Bespiced

Who’s ready for soups, stews, and a little time cooking together? 🍲

The Dal Chawal Virtual Supper Club continues on Sunday, October 11 with The Ayurvedic Fall Kitchen: Soups & Stews.

We’ll make three fall friendly soups and stews, plus a special Fall Spiced Seed & Nut Crunch to snack on or sprinkle over your soup.

As we cook, we’ll talk about pulses, spices, seasonal eating, and simple ways to bring Ayurvedic wisdom into your everyday kitchen.

Cooking kits ship Monday morning! If you’d like one, sign up now so I can get yours packed and on its way.

Bring your questions and come cook with me! Can’t join live? Your registration includes replay access for 30 days.

Visit the link in my bio for the full menu and to sign up.

Cook. Connect. Gather.

Join us at Blue Anjou Yoga Studio on Sunday, October 4, for From Page to Plate, a Dal Chawal book talk and signing with Sapna Punjabi. 📖

Dal Chawal is a 2026 James Beard Award nominated cookbook. Over light bites and chai from the book, we’ll talk about plant forward Indian cooking, eating with the seasons, and the Ayurvedic wisdom woven through its recipes.

This gathering is free and open to the community. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Already have a copy? Bring it along!

📍 Blue Anjou Yoga Studio, 427 West Main Street, Lewisville
🗓 Sunday, October 4 at 4 pm

Reserve your spot through Traditional Yoga & Meditation Studio . We’d love to see you there. ❤️

A wonderful evening getting a behind the scenes look at the AT&T Performing Arts Center - AT&T Performing Arts Center and experiencing just a taste of everything this Dallas arts institution brings to our city.

The Open House offered a wonderful opportunity to step beyond the audience experience, explore the iconic venues, learn more about the work that happens behind the scenes, enjoy performances and food, and connect with the people who help bring it all to life.

This year, I was invited to serve on the AT&T PAC South Asian Community Advisory Council. I’m honored to be part of this group alongside South Asian leaders and friends who care deeply about representation, culture, and creating stronger connections within our Dallas community.

For our South Asian community, I believe there is real value in not only seeing our cultures represented on stage, but also being part of the conversations, audiences, partnerships, and spaces that shape the broader arts and cultural landscape of our city.

I’m looking forward to learning more, contributing to these conversations, and helping build greater connection between our community and the arts in Dallas.

Thank you, Glyne, Glyne A. Griffith II and the entire AT&T PAC team, for opening the doors, giving us a glimpse behind the scenes, and creating such a welcoming evening for our community.

The first Dal Chawal Virtual Supper Club is this Sunday, August 16th from 430 pm to 630 pm CST. If anyone want to cook live with me from their kitchens via zoom, sign up soon!

This week’s class is called
One Dal, Three Ways

You can choose to add a cooking class kit at check out so you don’t have to go shop for ingredients you may not have in your pantry! - Shipping and porch pick up if you are local to DFW

Menu and Sign up details are:

Live Indian Online Cooking Classes | Dal Chawal Virtual Supper Club Join Sapna for a guided virtual cooking class. She will guide you step by step, hold your hand virtually as you will cook in your own kitchens. The classes will include recipes, grocery lists, nuggets of culinary wellness, Ayurveda insights and joyful memories.

Thrilled to be featured in the Aug/Sept issue of Real Simple talking about a meal I take very seriously…LUNCH!

Confession: I’ve never been a big breakfast person. But an early, hearty lunch? Nonnegotiable.

I loved sharing why lunch deserves more attention, bringing together nutrition science and Ayurvedic wisdom to talk about energy, digestion, portion size, and avoiding that dreaded afternoon slump.

Thank you Jenna Helwig for including my voice alongside Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN and Dr. Susan Albers

And what a perfect timing for an early birthday gift 🎁✨

Link in Bio for the article.

For months, I’ve been quietly working on something I’ve wanted to create ever since Dal Chawal was released.

So many of you have written to me saying,
“I wish I could cook with you.”
“I have the book but don’t know where to start.”
“Can you teach this recipe?”

I’m so excited to finally say… it’s happening.

✨ The Dal Chawal Virtual Supper Club is opening its doors.

These live online cooking classes go far beyond the cookbook. We’ll cook together, explore seasonal, plant forward recipes, uncover the wisdom of Ayurveda, build confidence with spices and techniques, and share the kind of everyday kitchen lessons that never fit on a printed page.

Whether Dal Chawal is already on your kitchen shelf or you’re simply curious about Indian home cooking, I’d love to welcome you into my kitchen.

And I’m especially excited that our very first class -
✨One Dal, Three Ways✨ - kicks off in August during my birthday week. I honestly can’t think of a better way to celebrate than cooking together.

Tap the link in bio to learn more, view the August classes and save your seat. ❤️

I can focaccia.

Confession…focaccia is my favorite kind of bread. Maybe because I’m not a baker at heart. It feels more like cooking than baking, and I love where that creative freedom takes me. Sometimes it’s the perfect canvas to tell a story.

