Breaking Bread with Anishya Kumar and Saima Khan
Anishya Kumar, Founder of Zinda Foods and innovator of a disruptive, game changing wrap base trademarked as the AirWrap, has been working with creative chefs who also care about serving their customers and clients 100% artisan food.
Recently she visited renowned chef Saima Khan of Hampstead Kitchen – a high end private chef and philanthropist who was intrigued to learn more about the natural Airwraps & try them in her test kitchen at home.
Both Anishya and Saima share a common goal when it comes to bread, as the centre of so many international cuisines and feasts. “Bread is bread and one of the most natural products in the world” said Saima. “The breaking of bread is at the heart of many of the sharing platters I serve to my clients. It’s important that bread as a carrier should be natural, with no additives interfering with the taste of lovingly prepared and presented food. I’ve always used home-made flat breads in the past, but was excited to hear about the AirWraps and wanted to see how they could be served in my kitchen”.
Anishya’s hand made AirWaps were gently heated on Saima’s tawa (griddle) and wrapped in a tea towel as Saima brought out an array of dishes she had prepared to serve with the AirWraps. The feast with Saima’s trade mark of “food without borders” came from a number of countries, to test the versatility of the AirWraps.
From her oven came Saima’s marinated meats – delicious slow cooked boneless lamb with cumin and juniper and grilled baby chicken with garlic, olive oil, saffron and zaatar. Alongside the meat were four vibrant and flavourful dips – Muhammara – made from roasted red peppers, roasted bread, pomegranate molasses and walnut; a vibrant beetroot, chilli and mint dip; smokey aubergines with cherry tomatoes and mint and her signature Obama dip – Greek yogurt, sautéed spinach with caramelised onions and garlic with rose petals.
Saima loved using the AirWraps and said “They perfectly matched the dishes I served. It was so light and thin. It was a treat to meet a fellow business owner with an authentic ingredient who clearly cares about her products.”
Commercially, the AirWrap is sold in Tesco London stores with chef-inspired delicious fillings. Anishya was encouraged to see that Saima also valued the versatility of the AirWrap and recognised that the secret to flatbread making is a tradition passed down from generations & not easy to replicate. For Anishya it was important to retain this traditional artisan skill while marrying it with a combination of pure ingredients, the secret ratio of which is now trademarked.
Anishya said “At Zinda we have not compromised and have worked hard to make them with the same care and attention as one would at home. We are not churning out mass produced tasteless tortillas but hand-spun light and delicious AirWraps.” She continued “In a market dominated by large tortilla manufacturers, it’s so encouraging to see that chefs value our natural, artisan alternative as not only commercially viable but accessible to consumers too.”
Anishya will be collaborating with more chefs and restaurant owners in the coming weeks. It’s her mission to raise the profile and awareness of the AirWrap on a more personal level. “After all”, she adds. “it’s not just another wrap, it’s an AirWrap”.
Visit our site www.zindafoods.com for more on her unique, un-processed AirWraps which let the other ingredients or dishes they are served with shine through.