🌸 About Touba 🌸

📖My Story

My love for cooking began before I could even reach the counter. In our family, the kitchen wasn’t just where meals were made—it was where stories were told, where my mother taught me patience while waiting for bread dough to rise, and where I learned that a pinch of sumac at the right moment could transform an ordinary dish into something unforgettable.

Growing up between two cultures shaped everything about how I cook today. At school, I’d trade my mother’s saffron-scented rice pudding for my friend’s chocolate chip cookies, feeling caught between two worlds. But at home, especially during holidays like Nowruz, our kitchen transformed into a symphony of copper pots and clay vessels, with aunts and cousins working side by side, their conversations flowing between English, Farsi, and Arabic as naturally as the steam rising from the pots.

My teenage years were spent translating—not just languages, but culinary traditions. I’d watch cooking shows and try to explain to my grandmother why someone would use a stand mixer instead of kneading by hand. She’d laugh and tell me that machines couldn’t feel the dough the way your fingers could, couldn’t tell you when it needed more water or when it was ready to rest. Those lessons stayed with me more than any cooking school could teach.

After studying communications and working in digital marketing for several years, I realized I was spending every free moment in the kitchen, scribbling recipe notes in the margins of my work notebooks. My apartment smelled perpetually of fried onions and blooming spices. My coworkers knew me as the person who always brought elaborate lunches in stacked containers—jeweled rice on the bottom, fragrant stew in the middle, fresh herbs and yogurt on top.

In 2019, I started ToubaEasts as a small blog to preserve the recipes passed down through my family and share them with others who craved authentic, home-cooked Eastern food. I wanted to create a bridge for others like me—people who grew up with these flavors and missed them, or those who had never experienced them but were curious to learn.

What began as a weekend project has grown into something I never expected. Today, thousands of home cooks visit ToubaEasts each month, trusting my recipes to bring real flavor to their tables. I’ve developed and published over 200 recipes, each one tested at least five times in my own kitchen before it ever reaches the site. Every turmeric stain on my countertops, every batch of rice that didn’t quite achieve the perfect tahdig, every triumph when a recipe finally clicked—they’re all part of this journey.

🛤️My Journey

The path from that first batch of stuffed grape leaves to where I am today wasn’t always straightforward. There were years when I thought cooking would only ever be my hobby, something I did to relax after long days at the office. But the universe has a way of nudging you toward your true calling.

In 2017, I started hosting monthly dinner parties in my small apartment. Friends would crowd around my dining table—a mix of college roommates, work colleagues, and neighbors—and I’d serve them seven-course feasts inspired by my grandmother’s recipes. Those evenings became sacred. People would arrive stressed from their week, and by the time dessert was served, the room would be filled with laughter and stories. Someone once told me, “Your food makes me feel like I’m visiting a home I’ve never been to but somehow miss.” That comment planted a seed.

Starting ToubaEasts was terrifying. I wasn’t a trained chef or a professional food photographer. My first photos were taken on my phone with natural window light. My early recipe posts were too long, too detailed, probably too personal. But slowly, people started finding my site. I’d wake up to emails from readers in Australia who made my tahchin recipe for their Persian husband’s birthday, or from college students in London attempting their first homemade hummus.

The real growth came when I made a decision that went against all the blogging advice I’d received: I refused to simplify recipes beyond recognition. While other food sites were promising “15-Minute Persian Stews” or “Instant Pot Ghormeh Sabzi,” I wrote honest recipes that required time and attention. I told readers when a dish needed to simmer for two hours, when shortcuts wouldn’t work, when patience was the most important ingredient.

Surprisingly—or maybe not so surprisingly—this honesty resonated. My audience grew because people were hungry for authenticity. They wanted to learn the real way, even if it took longer. They trusted me because I never promised them something I couldn’t deliver.

By 2021, I had left my marketing job to focus on ToubaEasts full-time. It was one of the most frightening decisions I’ve ever made, but also the most liberating. Now, my days revolve around testing recipes, responding to reader questions, and constantly learning. I’ve connected with grandmothers in Tehran who video-call to show me their techniques, with food historians who help me trace recipes back to their origins, with home cooks around the world who’ve become friends through our shared love of this cuisine.

This journey has taught me that food is never just about sustenance. It’s about identity, memory, connection, and love. Every time someone emails me a photo of their first successful tahdig, every time a reader tells me my recipe helped them recreate a taste from their childhood, I’m reminded why this work matters. I’m not just sharing recipes—I’m helping preserve a culinary heritage and making it accessible to anyone who’s willing to try.

⭐What I Bring to Your Kitchen

After more than fifteen years of cooking Eastern dishes—first learning from my family, then experimenting on my own, and now teaching through this site—I’ve learned what makes the difference between a good dish and one that people ask for again and again.

🍽️What You’ll Find Here

ToubaEasts focuses on Middle Eastern and Persian recipes, from everyday meals to special occasion dishes that have been in my family for generations. Some dishes my readers come back to again and again:

Persian Saffron Rice with Tahdig — The crispy golden rice that everyone fights over. I share my foolproof method for achieving that perfect crunch every single time.

Lamb and Herb Stew (Ghormeh Sabzi) — My grandmother’s recipe, slow-cooked with dried limes and a mountain of fresh herbs until deeply flavorful.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolma) — The dish that started it all for me, with a filling of seasoned rice, herbs, and tender meat wrapped in brined grape leaves.

Homemade Flatbreads — From Persian barbari to lavash, I’ll show you how to make fresh bread that puts store-bought to shame.

Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner or an elaborate weekend feast, I’ve designed these recipes to work in real home kitchens, with the kind of detailed guidance I wish I’d had when I was first learning to cook on my own.

💬Let’s Connect