It’s a hallowed artefact of Khoja Ismaili culture, given to couples as a wedding present, or to children leaving home for the first time as a prophylactic for homesickness. Published only in Canada, A Spicy Touch has sold over a quarter of a million copies. Recipes for elaborate undertakings like muthia-a hearty stew of meat, millet flour dumplings, and mixed vegetables, many of which have to be prepared individually-hitherto only passed along orally, now occupy two pages diagrams for how to fold samosas replace the need to physically observe deft fingers encasing spiced vegetable, beef or chicken fillings in a supple dough. But its 110 rose-colored pages contain a universe of memories and history, its maroon lettering standing defiantly against erasure. It is an unassuming tome, narrow, spiral bound like a notebook. Nimji published three editions, in 1986, 1992, and 2007. Thus, A Spicy Touch-likely the first Khoja Ismaili cookbook-was born. Cassava-mohogo-also became popular, most deliciously in the form of mohogo chips, sprinkled with chile powder, salt, and lime, and served in a newspaper wrapping, perfect for a family outing by the sea. As people began to prosper, meat became more popular coconut, found along the African coast, became a staple and new dishes became household standards, like plantains stewed in coconut milk, the beloved bharazi, and macchi bhat, succulent halibut, salmon, or cod chunks marinated in lemon juice, chile, and garlic paste and pan fried, served with rice bathed in a spiced sauce of tomatoes and coconut milk.

And while many of the dishes the diaspora enjoys remain the same-like sweet thepla, the chewy, deep-fried, cookie-like treats made with wheat flour and evaporated milk, seasoned with fennel seeds, nutmeg, and cardamom-Vassanji’s work also describes how the cuisine changed. Vassanji was born in Nairobi and raised in Tanzania, and much of his work tells the stories of his people: of their origins in India, of the migration to their second home in East Africa, and of the Khoja Ismaili diaspora around the globe.

Ismaili heritage