Food Network Obsessed

Samah Dada Is Begging You to Season Your Veggies

Episode Summary

Content creator Samah Dada talks about the evolution of how cataloging her meals turned into a full time venture with @DadaEats. Samah describes her “accidental” cooking style and how she incorporates her plant-based lifestyle with the flavors of her Indian heritage.

Episode Notes

Content creator Samah Dada talks about the evolution of how cataloging her meals turned into a full time venture with @DadaEats. Samah describes her “accidental” cooking style and how she incorporates her plant-based lifestyle with the flavors of her Indian heritage. She talks about her most significant culinary influences and minimal approach to meals. Samah pleads for those who are bored with vegetables to stop steaming and start seasoning and why eating dinner together every night with her family made her a mindful eater. Jaymee and Samah relate to the pressure and vulnerability of sharing your life on the internet and Samah offers advice for aspiring culinary creators and cookbook authors. 

Follow Food Network on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodnetwork

Follow Jaymee Sire on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaymeesire

Follow Samah Dada on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dadaeats/

Watch Samah’s Crack An Egg With Episode: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/crack-an-egg-with/episodes/crack-an-egg-with-samah-dada

Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/samah-dada-is-begging-you-to-season-your-veggies

Episode Transcription

Jaymee Sire:

Hello. Hello and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things food with your favorite chefs, food influencers, and food network stars. I'm your host Jaymee Sire, and today we have a Forbes 30 under 30 recipe developers sharing her rise to plant-based popularity and current obsessions. She's an author, television host and the culinary content creator behind Dadada Eats. It's Samah Dada. Samah, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Samah Dada:

Thank you, Jaymee. Thanks for having me. I'm well, I'm doing well. It's a, a nice day in Brooklyn, and we're just vibing this morning. .

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. Fellow Brooklynite over here as well. And yeah. You are thriving, by the way. I so many accomplishments that we are going to get to. And you are well known for your social media handle data eats. Take me through kind of the evolution of that, like when you first started the account to what you're doing now, creating culinary content.

Samah Dada:

Sure. Well, first of all, it was all kind of an accident, Jamie. I never really set out to have data eats be what it is today, but I think when, you know, like when you look back and you see hindsight, it really is like, it all kind of checks out. So I was really interested in television and food separately, so I thought I wanted to be like a reporter mm-hmm. and work in TV production and, and maybe be on camera in some capacity and entertainment or lifestyle news. But at the same time, I was always obsessed with food. My parents are Indian immigrants, so food has always been a really huge, huge part of my life and my upbringing. Having dinner was like a non-negotiable together , we just, every single night it was like, you just gotta be there. But I think like Dad eats, I, I actually, I interned for a summer at CNN in television. Mm-hmm. . And it was my first time spending so much time in New York and I ate through the city like no one was. It was actually, it was crazy. I don't even know. It was like I was taken over by like the New York City food, gods . And I just, I was just obsessed with the food scene, obsessed with the landscape, and I was taking all these photos of food and I had nowhere to put them, so I just put them on Instagram. This was 2015. Mm-hmm. . It wasn't really normal at that time. It was like, that's kind of weird, you know, like a separate account for your food. But it kind of gradually became what it is today. I just kept posting, you know, food, my recipes actually in college. I created a little series on food in the mission district of San Francisco. So that kind of tied together that like food TV thing that I didn't even think about until, you know, I was well into my career in food, television and media. But yeah, I had Doty Eats. I ended up moving to New York. This is a long story. I I

Jaymee Sire:

Love it.

Samah Dada:

No, I'm like not. I'm like, not .

Jaymee Sire:

We have time

Samah Dada:

Making this brief . But I ended up moving to New York to join the N B C page program. Mm-hmm. , and if people aren't familiar with that, it is a rotational program within N B C and you work the Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, SS n l, you also give the N B C studio tour. It's really like the graduate school of tv. Mm-hmm. , it was amazing. But all this time I was just putting my recipes up as a hobby. I ended up getting a job at the, at the Today Show as a production assistant. I was running scripts, getting up at three in the morning, gonna to work at four, working in the control room. I'd come back at two, I'd cook for dad eats , go to sleep at eight, do it again. Um, and at that time, like I had developed and, and amassed a bit of an audience, which was super cool from, I was literally not thinking that much of it. Mm-hmm. I was like, that's really cool, and I'm honored that people are here to follow what I'm making and eating. The producers, the Today Show found my account. I never pitched myself. I was just, I was honestly scared. I was like bottom of the totem pole . Like, nobody was like thinking like, oh, this is like our next food person. They found my, my blog. And they're like, I don't, they're like, we don't understand, like, why aren't you on the show as a guest? And I was like, seems like your call, like would love to though. And yeah, I did my first segment when I was 23. I did six segments that first year. I signed a book deal the next year. And Wow. Just kind of been writing with it since

Jaymee Sire:

It's been like a, a, a rocket ship ever since. It seems like, how would you describe your cooking style to somebody that's not familiar with you?

