Today’s interview comes all the way from Delhi and is brought to us by Silky, co-founder of Palette of Food. A level-11 Zomato reviewer, Silky has amazing food pics on Instagram. Let’s get to know this foodie and blogger-influencer from Delhi.
Follow Silky Palette of Food on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow Palette of Food on Instagram | Follow Silky on Instagram
Tell us about yourself.
I’m Silky. I’m an artist, cosplayer, foodie and a lazy panda. I’m a Delhi-based blogger. How did you become passionate about food?
To be honest… I don’t eat many veggies and all… but I love to try new cuisines and dishes.
Have you stayed in any other city or country? How were your food experiences there?
I’ve been to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, and I’ve tried Russian food too… And honestly… Delhi’s food is best.
What’s the story behind starting your microblog?
I’m the co-founder of PALETTE OF FOOD. I click better photos of food than of humans and one day I texted my sister “want to start a food blog?” She replied “lol sure” That’s how it all started!
What is your favorite food memory?
Memories are many but this one thing is part of every memory… We (me and my sister) generally prefer walking rather than taking an auto or something for short distances (1-2 km). And we discuss different food on our way to our destination.
How do you get your inspiration?
We don’t.
What has enabled you to find success?
It’s not about success. It’s about enjoying what we do.
Who in the food world do you most admire?
The owner of a theme stall where I go to eat gol gappas!
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
There is no end to creativity. And people always come up with crazy innovation in traditional dishes.
The Biggest Challenges you faced while putting up your microblog?
We had a hard time deciding the name. All the names which we liked were already taken and it was hard to come up with a new and innovative one.
What keeps you going?
Our love for food.
What is your day like?
Exercise, eat and sleep.
What do you most love about your job?
I can make/draw whatever I want. No one is there to restrict my imagination.
A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
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Today’s interview comes all the way from Mumbai, and is brought to us by Dr Viquar S. Shaikh aka The Hungry Dentist! Dr Viquar is a dentist by profession and a foodie at heart. Before we proceed to his interview, here’s what he has to say to you:
Do what makes you feel good (unless it’s illegal then don’t do it). Start early, don’t wait for too long to do things that you believe in or makes you happy. You might face hurdles initially, but things will work gradually and have patience and be consistent. Also, visit your dentist every six months for routine check-ups. Don’t ignore your oral health; it is responsible for your overall well-being. Do give in to any bad addictions, and brush your teeth regularly and also floss them while you have them.
Follow Dr. Viquar S. Shaikh of The Hungry Dentist on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow The Hungry Dentist on Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Zomato
Let’s get to know the food journey of The Hungry Dentist.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Dr Viquar S Shaikh. I am based in Mumbai. I am a dental surgeon by profession with MBA in hospital and healthcare management; I am a food lover; I like to read and be updated on technology, movies and fashion trends. To put out in four words I like films, food and fashion and technology.
How did you become passionate about food?
It’s been in the family, and into my genes as everyone in my family is a foodie. They like to cook great and amazing food at home. At the same time, we had this family routine since childhood where my dad used to take us to a restaurant or any food joint every week which was new or if he had heard good things about.
Have you stayed in any other city or country? If yes, how were your food experiences there?
I have stayed in Nasik and Pune for quite a few years, as I’d studied in these two cities. While I was in Nasik, it was in a nascent stage in terms of offering good options to food lovers as very few renowned brands had outlets there. So the options to explore were very few, but misal is something that Nasik is best at the offering. You won’t be disappointed either if it’s ShamSunder ka Misal in Satpyr Midc area or at a joint on Gangapur Road, whose name I forgot.
Now if you see there’s every possible food franchise available in Nasik from Subway to KFC to Barbeque nation.
Talking about Pune, it has been a great experience. We were there when Zaheer Khan opened his new restaurant ZK’s and many more Mughlai restaurants and joints have been in Pune for a long time. It’s almost at the same level as Mumbai. We cherished moments of eating out as being a student. We did not have great tiffin options. So the only respite to satisfy our taste buds was eating out. Be it at FC Road joints like Vaishali or George and the Blue Nile restaurant in camp area or rooftop restaurants on NIBM roads like terrace and fast food outlets like Burger King, hide out or other few places in Salunke Vihar; the options and offerings varied and an amazing experience to remember.
What’s the story behind doing microblogging, on Instagram?
My Instagram handle is: the_hungry_dentist and I have been a foodie for as long as I can remember. I have been clicking pics of food dishes and making small videos since past 4-5 years when Instagram blogger idea was not even born. Also, I had an idea of making YouTube videos of my visit to the restaurants and reviewing them in a video right away and I used to discuss it with my cousin asking him to accompany me.
After a while, I got busy with my practice but then I saw a few YouTubers who were doing other stuff on their channel started doing the same thing I had planned. That’s when I realised that “the best idea kept in mind is useless as compared to an average idea implemented with sincerity and dedication, and also that “Worse decision you can take is not taking a decision at all”. I realised I had been lazy to implement my idea and that’s when I thought of starting from my Instagram handle and in future will definitely be uploading on YouTube if I am able to manage practice and personal life well.
What is your favorite food memory?
Going to ZK’s restaurant in Pune for birthday treats of fellow roommates and batchmates and having butter chicken and tandoori roti with boondi raita. And if you ask about childhood, it has to be the meal my mom would cook every Sunday, I don’t know what but there’s something special about it always; nothing comes close to the taste and vibe, and the tradition still continues. It makes me look forward to the Sundays more excitedly.
How do you get your inspiration?
