what’s Moji Masala?
moji masala ® makes it simple to turn basic ingredients into a feast for the senses quickly. Our freshly ground Indian spice blends and easy recipes let you create authentic, satisfying meals without the fuss of spice shopping. Unlike mass-produced jars, our vibrant, single-use packets feature traditional family recipes celebrating India's rich cultural diversity. Just choose your favorite moji packet, pick up a few groceries, and use our recipes to impress your friends and family with delicious Indian dishes!
How We Started
Shireen and JD started their journey together in 2011 and their culinary venture in 2018. After a weekend visiting Shireen’s family, they drove home with delicious dishes like rogan josh and baked masala chicken made by Shireen’s mother, Moji. Despite loving Indian food and cooking, Shireen and JD found it challenging due to the cost, time, and space required for spices.
They wished for pre-measured spice blends to make cooking easier. Inspired by this idea, they launched moji masala ®. With Shireens Moji helping, they developed single-serving spice packets and, after a year of testing, introduced their first series of spice blends.
They mused how great it would be to have pre-measured spice mixtures readily available to cook anytime. At that moment, inspiration struck, and Moji Masala was born! Determined to make the Indian food they craved quickly and easily, JD and Shireen, with Moji's guidance, began the mission of developing single-serving spice packets with simplified recipes. After a solid year of beta testing on their enthusiastic friends, JD and Shireen were able to offer their first series of spice blends.
Shireen & JD
Shireen’s family hails from Kashmir, a region located in the Himalayan mountains of North India where families show love through the daily preparation of fresh food. She grew up eating Moji’s delicious dishes that were prepared with a unique base of freshly ground aromatic spice mixtures (also called masalas) that livened every meal. Finding it almost impossible to replicate the taste and quality anywhere outside of her home, she began to cook more and more under Moji’s guidance until she had built a repertoire of authentic Kashmiri recipes.
JD, who is Irish–American, grew up on Long Island eating high-quality, organic food that was squarely in the “meat and potatoes” category. A seeker of adventure and new cultural experiences, JD spent five years working in India. He returned home and found he constantly craved the taste of Indian spices and cuisine, and was attracted to the healing nature of the food. Thus began his journey into Ayurvedic cooking.
Paying Homage to our Mojis
Meet the original "Moji", Shireen’s grandmother, a revered and loved matriarch. She married at 13, had five children, and brought presence and joy into every encounter. She held that delicate balance of lightness and fierceness so beautifully, that even when reprimanded you felt her love. She fought a 40-year battle with a heart condition that never interfered with her faith, her commitment to family or her sense of humor. She unknowingly prepared her only daughter, Shireen’s Moji, for a surprising life journey that would take her half way around the world far from the communal village life in which she felt so rooted and never wanted to leave. She did this simply by example, by being the person she wanted her children to be, whatever the circumstances.
