ISSUE 05
Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa
For Zaynab Issa, food is a language of care, creativity, and connection. In her new cookbook, she opens the door to the flavors and stories that have shaped her, blending tradition with a fresh, personal point of view. Alongside our conversation about cooking, identity, and home, Zaynab took us on a walk through Greenpoint to share a few of her neighborhood favorites—seen in the photos throughout. Her list includes standout slices from Chrissy’s Pizza, cozy dinners at Cecily, and thoughtful home goods at Cibone.
Q: Your cookbook feels deeply personal—like an invitation into your family’s kitchen. Can you share a recipe from the book that holds a particularly special memory for you?
A: An Iconic Chicken Pot Pie. My grandmother would make this very often, and it was one of the few more “western” dishes she’d make. I felt so normal eating this as a child growing up in America and it’s one of my favorite dishes.
“It’s not lost on me that a chicken pot pie is not what you’d expect from an immigrant grandmother who’s otherwise an authority on cooking spice-forward Khoja food. But my grandmother’s chicken pot pie is iconic, and this adaptation of her specialty dish hits the spot every time. In addition to the traditional ingredients you can expect from a chicken pot pie, the secret weapon here is the American cheese. Sure, you can opt for another melty variety, but the sodium citrate found in American cheese is unmatched, lending creaminess a cheese without it won’t be able to offer. To keep it fast and light on the dishes, I use quick-cooking-but-still-juicy chicken tenders instead of whole chicken shredded off the bone and reach for an oven-safe cast-iron skillet to make this a one-pan meal. When it comes to laying the puff pastry, the looser the better and easier (there’s just something about those imperfect crispy edges and folds). And remember to serve with a good dousing of hot sauce. If the idea of seasoning with salt and pepper alone scares you (I get it), feel free to add dried or fresh herbs (thyme, bay leaf, oregano, tarragon) or play with different spice blends (curry powder, garam masala, cajun seasoning) to suit your taste.”
— Excerpted from the new book Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation by Zaynab Issa. Photos copyright (c) 2025 by Graydon Herriott. Published by Abrams.
Q: The idea of “third culture” resonates with so many people navigating multiple cultural identities. How has your own culinary journey shaped the way you define home?
A: I think for a long time I was looking for homes in other places. I didn’t feel white enough to own being American. And then I realized, ok, my nationality is American but there’s also all of these other parts of my identity that shape my own culture. That’s when I started resonating with the concept of being a third culture kid. For me home is wherever I decide it to be in a given moment, it is everywhere and nowhere and that idea puts me at ease. Life isn’t black and white and neither is my home or identity.
Q: Cooking is often about connection—whether to family, history, or community. What do you hope readers take away, beyond the recipes, when they cook from your book?
A: I hope it empowers them to cook authentically and think about what inspires and influences them and apply that to their own cooking and food. Engage with others; let them show you their culture and allow it to inform your own. But also, cook for yourself. Take care of yourself and your community. Cooking can be such a grounding and fulfilling act when done with time and attention.
Q: Last question—What’s your go-to order at RZ?
A: Easy. Iced Matcha w/ honey!