I observe people a lot. It could be anyone from the top level to bottom, also I communicate a lot with my patients besides asking them about their dental problems and learn about their life experiences and the way to deal with success and failure. I also watch videos on YouTube a lot. So, whatever gives me positive vibes or motivation I try and absorb it and use it to keep myself going.
What has enabled you to find success?
Success is a huge word I have not even achieved its ‘S’. I look at myself as a beginner who is learning and treading his path. Success is a process I feel and not a destination. So you can never say that you are successful in all aspects. At one point of time in life, there’s always something to achieve or accomplish. You are always on the path to achieving it, and that is what keeps you motivated and keeps you going. Once you reach a destination you sit back and relax. I think of success as a journey and I would like to take this journey and believe in the Almighty’s plan to make me successful in all aspects of life and not just work.
Who in the food world do you most admire?
My mom cooks the best food in the world I must say and I admire her a lot; everyone else comes second to me.
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
I find it interesting that it’s evolving, learning, updating and expanding in terms of bringing international cuisines and joints to India, and shrinking the distance between food and a foodie. We are getting world-class food in our own country. The fact that there are places available with a variety of food depending on the taste, needs budget and choices of a person is very good to see. I wish the food industry a very good luck in the future and want to be an important part of it.
The Biggest Challenges you faced while putting up your microblog?
As of now I just write reviews on Zomato and I’ll be soon putting up my blog. It’s been delayed as I am a bit lazy, sometimes a procrastinator. While setting up my Instagram page I have been lucky enough to get full support from each of my family members (some even help me click when I’m outside, eating with them) no hurdles as such.
What keeps you going?
The thought that today will be better than yesterday and bring in the new set of opportunities to be grabbed, experiences to be taken and goals to be accomplished. And that every single day every small step that you take will In sha Allah lead you a step closer to fulfilling your dreams.
What is your day like?
My day starts early morning when I get up for prayer. After that, I go for a short walk occasionally. The rest of the day is divided between my clinic, family and hospital. At night, after dinner, I try and make some time for night walk/television whichever I have the mood for.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
Personally, I would like to be a better person than I am today and, professionally, I want to be a renowned face, brand or person and a go-to-guy in whatever I do, be it my practice, food blogging or being an influencer on social media. I would love to help and be a source of good things treatment, good food or products or technology or fashion to reach everyone.
What do you most love about your job/work?
The ability to heal people’s pain and being skilled by Allah’s grace to fix there smiles and teeth – I am a dentist – which in some way makes them happy and confident in their life.
A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
Mutton gravy that my mom makes if she is ok with sharing it.
I would wish that no person is hungry, no people are homeless, youths get proper employment, no one has to leave their country or home due to territorial or supremacy inflicted war, and that everyone lives in peace and harmony and respect their differences and still leave as one big family.
Best piece of advice you would give a food enthusiast?
Eat healthily, eat what suits your body, don’t just eat things because others are eating or it looks good on social media.
Sharing some of the food pics from the Dr. Viquar’s The Hungry Dentist’ Instagram…
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Suman Doogar is a traveller, teacher and of course a foodie. Today’s interview comes all the way from Delhi and is brought to us by Suman, from Nomadic Shoes. You need to see her blog and Instagram. If you have got the taste of ‘nomadic shoes’, join her small group travels too. Suman organises small group travels to offbeat as well as famous places in India, where you certainly get to explore the various cuisines in India, including local. Let’s get to know her journey more.
Follow Suman Dooger from the Nomadic Shoes on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow Suman on Her Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Tell us about yourself.
I am Suman Doogar from New Delhi. I am a teacher and a travel writer.
When I say FOOD, three things that come to your mind?
I have stayed in Aligarh for three years while doing my graduation from Aligarh Muslim University. The experience was decent, mess food was as it is everywhere around the world in hostels but we did manage to modify the mess food in our hostel rooms and delivery from outside was always an option. I ate beef for the first time there, the kebabs were delicious and the hall dinner food was always a treat.
What is FOOD for you?
For me FOOD is LIFE; Essential for survival and important for good mood. My husband teases me that when I am hungry I can be compared to Hitler at that time.
Your two favourite food memories?
One is the food walk I had conducted at Chandni Chowk recently. Another one is at Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh where I had a chicken dish made in a bamboo shoot without any oil and chutney made up of passion fruit leaves and crushed peanuts.
Best Recipe you know.
Chingri Malai curry, a Bengali dish made with prawns and coconut milk.
Who in the food world do you most admire? What if you could meet or say a “Hi” on your social media profile?
Sia from Monsoon Spice. It will be great to get an opportunity to cook with her once.
What is your day like?
Busy, I juggle many roles in a day. Being a teacher, travel blogger, an Instagram influencer and that of a wife takes up all my time.
What do you love most about your job/work?
I love teaching, the rapport with my students means a lot to me. As a writer, I love exploring new places and sharing them with my readers.
If you had just one wish, what would it be?
Go on a food exploration trip around the world to learn new recipes.
Best piece of advice you would give to another foodie.
Eat well but mind your waist too!
Sharing some of the food pics from the Suman’s Nomadic Shoes’ Instagram….
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How about you get paid when you spend minutes, sometimes hours waiting for someone or sometimes food? Your mind may say hah, there’s nothing like that… yet your heart says a “yay” when it hears the concept! Well, that’s what Paymitime promises to do.
Today’s interview comes all the way from Hyderabad and is brought to us by the founder members of Paymitime. The food concept is new and kudos to the founders of Paymitime Sharath, Jaganath and Santhosh for introducing such a concept for the restaurant visitors.
If you would like to follow Paymitime on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow Paymitime on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Keep a tab on the social media pages, they keep on announcing discounts on the restaurants in Hyderabad.