A flavor combination that had been living in my head for weeks finally found its way into the oven…and the result exceeded every expectation.

✨Blueberry Mango Lassi Focaccia finished with a beSPICED Chai Masala drizzle.✨

When the desi love for mangoes meets America’s iconic summer berry, something delicious happens.

Sweet and tangy mango lassi. Bursts of juicy blueberries. Warm chai spices. Crisp golden edges. A soft, pillowy center. Summer in every bite.

Perfect for your Fourth of July holiday table.

Available this Saturday, 7/4 only at the Coppell Farmers Market Quantities are limited, so DM me now to reserve yours before they’re gone.

Last night, Dal Chawal did not bring home a James Beard Award.

I woke up this morning with more emotions than I expected.
Gratitude.
Wonder.
Disappointment.
Pride.
Humility.
Relief.

In the Bhagavad Gita, we are taught to focus on the work itself and not become attached to the outcome. And yet, if I am being honest, it is much easier to understand that lesson than it is to live it.

I never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that Dal Chawal would receive a James Beard Award nomination.

As I sat in that room last night, with kids, Aditya and Mihika beside me, who have been my biggest inspiration and “my why” - the last five years came flashing by.

The leap of faith of writing this book during a radical shift in my personal life. The people who appeared at exactly the right moment. The conversations, opportunities, challenges, and lessons that somehow led to a humble book about dal and rice being recognized on one of the biggest stages in food.

My mother, whose recipes, stories, and wisdom are woven throughout these pages. My father, who taught me to dream big and whose belief in me continues to guide my steps.

The incredible team at Hardie Grant, my editor Jenny Wapner who celebrated my voice and vision from the very beginning and surrounded me with a creative team that helped bring Dal Chawal into the world with such care and beauty. My agent, Sally Ekus who believed in me and this book long before it existed. Kristen Hartke , Uma Jolicoeur, AP | Eight Directions Wellness, LLC , the recipe testers, friends, colleagues, and readers who helped shape this work.

And I thought about all of you who cheered me on through this journey. Every message. Every book purchase. Every event attended. Every recipe cooked. Every shared post. Every word of encouragement.

By the time the envelope was opened, I was reminded just how much love surrounds this book.

Of course I would have loved to bring the medal home.
But a humble bowl of dal chawal made it to one of the biggest stages in food. For a meal that has nourished generations and lives quietly in millions of homes, that feels pretty remarkable.

Thank you for walking alongside me on this journey. My heart is full ❤️🙏🏽🧿

Since Dal Chawal found its way into the world, one of the most unexpected gifts has been the conversations it has sparked.

The recipes you’ve cooked.
The family stories you’ve shared.
The questions you’ve asked.
The ways you’ve adapted the recipes and made them your own.

Each message, note, and conversation has meant more to me than you know.

So I thought it was time for us to gather.

Join me for a complimentary community Zoom conversation on Tuesday, June 16 at 2:00 PM CST.
Whether you own Dal Chawal, have cooked from the book, or are simply curious about Indian cooking, Ayurveda, pulses, rice, and plant forward meals, you are welcome.

Bring your questions. Share your favorite recipes. Tell me what you’d like to learn next.

And if you can’t join live, register anyway. A recording will be sent to everyone who signs up.

Registration link in bio.

I can’t wait to see you there. 💛

P.S. Virtual cooking classes return on June 21. I’ll be sharing the first class menu and registration details later this week, so stay close by.

Good Things Take Time.

That message followed me all through Napa last week.

Still processing the magic of the inaugural Food is Life, Food is Health Summit hosted by .med and ✨

A room filled with chefs, physicians, dietitians, researchers, sustainability leaders, educators, and food systems leaders from across the country, all coming together around one shared belief: that the future of personal and planetary health depends on how we grow, cook, share, and understand food.

I had the honor of leading a sold out kitchen session centered around Indian culinary traditions, pulses, spices, plant diversity, and practical nourishment. The conversations that followed throughout the week were the real gift. So many meaningful connections, thoughtful exchanges, shared meals, and people doing deeply inspiring work across healthcare, food systems, education, and media.

Huge gratitude to - Kristen Rasmussen, RD extraordinaire, who along with the incredible leadership team including , , and others, shaped such a thoughtful and deeply collaborative gathering. You could feel the care, intention, and warmth behind every detail and every conversation.

It was also deeply meaningful to be part of conversations around culturally relevant health and culinary communication alongside and , moderated by 🫶🏽

And the author signing? Completely overwhelming in the best possible way. We sold Dal Chawal way more than one book a minute during the one hour signing session. I still cannot believe how many people showed up with such genuine enthusiasm for Dal Chawal and the power of rooted food traditions.

The morning the summit began, I received the surreal news that Dal Chawal had been nominated for a 2026 James Beard Award. The universe has a way with timing. It truly could not have picked a more meaningful place for me to receive this news. I spent the entire week surrounded by warmth, generosity, encouragement, and people who made me feel deeply seen in this work.

Still taking it all in. 🌿