Samah Dada:

Yeah, I mean, I like to describe my cooking style as accidentally plant-based , which is kind of funny because I never really consciously set out to make my food plant-based, plant forward, vegetarian, vegan. It was kind of a result and a byproduct of me choosing really minimal ingredients to cook with, pairing everything down, even with my baking. So at that time in like 20 15, 20 16, I was baking with almond flour and coconut flour. You couldn't find that stuff at Trader Joe's. Obviously now it's so accessible. But people, like, one of my most common questions was like, what is almond flour? And the reason I used it was because I just liked the idea that it was just almonds. It was very simple. Mm-hmm. , when I was at Berkeley, I, I really got invested and interested in my health and wellness, and I started working out and I started paying attention to what I was putting into my body so I kind of set out to make things very minimal, minimally process, minimally processed. And I think at the same time, I always ran up against this, like all or nothing mentality. So it's like, if I'm healthy, I can't have a cookie or like if I like, you know, the only way that I can feed myself nourishing food is if I'm eating a salad every day. And I just was, so that just didn't make sense to me because like, I need cookies function . So like, how am I going to balance the two? Okay. So let me figure out how do I make, how to make recipes and make delicious nourishing food, but with very minimal ingredients that everyone can enjoy. And by the way, like I'm not going out and advertising the fact that like, this is a dairy-free, gluten-free, like vegan cook. I, it's just like, you don't say broccoli is vegan. Like, oh, here's some vegan broccoli . It just like is what it is. And I like to make sure that my recipes are very inclusive and that's an amazing byproduct that people who have preferences or like dietary restrictions can eat my food and feel like they can really enjoy it.

Jaymee Sire:

What is your go-to cookie of choice?

Samah Dada:

Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, I , so if anyone is familiar with my brand or my social media presence, I'm obsessed with dates. , not the romantic ones, the ones you eat. And I just made these pistachio date cookies a couple weeks ago, and I feel like that's been my go-to and they're delicious and I love them.

Jaymee Sire:

And you live off them and with chocolate. Okay. Well, so they're not totally like all health

Samah Dada:

Just to keep that Yeah. Just to make that clear. Like we're adding chocolate and everything .

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. It's all about balance. Right. Exactly.

Samah Dada:

. Exactly.

Jaymee Sire:

Uh, what, what are some of the most versatile vegetables that you like cooking with?

Samah Dada:

Wow. That's a good question. I mean, I think there's, there's so many. I'm really lucky because I grew up in an Indian household and I never had to really learn to love my vegetables. I know a lot of kids, it's like, oh, it's a brussel sprout. Like, ah, I'm gonna like, have a, like, freak out about it. But I just, you know, my mom credit to her, like always cooked, very plant-based. We always had a lot of chickpeas on the table and chana masala, we had a lot of so, and, and, and very like veggie forward dishes and recipes that were just really flavorful and amazing. I think these days I've been really liking cooking with eggplant. I think there's so much you can do with it. You can make a egg in Bertha, which is like a eggplant masala, but you can also, you know, dredge and bread it and bake it or fried into like, delicious. I make it with like a little masala like seasoning and it's just like really delicious. So I love eggplant. I, I love all veggies. I, I love carrots. I've been roasting carrots and making carrot hummus. I think there's just a lot you can, you can really do with veggies. And that's kind of one of my, my main goals of my, my work is to show people that it doesn't have to be boring. Like it doesn't have to be just, um, like steamed zucchini, steamed broccoli with like salt and pepper. There's so much you can do with veggies to make them stars.

Jaymee Sire:

Well, on that note, I mean, if there's, you know, obviously there's a lot of people out there that don't like vegetables. Like, what do you think that they are doing wrong or, or maybe haven't experienced yet that that really will like maybe change their mind? I guess .

Samah Dada:

Yeah. Spice, like, nobody is using spice. And I don't mean seasoning like salt and pepper. I'm talking about turmeric. I'm talking about mm-hmm. , I'm talking about cayenne. I mean, I'm very lucky. Like I said, I, I grew up with these spices and I, I think I have, I know how to work with 'em. And I think that's a big hurdle. A lot of people get really intimidated by spice and don't really know how to use it. And that's like a, a, a really big part of what I do in my, my cookbook is show people to use spice in a way that is really simple. It's not that it's not that challenging. I think once you learn that there are no mistakes in the kitchen and you're just kind of experimenting and learning how to work with different ingredients, it becomes a lot easier to have that confidence. But mm-hmm. , I would say one of the biggest things is definitely, definitely spice.

Jaymee Sire:

Uh, you, you mentioned your mom. Do you, do you kind of credit her with like, I guess this, this spark and this interest in, in food and cooking?

Samah Dada:

I love my mom. She's the best. Shout to my mom, . Yeah, for sure. You know, I grew up in a family of very incredible cooks. My grandma was an incredible cook. My aunt had an Indian restaurant in Australia. But I think when it comes to my nuclear family, I was always interested in what my mom was doing in the kitchen. I was always like, I don't understand how she's just tossing spices. And, and by the way, like, I think this is pretty common with Indian families in general. Like, they're just tossing things in . Like there's no measurement,

Jaymee Sire:

Like no recipe,

Samah Dada:

No recipe. Like my mom has never touched a measuring cup in her life, . And it's one of those things where, you know, she'll always say she's like, sometimes it turns out a little bit differently every time, but it's still amazing. It's still delicious. And I think she taught me how to work with Andaz, which is sort of like to your taste. So you add things and season to taste, which is one of the most important things in cooking is taste along the way, add what you need to add and really try to trust your taste in your palate because that is your best guide in the kitchen. But yeah, I would definitely say my mom was a huge influence on my interest in food, just because she would cook every single night. We weren't a takeout family. Like occasionally we would obviously go out to dinner, which is lucky and experience and fun. But I would say most majority of the days of the week she was cooking and yeah, every day it was, it was Indian food. .

Jaymee Sire:

Do you, do you remember the first thing that you learned to cook?

