Life+ Meets: Mira Manek
Who better to kick off our interview series than the wonderful Mira Manek, author of Saffron Soul; Prajna- Ayurvedic rituals for happiness and creator of ‘Chai by Mira’, a blend of warming chai spices that can be added to hot drinks, in baking and more. We chatted to Mira about her projects, daily rituals and what makes her feel at home…
—How are you doing and what are you up to today?
Today, I’m at my sister’s place, getting down to a bit of work after a hectic morning. There is so much going on at the moment, lockdown has been a busy time.
— Tell me a bit about your projects! What are you building/creating at the moment?
Well, I’ve written two books, Saffron Soul and Prajna- Ayurvedic Rituals for Happiness. Saffron Soul is a collection of healthy vegetarian recipes from India and Prajna focuses on Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest healing systems, rooted in the principle of a mind-body-spirit connection that is more relevant than ever to our busy modern lives. It goes through simple practices for every day that can help with affecting positive change.
I’m currently working on expanding my online Chai Spice business called ‘Chai by Mira’. I also have a café in Kingly Court, Soho by the same name. We have gone online with chai — more so since the end of lockdown. It has been selling very well, so I’m now expanding and creating new blends and flavours.
—I’m really enjoying the cocoa chai, it’s such a treat! When you were younger, could you imagine what you are doing now?
As a young girl, I thought I’d be an artist. When I was slightly older, probably a fiction writer. I did write a novel and almost published it — but then food took over!
—What led you to writing and food?
A quest for my own health is the simple answer. The idea really came when I was in India and I had taken snacks with me as always thinking I can’t eat lots of Indian food (unhealthy!) and it suddenly dawned on me that this universal perception of Indian food being unhealthy is so wrong — even I bought into it. And that cooking Indian food at home can be super healthy and nutritious — and of course delicious. That’s when the idea of my first cookbook Saffron Soul was born — took a while to publish!
— I love that you’ve involved your family in some parts of the book. What has been the most unexpectedly fun part of setting up your business?
Meeting people in the café who have become addicted to chai! And creating new products and food that customers love and getting their feedback!
—And the thing you most want to learn more about?
Clever marketing, selling on other online portals and expanding by getting into the likes of Selfridges.
— As well as a creator, you’re also a cookbook author, so which dish makes you feel most at home?
Daal and roti!
—What daily ritual do you do that makes you feel good?
Breathwork — I speak a lot about this in my book Prajna and have done a course in breathwork and kundalini yoga.
(Mira also has a great series of ‘Chai Time’ interviews on her Instagram page where she talks to a range of global wellness experts about their lives, daily rituals, definitely check it out).
— And finally…where can we follow you and find your books and most importantly the chai?!
Instagram is the best way @miramanek @chaibymira
You can buy my chai online www.chaibymira.com
And my two books Saffron Soul and Prajna are available on Amazon
