How I Store My Spices

Grocery shopping in Pakistan was definitely one of my favorite outings growing up. My mom would make a giant list for the month with detailed description of the size, color, and packaging. She would handover the list to my dad and we would head out on our little excursion.

The memory of spice induced sneezing, colorful heaping piles, and vendors singing praises of their products is still very vivid in my memory. We would stop by the butcher to get fresh meet, make a pitstop by a juice wala to get sugarcane juice, and if everyone behaved, then we would even get falooda!

Once we arrived home with the groceries, my siblings would go about their day, but I would help my mom in the kitchen. We would go through her list checking out items to make sure my dad didn't forget anything. Next we would fill all the lentils and spices in their predetermined jars --a combination of yogurt containers, mason jars, and other random Tupperware my mom had collected. I loved being in the kitchen and helping my mom. She had such an incredible way and momentum in the kitchen. As a kid, it was fascinating to see how she stored the spices. While cooking she would instinctively reach for the right jar in the right cabinet without even looking.

Now as a grown up myself, I have carried on my mom's way of neatly storing and labeling all my spices and lentils. Every time I look for a spice in my cabinet, I think of my mom. I think of all the amazing Pakistani food I am able to make just by memory(thanks to years of watching her cook in the kitchen). And I think of all the positive memories lived and built in Pakistan that are often easy to forget.