Samah Dada:

Yeah. Kraft mac and cheese . Is that cooking ? Yeah,

Jaymee Sire:

Absolutely.

Samah Dada:

That like delicious orange powdery subsequent, of course, it, we still don't know. We don't,

Jaymee Sire:

It's delicious and addictive and yes,

Samah Dada:

, I remember that was an early memory. And also, and it's funny 'cause these like aren't Indian things. It's just like my earliest memories of like that childhood food. I grew up in California. I didn't like, you know, I didn't have, um, a direct line to my grandma. Also melting craft cheese on broccoli,

Jaymee Sire:

.

Samah Dada:

Like, what? It's so funny though, because now I'm like, I'm mostly plant-based. I, I try to stay away from, from dairy and things like that. So, you know, it's funny that craft craft was a huge part of my upbringing, I guess. So. Weird .

Jaymee Sire:

That's hilarious. No, I love it. I mean, I think you, you know, you're speaking to a lot of people listening right now. I'm sure that was also their first thing to say. That's the real story.

Samah Dada:

Yeah. Jaymee, I'm, I'm not gonna gloss it up. You like,

Jaymee Sire:

No, like, I learned how to make, uh, masala.

Samah Dada:

Yeah. Tikka masala was not my first dish. Like, let's just be honest, we're gonna keep it real. .

Jaymee Sire:

I love that. I mean, you mentioned that you, you guys like had dinner together every night. What were some of the other traditions that you grew up in your household with?

Samah Dada:

Yeah, I mean, I think that that was a really big one. Like, we never sat in front of the TV to eat. We always waited for everybody to be at the table. Whether we had homework or whether we had like, different extracurricular activities. It was always dinner every day. And I think it, it's kind of interesting because, you know, when I talk to friends or other people that isn't, I mean that's, you know, a lot of people have that similar experience, but there's also a lot of people who didn't have that experience growing up. And I think it created this ritual around eating and around food where even when I am by myself or if I'm cooking for one, you know, like I sit down, I'm mindful about it. I like have, I'm not distracted and I just enjoy my food. And I think it's, there's really something to be said about eating without a another distraction or something going on behind you. 'cause it really allows you to appreciate everything that's going on. I would say that was the biggest ritual. I mean, oh, another, I guess another food ritual, which didn't, doesn't really have anything to do with cooking, but it's, some of my earliest memories is we grew up in Southern, or I grew up in Southern California. I say we, 'cause I'm thinking about my sister, but , we would always take bagels to the beach and just like, sit there and eat bagels. And I remember I used to be obsessed with these jalapeno cheddar bagels. There's a lot of cheese in my upbringing,

Jaymee Sire:

. So I'm

Samah Dada:

Realizing this all now. This like a therapy session, Jaymee. 

Jaymee Sire:

I love it. Thank you. I love it. Yes. Like sit back. Yeah.

Samah Dada:

Yes. Sit back and relax. Um, yeah, I think that was like a core memory. We'd bring like orange juice and bagels and like grapes and like you got little, little sand in your mouth and it was just part of the whole California experience. ,

Jaymee Sire:

. Uh, with all that in mind, when, when you're developing recipes, how, how do you bring, you know, together this, this new plant-based approach that you've kind of, like you said, accidentally fell into with, you know, the flavors of your Indian heritage and also just, you know, all of the flavors of where you've lived throughout your life?

Samah Dada:

Yeah, I mean, I, I feel really lucky because I've had, not only have I had an amazing, like home life around food with my mom cooking and having that be such a core part of my, my upbringing, but also I spent a few years in London in high school for my dad's work. He got transferred over there. So we all kind of went and I think I grew up in Orange County, California. Like I didn't actually have a big Indian community at all. I honestly was the only brown person I knew, which I think sometimes was challenging for me because I didn't feel connected to my community. And I didn't really find that until like, honestly the last like two years of my life. But I think that when I moved to London, it's such a diverse scene there both in people and food. And it was the first time that I had had Lebanese food and the first time that I had had like really incredible Indian food out. And obviously there's a lot, there's a huge Indian population there. And I think it was really eye-opening for me with my, my kind of culinary experience and background because it just showed me there was so much more. And obviously what's really nice and it's, I'm so grateful that I had this opportunity, but you know, you're, you're so close to so many other European countries and like, just being able to have that proximity to different places to go that I had never been before. And it just showed me that there was so much more than what I was seeing in like my little Orange County bubble. And it had a lot of influence on my, my work and my food. I didn't grow up in India. So I think I've always felt neither here nor there, like I don't really feel super Indian, but I also know I don't feel super American. I've kind of had this balancing act of my, my culture and, and kind of figuring out where I belong. And I know that's not just my experience. That's like a very third culture it experience. And so when I think for a really long time I tried to water down my heritage and my indianness to please more of a western palette. I did this a lot at the beginning of my, my career with s because I wanted to, I'm, I'm a bit of a reformed people pleaser and I wanted to make sure that everyone, you know, could, could sort of digest what I was serving them. That was a lot of puns in one sentence, , I just like, I love it. Heard myself say that.

Jaymee Sire:

Love a good food. Pun .

Samah Dada:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I think that as I've gotten further along in my career, I realized that like I'm the person that should be telling these stories. Mm-hmm. . Like I have that experience that a lot of people can relate to. And I think I've started infusing and, and not just started, but I, over the course of my career, I, you know, started making Indian food the way that like I would make it. And I think for a long time, even my mom, like, is there gonna be an auntie that's gonna be like mad at me for using coconut milk instead of cream? But I think that's just the way that I make it. And a lot of people can make their interpretations of dishes that they saw on their table growing up. And I felt a lot more confident bringing that to the table now than then.