Anti-clockwise (right to left) – Santhosh, Jaganath and Sharath, the founder members of Paymitime
Tell us about yourself. How did you become passionate about food?
We are a group of three founders’ – Jaganath, Sharath & Santhosh, from Hyderabad localities and food junkies, ever since we shared the same bench pursuing our MBA and the bond has been pushing forward to 15 years now. We are bon viveur that’s where the story begins. Conquering food and trying new delicacies has always been our constant pass time and this can be very much related to our sizes!
What is Paymitime about?
It’s a dine-in based concept where we reward your time in the form of discounts for dining at our chain of restaurants for the life-time. We also cut short your time of finding the menu card, placing an order and making payment in one unique patent applied app.
When did you know you wanted to be a food entrepreneur?
The food industry has drastically raised its technical standards and process simplification by digitalizing, however, we felt the need of fulfilling the gap for regular restaurant goers and make their time worthwhile and not wait to receive the menu card, choosing what to order and making payment along with benefiting restaurateur of his peak and non-peak hours.
Did you get training for the entrepreneurship?
I believe you don’t learn until you are on the ground so the real-time scenarios and how we overcome them from time to time is our training. We’ve been serial entrepreneurs by individual capacities before PayMiTime was born. Santhosh owns a print media company, Jaganath a playschool and Sharath Javaji an HR Consultancy.
What’s the story behind starting the venture?
All the combined good and bad experiences have been bundled up in one form to make the dining experience a pleasant one for both customers and the restaurateurs. We firmly believed we could make some difference and that’s when we marched forward to start this venture.
What is your favorite food memory?
It’s a beautiful long memory when my mother used to feed me tasty hot and delicious food when I would come back from school. And there are some other beautiful memories dining out with my wife and colleagues.
How do you get your inspiration?
Inspiration is variable; it diversifies with situations and conditions or may fluctuate with problems. At this stage, for me, the journey of PayMitime from “what it was – to what it is” right now inspires a lot.
What has enabled you to find success?
It depends on how you define success – we firmly believe that a unique idea which bridges the gap between necessity and demand always succeeds.
Who in the food world do you most admire?
The love and joy of food always come from home and its members.
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
Making global cuisines available at your location, Food Industry digitalization & unique concepts which are grabbing the attention of every food lover.
The Biggest Challenge/s you faced while starting Paymitime?
Explaining the patent applied all new time-based discount concepts to the wide audience was a huge deal in the initial phase. Understanding the requirements and hiring a skilled workforce to accomplish them and finally persuading the dream to become reality.
What keeps you going?
Entrepreneurship.
What is your day like?
My day starts with a great breakfast and then a motivational music until I reach office followed by market research and Increasing operational efficiency.
Will you be expanding Paymitime services to other cities as well and by when?
We are definitely looking forward to making it a global product, once we reach our milestones and enhance our app from time to time. We have already started our market research at Bengaluru and Pune.
What do you most love about your job?
The fact that you are not fixed to do the same thing every day, facing new challenges and overcoming them with collective team spirit and finally, learning new things and Interacting with distinctive ideologists.
If you had just one wish, what would it be?
Family well-being and prosperity or may be great food on my table every day.
Best piece of advice you would give a food enthusiast?
Never hesitate to try something new and always experience the food worth your time and money.
Three tips for the ones who look for starting a food business.
Always have an efficient team, serve tasty food and give good hospitality.
And here are a few food pics from their Instafeed:
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Today’s interview comes all the way from Mumbai and is brought to us by Prince Parmar or the Food Bite Lover. Let’s get to know his journey as a foodie.
If you would like to follow Prince Parmar on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow Food Bite Lover on Zomato | Instagram | Google Reviews
What’s your name? Where are you located?
I’m Prince Parmar from Mumbai.
How did you become passionate about food?
Through my sibling who is a blogger.
How was your experience at the various cities across India where you had travelled?
I have travelled to many of the cities in India and my food experience was too good.
What’s the story behind starting your Instagram account?
My sibling, @shutuploudly, is a blogger and a mentor to me. I draw my inspiration from him.
What is your favourite food memory?
Kebab Paratha; I had it in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
How do you get your inspiration?
By eating different food from different places, and the respect the place staff or manager or the owner gives.
What has enabled you to find success?
Food Travel Entertainment
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
From one thing we can create my things and ya doing experiments on food is too much fun.
The Biggest Challenges you faced while putting up your profile?
Reviews, followers and likes.
What keeps you going?
People who know me call me foodie, parents and wife who are with me.
Where do you see yourself in five-ten years?
I am at becoming among the top bloggers.
What do you most love about your job/work?
I love to travel, eat different types of food, making people know that there are places for lip-smacking food. I could blog from anywhere, all I need is a place to write.
A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
Not recipes till now but I had created a mocktail with passion fruit and espresso flavour. Named it TUFUN.
RECIPE Take two to three fresh mint leaves mashed in a mocktail glass. Add sugar and lime syrup according to taste. Add passion fruit flavour 20ml and espresso 10 ml. Add sprite to it. Enjoy Tufun.
Best piece of advice you would give a food enthusiast?
Don’t waste food. You can order in small portions.
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Today’s interview comes all the way from Hyderabad and is brought to us by Raghavendra Peddi, popular as the Food Shaukeen. I love his Insta feed; beware if you are going to head straightaway to his insta feed, make sure you aren’t hungry. Because the Food Shaukeen’s Instagram page is going to make you even hungrier!! Let’s get to know his journey as Food Shaukeen.
