Author George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is no sincerer love than the love for food.” After all, enjoying food is one of the universal experiences. There has never been a better time to browse recipes, cook good meals and share those insta-worthy posts. Speaking of which brings us to these powerhouse women who are making a mark with their food blogs focused on Indian fusion cooking and a heartful Instagram presence.
India is rich in culture and diversity, and food continues to be a big part of it. For many, sitting down with family and sharing a meal together is an important activity of the day. Each state has its own unique flavors and specialties, and if you’re curious to learn what that entails, and how to create an appetizing Indian meal to tantalize your taste buds, read on to learn about some leading women in this space. Here is a list of Hudson County Indian-American food bloggers to help guide you on your culinary explorations.
Hoboken
Manasi Khedlekar | @manasiny
(Photo credit: @manasiny)
Manasi has been in the food blogging space long before it became a trend (since 2005 to be exact). The goal behind every recipe is to allow her kids to experience the culture, traditions, and flavors that are so deeply rooted in home-cooked Indian meals. As Manasi says, “Cooking is a well-choreographed dance, and given it is so technique-heavy, watching it visually is what brings it to life.” The aesthetic of her Instagram page will transport readers to a south Indian wedding — where meals are served on banana leaves with a variety of sweet and savory dishes.
Her favorite recipe is the ultimate comfort food — white rice and daal, a dish made with lentils and spices.
Jersey City
Anjhanaa Sai Kumar | @anjanacooks
(Photo credit: @anjanacooks)
Meet Anjhanaa, a physical therapist working in Manhattan full-time and creating scrumptious meals on Instagram part-time. The inspiration behind each recipe comes from her grandmother and mother, who created traditional Tamil recipes. Her Instagram account @anjanacooks is her way of sharing with the world what she’s cooking in the kitchen, and how one can replicate the same at home. She’s adapting to the content creation trends with Instagram Reels and documenting the process from start to finish. While managing a full-time gig and active social media presence can be challenging, the amazing food blogging community of friends continues to keep her motivated.
Most popular recipe: Carrot kheer popsicles + Khichdi Arancini
Read More: 25 Hoboken + Jersey City Foodie Accounts To Follow on Instagram ASAP
Eshani | @thedancingcookbook
(Photo credit: @thedancingcookbook)
Like many of us, Eshani had never having stepped foot into the kitchen until 2020, she soon realized that if you need good food, you ought to know how to make it. After all, life is about finding those moments that bring you joy, and to her, that is in the kitchen — the one place where you are in control of what happens. Her love for dancing and cooking inspired the name, @thedancingcookbook, and readers can be sure to find an array of Indian fusion recipes and colorful cocktails — some of which have been featured on thefeedfeed.com, Tastemade, and Buzzfeed Tasty.
Most popular recipe: Tandoori Hasselback potato chaat
Mansi Mehta | @vspiceroute
(Photo credit: @vspiceroute)
What originally started off as a restaurant review blog soon pivoted during the pandemic to a page with easy, appetizing Indian recipes. Having spent a large part of her time in Mumbai and New York, both diverse, multicultural cities, gave Mansi the exposure to street food, quick recipes, and adding a bit of spice to sizzle things up. The “v” in the Instagram handle stands for vegetarian and spice route is the ancient trading route to India. Hence the name, vspiceroute.
Most popular recipe: The lunch-box series, with quick and easy recipes that the kids (and you) will love.
Megha Patel | @chocolateandcheeseplease
(Photo credit: @chocolateandcheeseplease)
Megha’s Instagram handle is our love language — chocolate and cheese. Her food blog started off as a side project in spring 2017, and soon became her full-time job. Megha creates the perfect feeling of ‘FOMO’ that actually gets readers off the couch and into the kitchen. While her page has a mix of Indian fusion recipes, she is also a lifestyle blogger sharing simple styles and runs a jewelry/watch brand alongside (@layed.jewels).
Most popular recipe: Refried bean and cheese enchiladas
Nisha Vedi Pawar | @lovelaughmirch
(Photo credit: @lovelaughmirch)
Speaking of the OG Indian food blogger, we have Nisha — a foodie, mom, blogger, and writer with infectious positive energy. She started her blog in February 2011 as a passion project to document cooking experiments and newlywed life. Having been in the Jersey City area since 2008, finding plenty of options for take-out was never an issue, but what she missed was the authentic meal at home. The theme of her page is recreating ‘Ghar ka khana’ which translates to home-cooked food. The Instagram handle reminds one of the ‘live love laugh’ slogan, but hers gets better. Mirch in Hindi means “spice,” and really what is food (or life) without a bit of that. Nisha has been featured on The Insider, HGTV, and Buzzfeed Tasty to name a few, for her mouth-watering recipes.
Most popular recipe: Rajma, which is made with red kidney beans in a thick gravy of Indian whole spices often served with rice.
See More: Hoboken Resident Competes on The Food Network’s Julia Child Show
Pooja Jhunjhunwala | @theglobalvegetarian
(Photo credit: @theglobalvegetarian)
Pooja is a true global vegetarian. She pursued a degree at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC and was able to represent her school, and India, in the USA Pastry Competition where she was the first Indian to place and won the silver. Following that success, she has shifted to pursuing blogging full-time. Given her experience in the field, she talks about the shift from food photography and its static form to reels, which allows creators to show the textures and create ASMR videos to attract more people to food. She ran a bakery in India for three years, and after moving to the USA permanently, she continues to spread the love and cheer of cooking through her page.
Most Popular recipe: Pickled onions and Paneer Kathi roll
Shrushti Parikh | @_spkitchen_
(Photo credit: @_spkitchen_)
Sometimes it’s about trusting the process enough until you fall in love with it — and this was how @_spkitchen_ was founded. When Shrushti had a tough time finding vegetarian options with no onion or garlic, she began experimenting with recipes on her husband, which eventually led to a success story on Instagram with the food blogging space. Her handle is an acronym of her name and the magic that happens in the kitchen.
Most Popular recipe: Rose Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding