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. Was there anything in particular that kind of, you know, sparked that, that shift? Or was it just something, you know, that developed over time? Like, like you said, they kind of gaining that confidence and and, and kind of finding yourself.

Samah Dada:

Yeah, I mean, I think, and I'm not sure why nobody really talks about this enough, but the act of putting stuff on the internet every single day for somebody else's and potentially large groups, consumption is so vulnerable. You are literally putting out your projects, your thoughts, your feelings, your food out for other people to consume. And it is so quantifiable with whether or not people quote unquote like it, like I, and I think that was so interesting for me to get over at the start of my career because like I said, 2015, it was pretty early. I don't think there was necessarily a huge, as, at least as much as it is now, this huge notion of like an influencer, like a content creator. It just wasn't like that those days at all. Mm-hmm. . So I think it was such a learning curve to get to a point where you're just like, you know what? It actually doesn't matter. Like, I'm gonna do what makes me feel happy, what I feel like is contributing to the space and to the conversation around food. And I think also what really made me feel more confident in it is I get a lot of messages from young Indian girls who say that they don't see a lot of people who look like me in this space. Mm-hmm. And that it makes them feel seen. And that to me is like the biggest compliment ever, ever, ever. If I can have one person say that to me, like I'm sad, I don't even care how many it is, but that's what I wanted as a kid because I didn't see myself represented like on the Disney Channel mm-hmm. or like, I literally, princess Jasmine in Aladdin was like, I, there was a fusion obviously of like a lot of different cultures, right? Sure. But I was like, wow, that is the closest to somebody that like I might look like. And I was her first seven Halloweens . So like, you know, I think representation has become a really, really core pillar of my work. And I think that's why I feel so lucky to also work in, in, in TV and media because as a young Indian woman, like it is, it, it is really cool to try and carve that path for other people to feel like they can do it too, you know?

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. No representation is so important. We've talked about that on, you know, several episodes of this podcast even. I mean, what is it like for you, I guess to, in a sense be that Jasmine for somebody else? You know,

Samah Dada:

I mean, it's kind of, I don't know, somebody asked me the other day if it feels like a lot of pressure to to be that person. And of course it's not just me. So I wanna acknowledge that there's a lot of other mm-hmm. Indian people in the space creating food and, and you know, kind of being that person. But at least for me, like, I'm just, I'm really grateful to have a platform. I don't take it for granted. I don't think it's like, it doesn't give me any sort of sense of like self-importance. It just, to me, I'm just doing something that I'm really passionate about and I'm grateful that people wanna follow along on it. It just, it feels very, I think the space can feel really self-indulgent at times. And I try to just, I try to just stick to the craft and stick to what people can use at home. And yeah, I think my purpose is really to show people how to cook, to be a, a person that they can see themselves in. And yeah, I've started focusing a lot more on mental health and, and positivity as well, because yeah, I think there's also this, everyone wants to show the best parts of themselves and like, not everyone's having a good day all the time. Right. . And I am so conscious of that. Like, I don't have good days every day. Like I'm a really positive person. I'm lucky that my brain is wired in that way, but like, I have bad days too, and I get down on myself and I'm hard on myself too. And I think I like talking about that now because I want people to feel less alone.

Jaymee Sire:

How, how do you balance that though? Because, you know, obviously, and you've mentioned it and, and you know, I've experienced it as well, like social media or just like the internet in general can be, you know, it can be a, a, you know, pressure packed place or a mean place at times. Like how do you just kind of like block that out and, and stay true to, you know, what's important to you? What makes you happy? What, what you wanna post about?

Samah Dada:

Yeah, I mean, I think that takes a lot of inner work, right? Like, it takes a lot of time and patience to sit with yourself and say like, okay, what am I doing this for? Who am I creating for? Am I doing this for somebody else or am I doing this for myself? And like, I think there's, it, it's kind of twofold, right? I, I try to provide value with everything that I do, whether it is talking about mental health, whether it is sharing recipes, but at the same time, I wanna have fun too. And I think people sense that, like, people can sense if you're enjoying yourself or you feel like you're putting on a front. And I mean, unfortunately for me, I am really the same online and offline . So like, it's not like I just can't, I just try to remain as authentic as possible because that's the most important thing. And, you know, if I'm being true to myself, then other people will hopefully see that there's value in what I have to say and share. And I think the space is so saturated now too. And yeah, it is a lot of pressure and it's a, I would be, so I would be lying to you if I said that sometimes I don't feel like I'm on a hamster wheel, like doing this thing and try to figure out how to, you know, help more people and, and have my work reach more and do more for others. But I think it's just all about patience. I've been telling myself a lot, I think, especially when you live in New York and any sort of metropolitan city, there's, I mean, I think New York is kind of on a different level, but I think everyone feels like they're in a rush to do stuff and to keep going and to not stop and to not give themselves breaks. And when I worked in tv, I think I definitely felt that way. I was working basically two jobs. I was not sleeping. I loved both of the jobs I was doing, but I think it's really important to give yourself time to, to rest because that's productive to your, to your journey as well. Which I don't think I answered the question , but I just went off my tangent.

Jaymee Sire:

No, I, I think you, I think you answered it in, in the way that you only can, you know, I mean, I think, but I think that that's, and that's a great thing about a podcast, right? Like, I think it is, you know, just a discussion about a, a lot of different things. And I love hearing, you know, your perspective on it because yeah, I mean, it is, it is a very saturated space and there are so many people, you know, even trying to break into it now and, and, and build their following and, and that kind of thing. Like what, what advice would you give to people that are, are aspiring to, to do the things that you've done, you know, in that space?

Samah Dada:

Yeah, I mean, don't try and be anyone else. Like, just don't, because I think what happens with social media is that everyone is so readily available to be viewed. Like you can really just see everybody, see what everyone is up to. And I think it really lends itself to this heavy comparison mentality in society where we're always just like looking around us to see what other people are doing and then making it, making ourselves feel bad about what we're not doing. And so I think what's been really helpful for me and what I would tell other people is just to really block out all of the noise and just do what makes you happy and do what makes you feel good. Because whether it is you wanting to build a community around your work, or whether it is you just wanting to venture into something new, this started as a passion project for me.

It wasn't ever meant to be my work, and maybe it would've ended up being my work down the line, but this was just not the way I expected it to happen. I think just, I had so much love in it from the beginning, like for it in the beginning with no expectation of what it was going to be. So I think just abandoning your expectations and just doing what feels good and not looking around so much. I, this is like probably the most talked about quote ever, but like, comparison really is the thief of joy. It is . Like, it really is, like, anytime that I am, I catch myself in a comparison cycle or whatever. I'm like, wow, this is, I could be using all of this energy to pour into myself. Like, why am I worrying about what is going on around me? So I think that's probably my most important tip. When,

Jaymee Sire:

When you catch yourself in one of those cycles, like comparing yourself to others, like how do you, how do you like snap out of

Samah Dada:

It? Yeah, that's a good question. I, I, I am a big proponent of if you're in a certain mind space and you're feeling down on yourself or you're feeling like you're comparing yourself, removing yourself from whatever environment you're in, I love a walk, I love a mental health walk. Mm-hmm. , um, calling a friend, calling a loved one, getting yourself physically out of that head space does wonders. I think there's literally no times in my life where I've gone for a walk and felt worse. You know, , that even so true. Even if it's 1% better 0.5, like, it doesn't matter. It really gets you out of your head space. It gets your body moving, like gets stuff flowing and yeah. And I think reminding yourself too, there's room for everybody. Every, nobody knows that, by the way, Jamie . People don't know that there's room for everybody. Like, you can do whatever you wanna do, nobody's stopping you but you. So I think like, just keeping that in mind and just, and, and in like a kind way everyone is irrelevant to your path. Like of course you're gonna have amazing friends and mentors and people who help you out along the way, but the comparison part is just, it, it's not helpful. It's not helpful.

Jaymee Sire:

How are you so wise at, at such a young age? ? I'm like, thinking back to myself at your age, I'm like, wow,

Samah Dada:

Wish my mom , my mom yesterday texted me and said that same thing, and I'm feeling very lucky to have that comment said to me. She's like, you're so wise. I don't know, I just, I've done a lot of, I've done a lot of like inner work, like, and that doesn't, like, I hate that 'cause it's like, oh, that's so woo woo and like silly. But like, I've really sat with myself a lot and been like, okay, why do I feel it this way? Okay, why do I feel that way about that? You know? And then just like going into Thank you. I don't think , I didn't have to answer, I didn't have to answer that with anything.

Jaymee Sire:

No, no, no. I wanna, I, I'm curious. I'm curious. I wanna know.

Samah Dada:

I care a lot about my mental health. I care a lot about the mental health of everyone around me. That's why like every day I start my whole social media presence with like, reminders for the day, for everybody to feel like they can have a grasp on the day. It's hard sometimes to go through life and move through life. Everyone faces so many different challenges. So it's like, I think, I don't know, making making everyone know that just like, just because I have some sort of online community, which I'm so blessed to have and feel grateful for, does not like absolve me from feeling bad some days and feeling sad or whatever. But yeah, I try to, I try to live in, in some sort of positive mind space. It helps.

Jaymee Sire:

No, I think that that's, uh, an important reminder for, for a lot of people. Is there like a recipe or, or something that you love to cook when, like, when you kind of need that pick me up too, that just like, like is that comfort or just, you know, homey feeling for you?

Samah Dada:

Hmm. That's a good question. I think there's a couple ones. Well, first of all, if I'm feeling really I'm feeling down, I won't cook , I'll be like, I'll be like, somehow you deserve a break. Like, it's time.

Jaymee Sire:

A little treat. .

Samah Dada:

Yes. Like, sit on your couch and order takeout or like go pick up something or go call a friend. So actually I do think that's really helpful for people in this space is like, it can be, it can be tough to separate the two. I mean, I, I started cooking and baking, I mean, for my whole life, but also because I loved it and I was passionate about sharing food and sharing inclusive recipes to my friends and to my loved ones. And I think when it becomes your work, you have to be so conscious of, of taking those breaks and having that space away from it so that you can continue to love it. Because I think, you know, I've talked to some of my peers and friends and it becomes a chore after a while and I'm like, I never want that to be my relationship to something that I love so much. So I think, yeah, when I'm feeling like tired and sort of over it, I'm like, you know what? We're gonna like get some pizza or something like that, you know, . But in terms of like a comfort food, I would say like, I love desserts. I've been making a lot of no baked desserts these days because New York summers are super brutal and I hate the heat again, I'm like such a, I'm truly, I complain, I'm such a drama queen about the heat , but I just made these no bake brownie truffles the other day and they're super simple and delicious and yeah, I that's a, anything with chocolate, let's be honest. gets me out of, gets me outta the funk. ,

Jaymee Sire:

Where, where is your go-to like takeout order in, you know, don't feel like cooking place.

