In Indian South African families, the meal unfolds around a large plate of rice or flatbreads (rotis), surrounded by small shared bowls: a meat or legume curry, a dhal, an atchar (pickled condiment), fresh chilies. Dishes are not served in succession but all together, each person composing their own plate. The teapot of chai and fried snacks (samoosas) accompany everyday hospitality as well as activist meetings.

Cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, and dried chili, dry-roasted then ground — the soul of this cuisine. In the Transvaal, families of Gujarati origin kept their own blend, passed down from mother to daughter, which perfumed every pot in the house.