Appetites: Sisters bottle up mom’s ‘magic’ chutney recipes
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On Mother’s Day, many celebrate the mother figures in their lives with flowers or by cooking a meal. Sisters Yasameen and Sheilla Sajady started a sauce company to honor their mother, Fatima, and the “magic” of her chutney recipe.
“We come from a really, really large family,” Sheilla Sajady said. “We spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking together — a lot of time around the dinner table — and the star of every meal was our mom’s cilantro and ginger chutney.”
The sisters bottled up their mother’s bright and fresh green chutney to sell at farmers markets across the state beginning in 2014. They also added a spicy chutney, a mango variety and a lemon aioli along the way as they expanded to stores across the country, including Target and Kowalski’s.
Yasameen Sajady specifically describes the mango chutney as “swicy: sweet and spicy” — and suggests a plethora of ways to enjoy it: on a cracker with goat cheese, on fish or even on ice cream.
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The sisters’ goal for their chutney business is to add flavor to any dish, echoing the meaning of the word Maazah in Farsi. But the meaning of Maazah goes beyond flavor.
“For us, it also means that perfect moment — that perfect golden hour or that perfect meal that you’re sharing with the family,” Sheilla Sajady said.
Their mom has been a central part of crafting these perfect moments.
“She is the taste buds behind Maazah,” Sheilla Sajady said.
Now, the sisters are mothers with their own kids. And they cook for their families how their mother did — with love.
“That intuition that my mom has comes from her heart,” Yasameen Sajady said.
To hear the full interview with Yasameen and Sheilla Sajady, click play on the audio player above. A recipe that uses Maazah lemon aioli is below.
Seared Salmon with Mango Salsa & Maazah Lemon Aioli
Salmon
3 6-oz. salmon filets
Olive oil
Cumin
Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Maazah Lemon Aioli
Mango Salsa
2 large mangoes diced
1/2 red onion diced
1 jalapeño diced
1 English cucumber diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Directions:
1. Prepare the salsa: Combine mangoes, red onion, jalapeño, cucumber, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Prepare the salmon: Pat salmon dry with a paper towel. Drizzle salmon with olive oil, sprinkle with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and pat spices into salmon.
3. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once the olive oil starts to glisten, place salmon flesh-side down in the pan (it should sizzle when placed in the pan). Let the salmon sear for 3 minutes and then flip over and continue to cook 3-4 minutes or until desired doneness. Set aside.
4. Generously drizzle Maazah Lemon Aioli and spoon salsa over the salmon. Enjoy!