If you would like to follow Raghavendra – The Food Shaukeen on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow Food Shaukeen on His Blog | Instagram | Facebook
Tell us about yourself.
Raghavendra Peddi. People call me Raghav or by my last name. I’m a techie, a jeweller and a blogger and plan to enjoy my every meal, possibly a brew thing every day.
How did you become passionate about food?
My family is a vegetarian and my mom used to cook delicious dishes (mostly Telangana cuisine, spicy in nature) almost every other day. My interest on food started right at home and when I moved to City for my higher studies, I’ve found my love for the non-veg and in a city like Hyderabad – you are sure to enjoy Biryani. I used to try biryanis at different joints across the city and stuck only to biryani in my initial days. Slowly, but steadily when I got a better company (with a similar mindset), I have started enjoying different cuisines. From then till now, haven’t stopped anytime to experiment with different cuisines and my love for food only grows day by day.
Have you stayed in any other country? How were your food experiences there?
I’ve stayed in the UK for a brief time but my short stint and busy work schedule did not allow me with much exploring around.
What’s the story behind starting Food Shaukeen?
I’ve always loved sharing my food experiences with my friends (and they used to appreciate my way of explanation) and for the same reason, many of my friends used to reach out to me for suggestions before they visit. This urged me to put my experiences in a blog so that many such people can take a leaf from my experience which can better help them to choose between places. This was my start to blog – “FOODSHAUKEEN”. However, due to my novice knowledge of blogs, in the beginning, I’ve stuck to my old created blog “www.peddi888.wordpress.com” and haven’t migrated after that as it’s linked to zomato. My Facebook and Instagram profile pages, however, are under the name: foodshaukeen.
What is your favourite food memory?
Every visit to a different place creates a beautiful memory for me. But if you ask me the best of the lot, it will be the day when I sneakily went into my friend’s home and had chicken biryani for the first time in my life.
How do you get your inspiration?
While sharing experiences is something that is natural to me, I get inspired to write better blogs reading different experiences from different people in food forums (many foodie-only groups on Facebook).
What has enabled you to find success?
The day I’ll yield to success will be a break to my creativity is what I think. Hence, I never think of myself as a successful blogger or as a person and I see a scope of improvement every other day.
Who in the food world do you most admire?
Every foodie/blogger is a new story to me. I take inspiration from everyone and admire every other foodie who enjoys their food and food only.
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
Food has endless possibilities. When you think you can’t make any more dishes with a particular item, a new thing comes up next day. In this fast growing world, I get to see new restaurants (with new themes) and new dishes almost every other month. Such things will not only invite a foodie, but also a person who goes out occasionally!
The Biggest Challenges you faced while putting up your blog?
Reaching out to more audience and making a better and readable design are one of the biggest challenges. I’ve linked my blog to Zomato and post my blog in Facebook foodie groups so it reaches out to people with common interests. Also, microblogging in the name of Instagram has made things much easier but the same made people lose interest in reading blogs as before.
What keeps you going?
My love for food and sharing experiences.
What is your day like?
Working out soon after I wake up (A MUST! If I have to keep my passion going). Play with my kid and spend some time with my family before I head out to work. Look out for something new in food post work, if time permits (I try and explore new joints/new cuisines/new dishes at least twice to thrice a week) I’m a big fan of action/Sci-fi series which I tend to watch before I sleep or pen down my experiences if I have visited any new places.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Very soon, I’m planning to visit different cities across India and try local specialities. As and when budget permits, I shall plan few international trips with which not only my love for food exploring will be satisfied but also my interest in visiting and exploring new cities.
What do you most love about your work?
If it’s about my paying work job that you are asking, that would be the work-life balance. I have enough flexibility every now and then to go out for a quick lunch or leave early for a dinner from my office. Work is important and not time!
A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
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This foodie interview comes all the way from Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh and is brought to us by Mahua Bose, the founder of Kohka Organics. Her unique idea and motive behind starting Kohka Organics is an inspiration to us. By growing and selling the organic food, Mahua has found her way to promote the women tribals of Kohka Village in Madhya Pradesh. Her office is the farm at Pench and she absolutely loves to stay with nature all day!
Read what she has to say about her affair with the nature, organic food and working for the local women of Kohka village. And there is a recipe of Pumpkin Kheer shared by Mahua Bose. Scroll down to read.
Tell us about yourself. How did you become passionate about food?
I gave up the concrete jungle life of Delhi for a peaceful and soulful life around the green forest area and settled in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. I had quit my media profession too and turned to supporting sustainable livelihood for the tribes in the area through Kohka Organics. This is where I realized what food is all about while helping/working with my husband, Shourabh Ghosh, co-owner of Kohka Wilderness Camp.
What’s Kohka Organics is about?
“Kohka Organics” is an initiative of Kohka Foundation which we started while running Kohka Wilderness Camp. Our aim is to provide sustainable livelihoods to the tribes of Kohka Village at Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. We focus on reviving old ways of preparation, recipes and preservation of products. Here everything is natural, organic, sourced and prepared by the females of Kohka Village. The produce is made using natural and fresh goods and no artificial preservatives are used. From Grains, Spices to Vegetables and even the Oil used is all procured locally and organically.
When did you know you wanted to be a food entrepreneur?
Well, I never thought of it “that I’ll be a food entrepreneur”, but with experience and being a foodie I understood the true meaning of good quality food and what it does to the body. And after realizing all the goodness I felt that the best I can do is share it.
Did you get training in setting up the Kohka Organics?
My training! I am a bit of self-taught, good bit from my mom’s and also local recipes of Madhya Pradesh. My women self-help group help me to revive old lost recipes.
