Chicago woman's company makes Indian cuisine, ingredients more accessible

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Food is arguably one of the most important pieces of culture; the power of taste and smell can bring back memories and create news ones. One Chicago woman's company helps to make Indian cuisine a bit more accessible to everyone.

"I always say food is what got us through that immigrant, the tough immigrant years," said Anupy Singla.

Singla was born in India and now lives in Chicago.

"I came when I was three to this country. I learned English from Sesame Street and a little black and white television set in Pottstown, Pa.," she said.

Singla's heritage is deeply rooted in the smells, tastes and recipes of her Indian heritage, but it hasn't always been easy to make the dishes she holds close to her heart.

"We struggled to find ingredients back in the 70s and 80s. And when we started to find them, we were able to cook all these amazing dishes. The food is what kind of got us through all the ups and downs," she said. "Nobody sells-- barely anyone sells the split and scanned yellow daal and that's the one that we eat all the time."

Now Singla offers cookbooks and essential ingredients through her company Indian as Apple Pie, to help make the cooking process a little easier. She has also dedicated her career to passing down recipes to her children and anyone that wants to learn.

She said the journey has been enlightening.

"I can't say that I was always openly proud of the food because back then, you felt like you want it to be the same. You wanted to eat French fries when a burgers went to you know, have that grilled cheese, but I realized how much the food connected me to my roots," she said.

Click here to learn more about Indian as Apple Pie, and to purchase ingredients, cookbooks and more.