Moji Masala ® - Indian Cooking Made Easy!
Born from a desire to make Indian cuisine accessible without compromising flavor or culture, Moji Masala® combines freshly-ground, organic spices with time-honored family recipes passed down through generations. With just one packet, a handful of fresh ingredients, and their easy-to-follow instructions, even the busiest home cook can whip up a rich, flavorful Indian dish in minutes. "Moji" means “mama” in Kashmiri—a nod to the maternal warmth and care that inspired the brand—while “Masala” means “spice blend,” the core of Indian flavor. Together, they embody a mission: to bring the nurturing, home-cooked magic of an Indian mother’s kitchen into yours. Delivery Rank talks with JD and Shireen about their journey, the roots of Moji Masala®, and how a deep connection to heritage, family, and flavor is helping busy households everywhere cook with confidence and love.
Can you take us back to that memorable car ride in 2018 when Moji Masala® was born—what clicked in that moment that made you say, “This needs to be shared with the world”?
That car ride took place at such a pivotal time in our life. We had both transitioned away from our long-term careers (shireen in finance and JD in global sports) and we were parents to a vivacious 2 year old. We were thinking about what was next, knowing only that we wanted to embark on a family entrepreneurial adventure. While that was simmering we were juggling all the joys and stresses of being new parents. Shireen really wanted to give Nora that early experience of enjoying Kashmiri food, of having her palate be influenced early by the diverse and layered flavors of Indian spices, like she had experienced growing up. But cooking everyday the way her mom (moji) had done was not practical - the dishes took much too long to prepare; aggregating and grinding all the spices and layering them into the dish one at a time was incredibly time consuming. JD had spent a decade in India expanding the game of basketball, and had eaten in every major city in the country, truly experiencing the breadth and vibrance of Indian food. Their passion for the food was on display at dinner parties they hosted for friends. But JD grew weary of spending three days cooking and a day and half cleaning up all for a few hours of fun. There had to be a better way!
Shireen, how has your mother’s traditional cooking style influenced not just the spice blends, but the overall heart and soul of the brand?
It's hard to overstate my mother's influence on the brand. The simplest goal of moji masala is our tagline "Authentic Indian Cooking Made Easy". Of course, my mother taught me everything I know about cooking. But the inspiration is really what happens at the dinner table. The gathering is everything in our culture. From young to old, everybody partakes in the pleasure of a shared meal (no kids menus!) Even a quick weekday dinner is meaningful and feels like a delicious reward for making it through the day. That's how my mother cooked. And she cooked for anyone and everyone! If a repair man came to fix something in the house and commented on the delicious smell, they didn’t leave without first enjoying a large plate of rice and curry. That spirit of creating joy and new connection through sharing this special cuisine is the core of what inspires us. The power of our brand is when people realize with one beautiful little packet they can create that experience in their own home for their friends and family. It's powerful!
What was it like stepping into a world of Indian spices and heritage recipes—and how has this experience shaped your appreciation for Indian cuisine and culture?
I did not grow up cooking; my only job in the kitchen was to cut up chicken into parts for our weekly chicken curry. I loved the food but found it overwhelming to even watch the intensity with which these dishes were prepared. It was not until I was in my 20s that I became desperate for Moiji's cooking. I ate every meal either at work while working long hours or I went out for dinner. I hit a wall both mentally and physically. At one point my mother cooked, froze and then Fedexed me 3 delicious dishes because she felt so sorry for me. It was then that I realized it was about time to learn some basics. Still it took a decade to learn my favorite dishes - it was painstaking because my mom did not measure anything; she did not even own a measuring spoon. She would say add a "small teaspoon" of Kashmiri chili or a "heaping teaspoon" of garlic powder. (I did eventually decode those instructions) I would ask her how much garam masala for 2 lbs of meat and she would say she needs to see the meat in a bowl. I'd follow her around measuring her spices as she doled them out and take detailed notes, only to discover she altered the recipe the next time around but claimed that it was the same. Eventually, after years of weekend visits I slowly got the recipes down and I'd practice them as often as possible. When I was confident with 4 or 5 of my favorite dishes, I started entertaining and saw the joy in the gathering that my own mother had always created so magically. That felt amazing! For the first time I was actually carrying something forward from my own heritage.
Each Moji Masala® blend tells a story. Do you have a favorite blend with a particularly sentimental or surprising backstory?
I still remember the first time I tried Moji’s Aloo Rasedar, our potato curry. Shireen and Moji were in the middle of recipe testing, and I had just come back from a run—totally not hungry. But the aroma in the kitchen was unreal. I figured I’d just taste a bite… next thing I knew, I had eaten almost two pounds of potatoes. It was hands-down the most delicious dish I’d ever had. To this day, it’s still my favorite!
How do you maintain balance in your partnership as a married couple while also being business co-founders—do the lines ever blur, or does it strengthen your connection?
Being married and running a business together definitely has its challenges, but for us, it’s been more of a strength than a struggle. The lines between work and life definitely blur—we’ll be cooking dinner and suddenly find ourselves talking about packaging ideas, marketing or spice sourcing. But at the same time, building a business together has added a deeper dimension to our relationship. We’ve learned how to lean into each other’s strengths: Shireen is the creative force and culinary brain behind the recipes, and I bring a lot of energy to the marketing and business development side. Ultimately, we have a shared mission that keeps us grounded. We made a product that solved a problem that we had. And, bringing a product to the market that helps people eat healthier makes us feel really good about what we are putting in the world. We’re not just growing a brand—we’re building something that reflects our family, our culture, and our values. That connection, both as a couple and as co-founders, really does make us stronger.
To read more about Moji Masala ®, please visit https://www.mojimasala.com/