Zameen

Zameen means land, and this cookbook is an argument firmly rooted in the soil upon which it was written.

In his debut cookbook, chef Sultan Ahmed of Sultan Restaurant reimagines Pakistani cooking through the bounty of the Wisconsin landscape. Nihari is prepared with Wisconsin-farmed beef. Raitas are created using fresh Wisconsin yogurt. Combining techniques and inspiration from around the globe, Zameen is a gateway into a bold new cosmopolitan cuisine.

These are not thirty-minute meals. Zameen asks you to slow down. Toast and grind your own spices, braise slowly without an Insta-pot, taste and adapt. Spices are measured in relative parts rather than fixed spoonfuls, because no two jars of turmeric are ever the same, and the only true judge of flavor is your palette. Great spice cookery is a conversation.

Organized around the Midwest growing year, the recipes move through the seasons, showcasing the bounty of Midwest agriculture throughout the year. The staple Friday fish fry is reimagined with Punjabi spices and sardines, and the classic gulab jamun is enhanced with Wisconsin maple syrup. Each recipe is grounded in technique and intention, paying respect to the cultures and cuisines which inspire the dish.

Zameen is a product of a first-generation Pakistani immigrant’s journey from a courtyard kitchen in Karachi to his own dining room in Wisconsin. It is a serious technical instruction in cooking which insists that Pakistani cuisine belongs among the great cooking traditions of the world. Food cannot be constrained by national borders.

Author Sultan Ahmed is the chef and owner of Sultan, a modern Pakistani restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. Born in Karachi, he came to the United States in the winter of 1998 and grew up shaped by his mother’s kitchen. His cooking is informed by his extensive travels. Egypt, Europe, China, Japan, Thailand, South America. You can find traces of all different parts of the world in his cuisine. Sultan lives in Madison with his family and four cats, all of whom lend equal inspiration to his work. For Sultan, food is about family above all else. His restaurant has a simple philosophy: respect labor, respect mother nature, and be different.

Photographer Kayla Gendron is the owner and photographer behind A Spoonful Photography LLC in Madison, WI specializing in commercial food photography. She is passionate about telling stories through imagery that celebrates food and the people who create it. This cookbook reflects her love of photography, creativity, and bringing recipes to life.