Samah Dada:

I, oh my gosh, this is, we we might just take up the length of this podcast, the rest of it. Bring it on. I love hummus. Like, I love hummus. It's not normal. I don't think , I, I post hummus memes once a week. People are like, is she okay, ? I recently, and this isn't a takeout spot, so I'm just gonna like flip your question because I That's okay. I could think of a million different things, but I went to this restaurant called Shoe Cat a couple weeks ago. I don't have you been there? So good. It's so good.

Jaymee Sire:

I actually went on the hottest day last summer. Oh my God. And had to sit outside and their AC was broken, but I still was like, this is the most like, wonderful meal.

Samah Dada:

, I'm obsessed with it because from start to finish the Okay, the Tahini soft serve. Didn't you get the Tahini soft serve? Uh, I don't know if we, Jaymee, you have to, you have to go by.

Jaymee Sire:

I don't, I, there was definitely a soft serve situation at the end. Okay. But I don't know, I don't remember it being Tahini.

Samah Dada:

Okay, well it's time.

Jaymee Sire:

I need to go back. Yeah. . Yeah, .

Samah Dada:

We can go. Okay,

Jaymee Sire:

Let's go.

Samah Dada:

I love that place. The Sharma spice fries, the hummus, the, they have this amazing Moroccan bread and then the Tahini Sauce serve. I've been really obsessed with it recently, and so I've been going there for like, I just love Mediterranean food. Mm-hmm. , middle Eastern food. It just is very comforting for me. Obviously Indian food as well. I've also been getting a lot of Doss and I, there's this place in kind of a random part of town. I think it's kind of more Murray Hill area, but it's called a ssa and it's all vegetarian restaurant and they have an incredible paper dosa that I've been getting, so mm-hmm. Those are some two comfort favorites for sure.

Jaymee Sire:

Okay. All right. Everybody take notes for sure.

Samah Dada:

Take notes. .

Jaymee Sire:

Coming up next, Samah talks about her inspiration behind making masala scrambled eggs for the food network.com series Crack an Egg With also people may have seen you on Crack an Egg With on food network.com. You whipped up some masala scrambled eggs for that dish. What, what inspired that?

Samah Dada:

That was so fun. I had a great time with that. But, so these masala scrambled eggs have been like the Sunday breakfast for my entire life growing up, we would get sourdough bread, toast it till it becomes like a little cracker and eat it with these masala scrambled eggs. And yeah, it's just like a, a core breakfast memory that my mom would make, like every weekend. And yeah, it's delicious. It's easy. I think also it's kind of a fun way to add spice into your morning, into your eggs also. Spices are so healthy for you and so flavorful and they just do so much, um, for your body and yeah, it's just like one of my favorite breakfast breakfasts, .

Jaymee Sire:

Can we, can people see that in your cookbook? Or is tell us what the cookbook entails and what people can find in it?

Samah Dada:

Yeah, so my cookbook is called Dada Eats Love to Cook It, and it has a hundred plus plant-based recipes. The idea behind it for me was a, a lot of different things, which was, first of all, you know, at that point too, when I published it and started writing it, like the plant-based kind of thing was sort of just picking up. And it was, people were still a little bit skeptical of it. I think still when you see something that has like no dairy or is vegetarian, you're like, is that even gonna good? You know? And I wanted all of the recipes in the book to really say like, yeah, it doesn't matter. Like whether, if there's no meat in this, it's still gonna taste really flavorful and delicious. So in the book got like starters apps, breakfasts, sides, dinners, all Indian food, lots of desserts. So it's kind of, it, it's got everything in there. And I wanted to think of it as a book for people who are too busy to cook. Like, I remember when I was working at the Today Show and working in N B C, I was so busy, I, I barely had time to take care of myself, which obviously is not a badge of honor. I'm not saying like, that's a great thing. 'cause I think it's, you know, it's always good to, to have self-care in your life, but I wanted recipes that were really easy for like a busy mom or dad. Mm-hmm. or like, if you're just single or you're, if you're cooking for, for anybody or for yourself recipes that don't take a lot of time, but are still really nourishing and delicious. Again, like, I really love pairing down my, my ingredients and my recipes to minimal just, I love using just like the purest form of everything. And I think food and, and what you put in your body and how you nourish it. And this can be like, I don't know, I think a lot of people when they think about leading a healthy or a lifestyle or eating food that's good for them, they think of salads and steamed vegetables and like chicken , like , you know, just like plain unseasoned stuff. And like, I just, I want to really challenge that. And I think healthy can mean so many things. I even don't really like using the word because I'm like, what does that mean? Mm-hmm. healthy for me one day is ice cream because it makes me feel good and healthy for another day is like a nice grain bowl with veggies and like a tahini sauce. So I think the book is a lot of, it's just a balance between all those things. It's like feeding yourself really good food that's minimal and makes you feel good, but also doesn't take too much time.

Jaymee Sire:

A as a self-proclaimed perfectionist, how, how was that process of, of creating a cookbook?