What’s the story behind starting Kohka Organics?
It all started with growing own food and making preservatives. Once that was done we started to share and fortunately, everyone started to like it and asked for more. It is then a name was given “Kohka Organics”. We serve everything organic here in our resort ‘Kohka Wilderness Camp’. We grow Vegetables on our own. Honey comes from the forest, pickles, spread, papad, vadi all organic and natural. One fine day my husband said, ‘why don’t you do it on a bit large scale so that our guests take back organic memories to home. This is how it started and now I have a small women brigade.
What is your favourite food memory?
All food is good. But since you asked I am sure everyone will agree that “Ghar ka khana” is the best. I feel lucky that our property also serves simple, delicious “Ghar ka khana” where we all take personal care of the Oil, Spices and Vegetables used.
How do you get your inspiration?
When I saw the Fruits and Vegetables on the plants/trees that I had sown grow in front of me.
What has enabled you to find success?
Hard work.
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
More and more people are getting inspired by Organic food and the Industry adopting it is something good to see.
The Biggest Challenges you faced while starting your venture?
From a lavish media house in Delhi to work long hours under the harsh sun with rural women.
What keeps you going?
The constructive feedback.
What is your day like?
Work in my organic garden, roam in the jungle and play with my labrador 😀
This pic is adorable! Isn’t it?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Well! It’s too early to say anything, I am taking baby steps, learning every day. I just want to do my work sincerely and want to grow my women brigade and empower them.
What do you most love about your job?
No traffic jams, no rush to reach office on time. The jungle is my workstation and I am loving it.
A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
A popular dessert among tribes of Madhya Pradesh. It’s Ripened Pumpkin Kheer recipe. Ingredients- 1. Ripe Pumpkin- 250 gm 2. Milk- 1 ltr 3. One bay leaf 4. half teaspoon cardamom powder 5. chopped dry fruits 6. Gur (Jaggery)- 200 gms How to make- Take a Deep pan, pour milk and drop a bay leaf. Reduce the milk to half. Meanwhile, deseed the riped pumpkin and steam it, add the pumpkin to milk and cook for 5 minutes. Just before switch off the gas add crushed jaggery and stir well, soon gur dissolve then add cardamom powder and chopped dry fruit. This kheer tastes delicious as well as looks delicious, its slight yellowish in colour. P.S. don’t add jaggery in mid of the preparation.
Favourite ingredient to cook with?
Mint.
What do you do for fun?
I try to bake goodies and fail 😛
If you had just one wish, what would it be?
I wish I had one big-big Mango Farm.
Best piece of advice you would give a food enthusiast?
Eat Healthy, Cook Healthy and keep one day as a cheat day.
Three tips for the ones who look for starting a food business
Go Natural. 2. Believe in your taste. 3. Work Hard
— As told to Sara Khan
Sharing some of the pics and videos from the Kohka Organics’ Instagram profile page.
What’s better than knowing another foodie! Share this Interview with your family and friends, do not forget to tag us @foodeezjunction or #foodeezjunction. And sign up our newsletter to get the latest food updates straight to your inbox.
Today’s interview comes all the way from Mumbai and is brought to us by Rifa, popular as the Foodie Deewani. I love how the Instagram family reciprocates the love to her food trails, reviews and talks. Let’s get to know her more. Alert: It’s long… Grab a cup of coffee and then read. you will enjoy knowing another foodie!
If you would like to follow Rifa – The Foodie Deewnai on social media, here are the links. Click here to follow Rifa on Her Blog | Instagram | Zomato | Facebook
Thank you Foodeez Junction for giving me this opportunity so very early on to share what Foodie Deewani means to me with the World!
– Rifa
Tell us about yourself.
Hello, My name is Rifa Rafiq Juvale! I am from Mumbai, I am a postgraduate M.Com student as well as a passionate Food Blogger.
How did you become passionate about food?
From childhood itself, I have been a Foodie. Food has been the only thing which gives me amazing satisfaction! While writing reviews, I understood, that it came naturally to me and then decided to go into it in a full-fledged manner. And then things started falling into place one by one, and then, Foodie Deewani, started!
Have you travelled to any other city? How was your food experience there?
I have not travelled anywhere outside India or Maharashtra, to be precise, but I have been to my native place, Kadwai in Ratnagiri and totally love the variety of the traditional food we get.
What’s the story behind starting Foodie Deewani?
I have always loved Food and wanted to share my love for Food and also the dishes made by my mom with the world, that is how Foodie Deewani came into place!
What is your favourite food memory?
I have soo many memories related to food that it is difficult to choose just one. The best memory is when my Mommy and my Dadi make Sheerkurma on Ramzan, Eid and Bakhrid. One of my most favourite memories!
How do you get your inspiration?
I get my inspiration from the people around me! Their motivation and support make me come out with the best content I can.
What has enabled you to find success?
I guess I wanted my simplicity to speak for itself, and it works. And it will speak for itself in the months and years to come, In Sha Allah.
Who in the food world do you most admire?
I admire the home chefs the most. It’s them who carve out a niche for themselves in the food world which has been dominated by professional chefs at large.
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
The way restaurants are coming up with new and fusion food, and also, the way food popups and home chefs have been getting their due, that is the best part about it, I feel.
The Biggest Challenges you faced while starting your Instagram profile as Food micro-blogger?
I had zero knowledge about photo and video editing. Also, my photography skills were not so good. I did not know then how to grow my followers and reach out to the foodies, but then, with time I have learnt and I am still learning.
What keeps you going?
The messages from my followers that I motivate them, I inspire them, my journey inspires them… This keeps me going.
What is your day like?
