just a British exclusive thing…. sometimes that's how it's portrayed in the movies where the Royal very fancy.”
Guests chose from sandwiches, pakoras, samosas, loaded fries, cupcakes, halwa, and more to pair up with Kashmiri or Adeni chai, smoothies, or fraps, from among 20 vendors. The International Tea Party was hosted at Eleanore’s Cafe in Dearborn. Check out recap and full list of vendors here.
Alam hosts her personal tea times daily on Instagram live to share places to try in Metro Detroit. Visit her blog to learn more.
Deem Bhuna: eggzactly egg curry you should try
Who doesn’t love throwing a quick dinner together requiring ingredients you might already have at home? Deem bhuna, or egg curry is a simple Bangladeshi recipe to make when you want to eat something different but also don’t want to do a lot of work.
Special thanks to our reader Eli who requested this recipe :)
Community News:
Festive Essentials is hosting the Festive Baazar on Sept. 18-19, noon to 11 p.m. with other local vendors.
