Our Story

We take the mystery out of Indian spices and cooking - so you feel at ease making your own delicious, healthy, home cooked authentic Indian dishes. 

I grew up in England when Indian food was relegated to "curry" - a somewhat dubious preparation, consumed after the pubs closed.  Made with noxious curry powder, an English invention in the 18th century, this food bore no resemblance to the delicacies prepared by my mother, Lakshmi (pictured below). She was an imaginative cook, who managed to figure out ways to deliver authentic Indian delicacies, despite the limited number of spices and even vegetables available. I inherited that love of creative cooking and experimenting with food. I've always enjoyed food and cooking for friends and family.

When my daughter (see below) went to college, she wanted to cook Indian food occasionally, but not buy bags of 50 different spices, just so she could use one teaspoon. Sound familiar?!

I started to provide her cooking kits with pre-measured spices and recipes - then her friends, both American (thanks Giulia!) and Indian friends, wanted these Indian cooking kits.  The idea of Simply Masala was born!

As a lifelong vegetarian, I never understood how people thought vegan or plant based cuisines were not satisfying.  Did you know that Indian cuisine is several millenia old and it is the oldest plant-based cuisine? 

Between climate change and health concerns, it's time to make delicious plant-based foods more accessible so people are more willing to try them. And here we are!  

Our Mission
We bridge the culinary divide, while our profits bridge the digital divide!

Simply Masala is a social enterprise, Click here to learn more about our commitment to this cause  

Enjoy good food, and do good with food!

Thank you for supporting our work! 

Sheila Narayanan
Founder, Simply Masala