Samah Dada:

It's funny because at that time, okay, so I, I started writing the book when I was 24. Wow. I had literally no idea what I was doing . And I was so lucky because I, you know, my, my editor DMed me on Instagram after I had been doing a bunch of today show segments and was like, have you ever thought about writing a book? And I hadn't until that moment and I just feel so lucky. It's such a, oh my God, it's such a privilege to be able to write a book. And I just do not even take that for granted. But I went into it pretty blind, to be honest. I, I didn't really know and I didn't really have a lot of people in the space that I was close enough with who had written books at that time. So I was kind of going at it pretty alone. But I found it to be a really therapeutic process, fortunately, or unfortunately, I wrote a lot of it during Covid, fortunately because I had nothing else to do. So I really had to focus on it. And unfortunately because, you know, I couldn't do a book tour. I had to do it on Instagram Live, which was like such an l o l . So I'm very grateful for my friends in this space who like got on an Instagram line with me to talk about the book. But it was, it was really, it was really interesting. I love to write, so one of my, I've actually always wanted to be an author, but I never thought it was gonna be a cookbook. I thought it was gonna be like a mystery book. Mm-hmm. . I had this like little dolphin planner when I was like six. I started writing a novel in it. Like, you know, just those weird things.

Jaymee Sire:

What was the novel about?

Samah Dada:

? I, I could not tell you. I think it was mystery. I think I was influenced by like Nancy Drew and that kinda stuff. Yes. But I knew that if I was getting the opportunity to write a book, I really wanted to write in it. So I think a lot of people, when you read a cookbook, right? And I didn't have a co-author or I didn't have like anyone helping me with it. I just, I wanted to do all of it on my own, which is great if you have that help. But I just, I didn't honestly even know that people did that. I only recently found out that people get co-writers, so that's awesome for me. But a lot of times in cookbooks I find that people just go to the recipe and don't really read the head notes as much. And I like took so much time and care into the head notes. I wrote essays. The book is split up into like a, I have four different essays about the places that I've lived in my life and how they've influenced my cooking. I have a love note to peanut butter in there, . Um, I just really wanted to make it fun. Like, I wanted to make it fun to read. I write how I talk and it just doesn't have to be that serious. You know, like, I, I wanna teach people how to cook, but I want them to have fun while doing it. And I think it's also cool because I was really young at the time writing that book I was in, living in Manhattan by myself, cooking for myself, trying to figure out how to navigate this kind of newer world of like living alone and working and, and how am I gonna feed myself and make myself feel good. Yeah. And I think that book really caters to, to that and also to, you know, people who just want easy, delicious and better for you recipes.

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. I mean, you, you have so many accomplishments at, at such a young age at, you know, a cookbook author, obviously a TV host, a Forbes 30 under 30 recipient. Thank you. I mean, when you think back to, you know, you're, you're starting off as like the N B C page, getting up super early, but baking up these delicious treats for your coworkers. Like what would that Sam think of Current Sam now?

Samah Dada:

Oh my God. She would've been like, are you okay ? Like, are you sure? Like, did you hit your head somewhere? I'm so blessed. I'm so lucky. I think it's, I I think a lot of times I, a lot of the times I used to be like, oh, like it was, you know, just a lot of luck right place, right time. I think it's a combination of that. But like, I worked really hard. Mm-hmm. And like, I, I've been, I used to not say that in interviews. 'cause like, I, I don't know, I was just like, okay. You know, it was just a such a lucky thing that happened, but I really worked hard for it and I knew that I wanted a lot for my life and I have always been driven, but just the way it manifested was just beyond what I ever thought was possible for myself. I think I grew up really shy. Like I didn't, I think that it's funny now though because, you know, I have a TV show, I have all these things that put me in sort of a public space and I just would've never thought that that's what I would do as a kid or even as an N B C page. Yeah. I feel really lucky. And, and I think most importantly, as long as I'm providing value and helping others during the process, that's like literally the only thing that matters to me. I'm not like in this for, I don't know, like just being in the public for the sake of it. Like, I want to use my platform for good and you know, that's why I involve myself with, with causes that I care about. Like, God, if we deliver in New York, like I, I work with them closely edible school yard. Like I just, if I'm not using my work and my platform to help other people, I just don't think it is worth anything, you know? Mm-hmm. .

Jaymee Sire:

Well, I think you should put, you know, motivational speaker on your, on your next, your next thing to knock off the list. . Thank you . No, I was in such a delight, uh, chatting with you. We are gonna finish off with a little rapid fire round and then we have one final question for you before we let you go.

Samah Dada:

Thanks Jaymee.

Jaymee Sire:

Can't wait. Alright. Rapid fire round. How would your friends describe you?

Samah Dada:

Ooh, loyal and hummus Obsessed

Jaymee Sire:

Love that. Simple ingredient upgrades that make a huge difference.

Samah Dada:

Olive oil get a good olive oil. Mm-hmm. That changes everything. And spices. Use spices that are fresh. A lot of the spices that are in your grocery store, this is not a rapid fire answer, but I'm not

Jaymee Sire:

Like, these usually aren't, I, I say rapid fire, but it's usually just like, we should just call it like, fun questions at the end.

Samah Dada:

, I'm realizing I just talk so much, but

Jaymee Sire:

So do I. It's okay. ,

Samah Dada:

The spices in the grocery store have usually been sitting there for like six years. Mm-hmm. . So I really like diaspora. If anyone's heard of diaspora, it's, um, incredible Spice Masala brand that uses fresh spices and that changes the game. Completely.

Jaymee Sire:

Huge difference. Yeah. Dream kitchen feature.