It is just like a normal day in any other person’s life. But, nowadays, Instagram has become an important part of my life too.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
I see myself curating and creating more content, converting my passion into my profession, and sharing my love for food as far as I can.
What do you most love about sharing your work?
I love writing about Food, the most. The way, I can experiment with the Writing Skills is what I really love doing and that gives me immense satisfaction. I, also, love the fact that I have started to know more about the cuisines which I had not known earlier. A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
I have two of them. First is my Mommy’s Gajar ka Halwa Recipe which I totally love and adore, it is very close to my heart! Second is Chakkar Pulav or Sweet Pulav as it is called, which is my Dadi’s trademark recipe, as we call it at home. These two recipes are very close to my heart. Although, the list is quite huge.
Your favorite foods to cook with?
Well, I do not know how to cook, but I love the way my mommy experiments with her dishes and I know that she loves cooking with Chicken and Prawns.
What do you do for fun?
I listen to music and search about new restaurants on Zomato and read some recipes, even though I do not make them.
If you had just one wish, what would it be?
That wish would be to make the delicious food by my dadi and my mommy and their amazing recipes reach all over the world! That would make me happy! Also, I would like Chef Sanjeev Kapoor to taste at least one of the dishes made by my favourite ladies and get his opinion about them.
Best piece of advice you would give a food enthusiast?
Share your love for food in the most beautiful manner you can. Be patient, Kaamyabi jhak maarke peeche aayegi!
Sharing some of the food pics from the Foodie Deewani’s Instagram….
What’s better than knowing another foodie! Share this Interview with your family and friends, do not forget to tag us @foodeezjunction or #foodeezjunction. And sign up our newsletter to get the latest food updates straight to your inbox.
Boiling rice perfectly seems very easy task. I must say it is! Many of the Foodeez Junction readers have asked recipe for how to boil rice perfectly. You can make a “chalta hai” rice i.e., overcooked or mushy. The dilemma is when you have guests at home and you want to treat them with a homemade variety of food or when you have that urge of eating to please your palette and you have this overcooked rice in front of you. What do you do then? Browse through the various recipes on Google or other search engines and waste your time?
This is an Amazon affiliate link. Help me earn a lil’l to keep this blog up and running.
Yes, you might search for N no. of recipes thinking of this could be good, or that or the other one. Well, it’s definitely going to kill your hunger and the craving to have something good. Instead, let me share with you an easy-to-remember recipe that gives the answer to all your queries like how much water is required to boil the rice? When you are cooking basmati rice, what’s the method? How much time is required to get perfectly cooked rice?
Oh, and if you want to follow the age-old grandma’s trick, which is a Chinese traditional trick too, while cooking rice, here it is – when you put rice in the cooking pot, pour water just till the knuckle of your index finger. You need to keep the finger right on the rice and not dip it entirely in the pot. The water should just touch the start of your knuckle. If you are good at measuring inches on your fingers then the water level should be right at one-inch above the rice.
Hey, since you got the secret to cooking rice perfectly, would you mind sharing this How to Boil Rice Perfectly recipe with your friends and family. And if you cooked with the below-mentioned, any of the recipes, and sharing of Facebook or Instagram, share with #foodeezjunction . That ways, I too will get to know (unless you make the post public).
Remember, it’s not necessary to have a rice cooker to cook it. Start cooking on the stove and later you may or may not opt the rice cooker. It entirely depends on your choice and budget.
Ingredients
1 cup White Rice
1 ¾ cups Water
¼ teaspoon Lemon Juice
Directions
Take rinsed rice in a cooking pot.
Add water to it and switch on the stove.
Cover the lid of the cooking pot and let the rice cook on low flame for 20 minutes or till al-dante.
Stir just once and with light hands.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and cover the lid.
After 20 minutes, once check the rice, if al-dante, then turn off the gas stove.
Rice is ready!
Tip: If there is excess water, drain it once you turn off the flame.
Method
Rinse the rice in cold water. Now, take the rinsed rice in a cooking pot. The cooking pot should be big enough. Remember, the rice expands while getting cooked.
Add normal water to the rice and put the cooking pot on low flame on the gas stove. Cover the lid of the rice pot and let it cook for 20 minutes or until al-dante. Stir just once. Do not stir it repeatedly as it may break the rice.
When you open the lid to stir the cooking rice, add ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice. Though you can skip this step, I personally would recommend you to add lemon juice. Adding lemon juice avoids mushiness in the rice.
After 20 minutes, now check the rice, if al-dante, turn off the gas stove. If there is excess water drain it quickly. Keep the cooking pot with closed lid on the same turned-off stove burner. The heat will remove excess water.
The rice is ready. You can have it with Arhar dal, it tastes yummm. Try it yourself.
Nidhi Aggarwal in An Interview with Foodeez Junction
Today’s interview comes all the way from Ghaziabad and is brought to us by Nidhi from Nikunj Forks and Spoons. NIKUNJ = NIDHI + PANKAJ, Nidhi’s blog is as an ode as a token of love and respect to her husband Pankaj whom she lost a few years back. Take a look through her food blog and you will certainly fall in love with her easy and healthy recipes. Read the interview till last to find how Nidhi works on building a healthy community.
Nidhi’s healthy dahi bhalle recipe is now on my to-cook list. In case you want to try the dahi phulki recipe for now, here’s the recipe.
If you would like to follow Nidhi on social media, you can do so on Facebook
Tell us about yourself.
