Naomi Duguid is a lawyer turned cook/writer. Along with her husband Jeffrey Alford she has written 6 wonderful cook books and they won the James Beard award for two of their books.

Their latest book is Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China and has won rave reviews for mapping the food of the other China that we so seldom hear about. What is different about their books is they are not just cook books. I think they are more like food memoirs. Their books are filled with political, social and cultural factors that are skillfully woven and instead of distracting present the reader with a rich cultural context for the various recipies.

In Mangoes and Curry Leaves Naomi pays homage to South Asia, which is an area she seems to be specially fond of.  The book is filled with wonderful stories, pictures and easy to make recipes. What is different about the book is that the couple look for dishes in different places right from street vendors to home makers to well-known chefs. Their passion is to  uncover and provide simple and easy to make food.

Naomi  first visited India in 1975 and she has made numerous trips to India and other South Asian countries over the years. She met her husband Jeffrey Alford during her travels and the couple have two sons and when not traveling live in Toronto, Canada.

In this interview Naomi talks about the book, her travels, and the changes she has seen in South Asia over the last 30 years. Naomi and her family are hooked to South Asian food and cook them on a regular basis.

Picture Credits: Random House

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