Samah Dada:

You know, those kitchens that have the most insane Florida link windows, Florida links. Yeah. I want that . Like, I just want huge windows. I wanna be like, I'm cooking outside when I'm inside, you know? Yeah. I'm not a big outdoors person. Like, I, I don't you not,

Jaymee Sire:

You wanna feel like you're outside . I wanna

Samah Dada:

Feel like I'm there, but like with the safe windows to protect me from the elements ac you know? Yeah, exactly.

Jaymee Sire:

, what is your coffee order?

Samah Dada:

Well, I just did a collaboration with Erwan Market in Los Angeles and I made a coffee called the Perfect Date, which really checks out if you know who I am. And it was like a date sweetened iced oat latte and it was delicious. So that would be my coffee order also, sometimes I just get a, a little oat milk cortado. Hmm.

Jaymee Sire:

Uh, well, speaking of perfect dates, what is your perfect date and not the kind you eat? What is your perfect date? .

Samah Dada:

I really only burst in the ones you eat. . Oh gosh. I mean this is like, this would probably be the most cop out answer, but like, what if the perfect date was just eating stuff with peanut butter and sprinkled with sea salt?

Jaymee Sire:

You, you'll know you found the one when, when that happened.

Samah Dada:

Exactly. Exactly. ,

Jaymee Sire:

Everybody take notes. Take notes

Samah Dada:

Everyone. .

Jaymee Sire:

I love it. Farmer's market favorites.

Samah Dada:

Ooh, I've been really loving sour cherries right now. I've also been really into, what have I been into these days? Rainbow carrots. I always get, I got some peas the other day. I'm thinking of one thing that I can't remember now. , I don't know everything. I just, I'm obsessed with the farmer's market. I just like also go to walk around and just Yeah. Be in the environment. It's so fun. Get inspired.

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. Current obsession. I mean, I guess hummus and dates, but hummus

Samah Dada:

And dates. That's like a constant. Okay. This is gonna be a really weird answer, but I just recently found out about the New York City ferry.

Jaymee Sire:

Oh yes. Love the ferry.

Samah Dada:

Oh my God. The public yacht. That's what I call it. . Like, I'm obsessed with it. I like keep talking about it and people think I'm so weird, but like, it's so great.

Jaymee Sire:

No, it's wonderful. It's, you know, it's so cheap and as long as you plan your schedule correctly, it is the most lovely way Exactly. To use public transportation in the city. For sure.

Samah Dada:

Exactly.

Jaymee Sire:

I I love that. I feel like we need to be friends. . 

Samah Dada:

I think so too. We have to go to Schuette. We have a date.

Jaymee Sire:

Yes. Let's do it. Okay. We're ha It's happening. All right, well our final question. Definitely not rapid fire. And, and you can answer this any way you want. Take it any direction you want. We want to know what would be your perfect food day. So breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Just kind of take us through the day. There's no rules. So like you can time travel, regular travel, go back in time, you know, whatever. Oh my God. Whatever you wanna do.

Samah Dada:

Yeah, what a fun question. Okay. So I would probably start my morning at Lanot in Berkeley on Shaddock Avenue. They do the most amazing French toast. Ooh. And I used to get it in college and it was delicious. I would only get it on special occasions though because like, it just felt really like delicious and indulgent and I was like, I wanna save this for when like , I'm just celebrating something. That would be my breakfast. I would also need something savory after that. Okay. So I'd maybe go get some , some like fresh sourdough from Libre Bakery in it's, I guess it's East Village. They do amazing bread. So I would get that. Maybe I'd have that with some like, it's so basic to say like avocado, but also like olive oil.

Jaymee Sire:
And you're from, you're from California.

Samah Dada:

Yeah, so whatever it is what it is. I'm like a big snacker. I just love snacks so I'm sure I would have to pepper in the day with snacks. But for lunch, maybe like a fatou salad with some like pita chips and then also some falafel and hummus on the side. Then in the afternoon I would need a coffee and a cookie. So obviously , I've been obviously like, hello? I've been going to Cafe Integral on Elizabeth Street in, where is it? Like the Nolita area. And they do amazing house made non-dairy milk. Oh. I think it's one of the only places in the city that I found that makes their own. And so I would do this horchata latte that they do. It's really delicious. And then I would get a little tahini chocolate chip cookie on the side. Mm. Am I missing a meal? Oh no, I'm not. Okay. . And then at some point I would probably have to have some dates with peanut butter. This is a long food day. No, that's,

Jaymee Sire:

It's, that's why, that's why we love this question because it's, it's whatever you want.

Samah Dada:

Exactly. And then for dinner I would probably switch it up and do like a South Indian breakfast, like for dinner. So I would do like Italy dosa, I would do like the whole like som bar situation. And then for dessert I would need ice cream . So I would need to do like tahini sauce. So I was

Jaymee Sire:

Gonna say the Tahini soft serve maybe . Yeah. I

Samah Dada:

Think the Tahini soft serve might be the move there. Yeah. I think that would be a good food day. Was that like enough do you think?

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah, no, that's,

Samah Dada:

That was, that was good. Right?

Jaymee Sire:

Yeah. That's funny. That was fantastic. It was a a very on-brand food day for you. For sure. No, you've been such a delight to talk to and continued success in all of your endeavors.

Samah Dada:

Thank you so much for having me. It was so nice to meet you.

Jaymee Sire:

Check out Samah’s Crack and Egg With episode on food network.com and make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoy today's episode, please rate and review. We love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.