Hello Everyone. I am Nidhi Aggarwal. I am a Punjabi lady born and bought up in Amritsar and Ghaziabad. Professionally am a Software Engineer and I worked with NIC for 2 years. Married to a Delhite, I then became a global citizen as Pankaj my husband was very fond of visiting different places. So to enjoy his passion and to enjoy my motherhood I left my job. Being a foodie I just love food and cooking and same goes for my family. I started cooking at the very small age. We sisters used to help mom in the kitchen and followed the footstep of my mom and that’s how I developed my cooking skills. We never keep maids for cooking. A foodie by nature and a passionate cook loves everything about food. Cooking is my passion. I love experimenting with food in my kitchen and try to bring the best in whatever I cook. Thanks to my family for always motivating me and becoming my guinea pigs… I cook with all my heart and soul and this love is evident in the dishes I cook. I believe in sharing a lot thus whatever I cook I share with fellow friends and my fan followings.
How you became passionate about food?
I had always loved food and cooking as my first love, but since last two years, I had become passionate as every time I cook, it seems I am cooking for Pankaj, my husband whom I lost physically 2 years back. Cooking is my way of remembering him.
Have you stayed in any other city or country?If yes, how were your food experiences there
Yes, as we both lived travelling we had travelled quite a few places. Was in Japan for 6 months in 2006. We being vegetarian hardly used to eat out but had a very nice experience in learning sushi in foreign language learning centre. In 2008, we were in Us for few months, there got to taste some great English Breakfast and became familiar with Mexican food with Taco Bell and Greek Food. Also got to taste some Pakistani food in Indian Restaurant. All in all a very exploring food experience.
Then from 2013 to 2016, we were in Taiwan, Taiwanese food is quite raw and bland and we being vegetarian used to make each n everything at home. From Indian to Mexican, from Greek to Chinese, samosa to kulfi, from kulcha to rasagulla as I didn’t want my kids and hubby to miss India. Food experience in Taiwan was amazing as I got an opportunity to show my culinary skills to Taiwanese people by organizing food stall and they just loved it.
What’s the story behind starting your blog?
My blog is named Nikunjforksandspoons.wordpress.com and this blog happened after I lost my husband Pankaj. This is an ode to him as a token of love and respect. NIKUNJ =NIDHI + PANKAJ, we are inseparable, what if death has taken him away, I see him with my closed eyes, I feel him with my open eyes, I know he is here and will always be.
What is your favourite food memory?
Just a few days before his hospitalization, I remember Pankaj one night said: “year I want to eat Kulfi Falooda, missing like anything”. Next time I searched the recipe and made kulfi and while making Falooda, failed at first attempt, but didn’t lose hope as I was determined will surprise him and make him eat in the evening when he is back. Bang on he was surprised and very very happy to eat it and I was super happy I could fulfil his desire……didn’t know this was among his last few desires.
How do you get your inspiration?
My biggest Inspiration is Pankaj, who always used to motivate and encourage to try new things. My family is my inspiration whom I love to the core, for their health n taste I keep on trying new variations so that I can provide them HEALTHY food.
What has enabled you to find success?
For me, success comes only when you have tasted failure. My family is my greatest support and critic, they have always taken my failures into a positive direction and have always motivated me that enables me to try out new things every time without fearing about failure.
I find success every time when my family smiles and give me a thumbs up.
Who in the food world do you most admire?
I had always followed chef Sanjeev Kapoor in my initial years of cooking. Loved him for his simplicity, his recipes always used to be simple with simple ingredients always available and with simple steps. I admire and love chef Vikas Khanna too for his creativity.
What do you find new and exciting about the food industry?
The food industry is one of the largest and vital industry. It’s always so exciting to see new creative dishes and trends that restaurant follow. There is so much to learn and try. With each passing day, I learn something new and read something new about food. Like recently have come to know about the use and benefits of microgreens. In fact, not only using them have started growing my own mustard greens.
The Biggest Challenge/s you faced while putting up your blog?
Even though being a software engineer, am not very tech savvy and hate working on computers for hours, and setting up a blog requires a lot of time on the computer so that was my biggest challenge.
What keeps you going?
Constant love, support and motivation of the family and followers keep me going.
What is your day like?
My day starts at 5 with cooking and ends at 9 with cooking. I have two school going kids for whom I need to prepare Tiffins and breakfast, then after the walk n morning tea, it’s my session with my tab for all the queries I post in food groups. Thereafter it’s the breakfast time for my parents and myself. Between breakfast and lunch time apart from preparing lunch I sneak in some time to do some sketching or painting another hobby for whom am passionate. Post lunch it’s time for kids to come back and then the day vanishes juggling between kids n kitchen.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
We are not sure of next 10 min so how can I think of next 5 years or so. I live n believe in Today, I love cooking and love to cook for my family and will keep doing the same till my last breath.
What do you most love about your job/work?
What I love most is through cooking all the 3 meals is monotonous, but still, there are n no. of options and variations, you can try and ENJOY. The best part is the smiles I get to see on the faces when I do my work. Remember I belong to foodies….they love to eat and I love to cook.
A recipe that you would want the entire world to know.
There is no one,, but quite a few HEALTHY recipes which I innovated. Be it Rainbow Dhokla with no artificial colours or instant non-fried Dahi bhalle made in an appe pan or non-fried shahi tukda. I keep on sharing my recipes in food groups so that maximum people should come to know about these HEALTHY recipes. Even some of them have been published in newspapers too.
Favourite foods to cook with?
I love playing with colours be it on canvas or in my kitchen. So to add colours to the food I try to play with vegetables. I also love to play with different kind of flours, my recent favourite is almond flour. But still, HEALTHY nature of the food I cook is always at the back of my mind.
What do you do for fun?
