Everything Ayesha Curry Cooks in a Day [Exclusive]
Ayesha Curry has a sweet tooth. You can find her dolloping jam into almost every meal, even in places most people wouldn’t dream of — like apricot jam on her morning bagel with lox. “I have to get a little sweet somehow in everything I eat,” the cookbook author, actress, and founder of Sweet July, tells The Kitchn. I was skeptical, but after trying it firsthand, I was shocked at how the subtle sweetness complemented the salty, savory salmon and tangy (and also slightly sweet) cream cheese. And I ate it three days in a row.
Curry loves jams, sauces, dips, and anything that “makes sure my food isn’t dry.” She is known for her love of sauces and isn’t afraid to bring her own hot sauce or maple syrup (“that’s the Canadian in me”); in fact, she’s currently “building out a travel kit of sauces” to make sure she’s never without ketchup and honey for her chicken tenders, another Curry classic. “I don’t get down with dry food,” she says. “Everything needs to have a sauce.”
The Toronto native started dreaming up that kit when she was filming her movie Irish Wish (out now on Netflix) in Ireland for six weeks alongside costar — and now real-life bestie — Lindsay Lohan. While shooting the rom-com, she also got really into potatoes, so much so that her husband (NBA player Steph Curry) and their three kids shockingly asked, “Where’s the rice?”
For this edition of Cooking Diary, Ayesha Curry details her snack stash, favorite courtside bites, pregnancy cravings (she just announced she’s expecting her fourth child), spirit food, and more.
What was the first bite you had today?
I had an oat milk latte and a bacon and Gruyère egg bite this morning. Well, a bite of it. And now I just ordered a Roy Rogers and some chicken tenders and fries, and I’m waiting for that to arrive.
What’s your go-to chicken tender dipping sauce?
This might be a little weird, but I like a little honey and ketchup mixture. I’m a sweet-and-savory gal, so I have to get a little sweet sometime. I’m so particular about my honey mustard that I tend to make it myself, and when I don’t have that, the ketchup honey hits the spot.
Do you have a spirit food?
My spirit food, given my Jamaican heritage, would have to be a fried plantain … but with something saucy, like oxtail with spinners.
What cheese makes you melt?
I love a good Havarti with dill, especially on a sandwich.
Have any of your pregnancy cravings stayed the same throughout all four of your kids?
This time I had a two-week love affair with some bacon, egg, sausage, and cheese McGriddles. Double meat: sausage and bacon. I get rid of the folded egg and add a round egg. But when I’m pregnant, I can’t keep much down. And my appetite is just out the window. It’s so unfortunate. And so I don’t really have many cravings, because my child is just sitting at the top of my stomach and leaves no room for enjoyment.
What is your go-to breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
On my bagel and smoked salmon, I do all the traditional stuff, the little bit of tomato, the capers, the red onion, the cream cheese, all of that stuff. But I do put a layer of — here we go — apricot jam. And so one of my best friends Jessica is Jewish, and I made it for her. She was skeptical, but she loved it. And since that day, this was maybe two years ago, she has not eaten the old bagel and lox since. She always puts a little apricot jam on hers.
For lunch, I’m a big fan of a classic deli sandwich at home with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Then mayonnaise on one slice of toasted rye bread and fig jam on the other for sweet-and-savory again! Potato salad or tuna pasta salad too. There’s no shame in my tuna game.
For dinner when things are busy, I’ll make an easy sheet pan salmon with rice bowls for everyone. I’ll put things like mushrooms, sweet corn, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan with some salmon filets. I’ll pour a soy, apricot jam, and garlic quick marinade over everything and roast on high heat. It’s like a 20-minute meal, the whole family’s happy, and everybody actually eats it!
Your wine, Domaine Curry, is described as being “bold and balanced” — what kind of foods also fit the bill and pair well?
Ooh, you could really mess up a cheese platter with our wine. Grab your girlfriends and a bottle or three of our Founder’s Blend and you have a solid night. Or you can go extravagant and have a petite filet, a hearty bolognese, or a lasagna with a nice, thick béchamel.
After filming Irish Wish in Ireland, did you find a new favorite way to cook potatoes?
It was a truly magical and fun six weeks, but I didn’t find a new way to cook potatoes. I did notice that I was eating more potatoes after coming back, though. I had gotten so accustomed to them just being around that I made potatoes with roast chicken for dinner, and the kids were like, “Where’s the rice? We don’t eat potatoes. We eat rice, mom!”
How do you take your coffee?
I am coffee obsessed. I’ve been drinking coffee since I was 12 years old because I was on set when I was younger and sometimes we’d be there until late at night. I started naturally drinking coffee, and there was nothing really my parents could do about it. And it quickly became a part of me. And I am my mother’s daughter, so I love a good, sweet, creamy coffee. Right now my obsession is making this fennel nutmeg simple syrup. I put a little bit of that in my cup, then espresso, then frothed oat milk and fresh grated nutmeg on top of the crema. It’s so good. I’m a bougie coffee girl!”
What snacks are always in your trailer, and are they the same or different from your courtside snacks at Steph’s games?
In my trailer, I always have some type of jerky like turkey jerky, pomegranate seeds, watermelon water, coconut water, dried fruit like mango and apricot, yogurt for parfaits, and rice cakes. Not because I’m on a diet, but because I love rice cakes! I love a caramel apple rice cake from time to time. Then something chocolate-covered — lots of snacks, really, so I don’t get lethargic on set. But at the games, because the kids are usually with me, we do kid food! Hot dogs, Impossible Nuggets, pizza, sliders, and even sushi. It’s bougie, but they have it so we gotta take advantage of it!