For me spending time with my family is utmost fun as we are happy-go-lucky family. I love playing cricket with my 5-year-old son. For me, cooking & painting is also fun as I ENJOY while doing.
If you had just one wish, what would it be?
My one and only wish is if I could have some more years with Pankaj but I know that can never be fulfilled so my wish would be for everyone to follow a HEALTHY and stressfree life and everyone should live a happy life.
Best piece of advice you would give a food enthusiast?
I would just suggest every foodie to never let the passion go… keep trying and keep sharing.
Sharing is learning.
Anything else you want to add?
I would love to add about Microgreens. Recently I have been inspired by growing our own Microgreens. These tiny little greens after the first leaves grow are super HEALTHY and nutrient dense. So I would suggest everyone give it a try as it’s not only HEALTHY to grow and use micro greens but it’s therapeutic too.
What’s better than knowing another foodie! Share this Interview with your family and friends, do not forget to tag us @foodeezjunction or #foodeezjunction. And sign up our newsletter to get the latest food updates straight to your inbox.
Maggi Noodles – the ultimate refuge of a hosteler or a bachelor I must say. To celebrate whatsoever the occasion is we start with “let’s make Maggi first.” I don’t know what seductive ingredient it has, but surely the Nestle India gets a lot of blessings of people especially in India for providing us with a remedy for our hunger pangs, and it’s easy to make!
Well, how many of you had actually made Maggi noodles in two minutes, as Nestle claims? I couldn’t and I would not try to make it in two minutes! Who is going to spoil the real taste? Certainly, I make it in Indian style. But this discussion will come later on (you need to scroll below).
For now, starting the food product review, I want to tell you why I chose Maggi today. I was uncertain of what to write in the reviews. I already have a schedule of all the food products yet I didn’t feel like reviewing them first. I randomly type on Amazon.in “FOOD”, and guess what, it was Maggi in the first place at Rs. 86. I wonder who orders Maggi online?? Really, if you know someone I want to know too. I’m still wondering 😛
Which one I like most out of Oats, Atta and Maggi Masala? I like the Atta Noodles. I give preference to the Maggi Atta Noodles over its other variations.
Why I would recommend you to keep Maggi in you Kitchen closet?
Of course, it’s the ultimate option to fill your stomach when you are in no mood of cooking anything else. I know most of us tried not to miss it when there were remarks about lead content kept rolling on in the news a few years back. Nestle made a move and saved itself as well as us! It tastes quite different from all other noodles present in the market, to name I had tried Yippie noodles and Top Ramens. If I need to rank them I’ll keep Maggie on 1, second place for Yippie and the third for Top Ramens (I, somehow, don’t like it).
Coming to its nutritional value – as mentioned on the Maggi pack, the 70 gm pack of the noodles contain 15% iron. It also constitutes palm oil, an ingredient that reduces cholesterol level, boosts brain health and enhances Vitamin A status. I am not saying it’s a healthy option as Maggi noodles are fried, that’s why the company claims that you can make it within two minutes.
Easy Peasy Indian Style Recipe for Maggi Noodles
There are ‘n’ number of ways in which you can make these Maggi noodles. If you too have a unique recipe and want to share with us here, you can write to me at foodeezjunction@gmail.com and I will publish it in your name of course.
Here’s the Indian-style Healthy (trying to be) recipe for Maggie Noodles.
In a wok take half tablespoon mustard oil. Heat it for a minute. Add chopped onions; saute till light brown. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste and saute for 10 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes and stir fry. Keep the ratio of onions to tomatoes as 1:2. Once the tomatoes soften, you can add veggies like chopped green pepper, green peas, chopped beans, chopped carrots and sliced mushrooms. Adding veggies depends on the availability and your choice. Add noodles, 1/4 teaspoon pickle masala and half of the Maggi masala from the sachet. Saute for a minute on low flame. Add water and the rest of the Maggi Masala, and cover the lid. Let it cook till the noodles get soften. That’s it, Maggi is ready.
I will share the detailed recipe in my upcoming posts.
Tip: Do not let the Maggi rest in the pan, else someone else will eat it! On a serious note, do not let the noodles rest as it becomes puffy. You might not want to eat them. Add more water for soupy noodles.
Watch Rockhy and Mayur having the comfort food – Maggi Noodles
From where you can buy Maggi?
Check your kitchen closet… you might be having a packet now! Or the grocery store next to your building area Or yes Amazon! Still, I want to know who orders it online?
I would want to know why do you love Maggi and if you could share me your secret recipe… shhh everything is secret on social media 😀 you can share with #foodeezjunction or tag @foodeezjunction on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter.
I think you would want to see these updates from the Maggi noodle lovers.
— Gautam S. Mengle | گوتم مینگلے (@NotMengele) April 29, 2018
Dil na ummed tho nahi, Naakam hee toa hai Lambi hai ghum ki shaam Magar shaam hi toa hai. Now what reminds me of this song is this bloody #Maggi hadh ho gayi 🙂 🙂 Dear Dieting, consider this as diet food. Calorie free 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zY4YW9c6cz
Guest post by Jennifer Rice Of Sugarsoil. Thank you, Jennifer for sharing the article with Foodeez Junction.
Organic produce seems to be the talk of the town these days. Is this simply a fad or is there some truth in it? The draw of organically grown fruit and vegetables is that they are not encumbered with pesticides and insecticides.
When life gives you a reason to get going. From the pile of my mails, I saw a thank you note and the link to my interview as food blogger that was published way back. Thank you Kalaage for publishing the interview. Continue reading Food Blogger Sara Khan in an Interview with Kalaage
“Kohka Organics” is an initiative of 
