Notable Indian and

Notable Indian and Pakistani FOOD INFLUENCERS

Social media royalty play a huge role in the cuisine we eat out, and the food we make at home

MELANIE FOURIE

There’s no shortage of tantalizing food on social media. Alluring visuals of beautifully presented, delicious food abound on sites like Instagram, You Tube, Facebook, and Twitter. These piquant snacks, scrumptious baked goods, and mouth-watering desserts are more than just visual treats. The influencers showcasing food have an undeniable effect on our appetites, even inducing cravings! They also inspire followers to take their cooking game up a few notches.

While some influence as a side hustle, many have turned their passion into a profession. Monetary rewards are also hefty for some with the advent of affiliate links and sponsored content. To that end, Indian and Pakistani food influencers are on top of their game when it comes to culinary inspiration! The following is a list of some of the best ones out there.

A young food influencer filming a culinary experience

TOP INDIAN INFLUENCERS

SANJEEV KAPOOR KHAZANA

Sanjeev Kapoor, an Indian celebrity chef, is widely regarded as a leading culinary authority who rose to fame as the presenter of “Khana Khazana,” a renowned Indian television program. He’s also a popular YouTuber, with more than seven million subscribers. He has 1.2 million followers on Instagram and a whopping 8.8 million followers on Facebook.

Some of his most popular dishes include stuffed papad, baked falafel, palak paneer, and decadent chocolate burfi. He caters to a broad range of culinary categories like appetizers, kadhis and dals, and main courses like biryani kulcha. Yet, that’s not all. This culinary authority does not just make South Asian food. He is brilliant at whipping up Mexican and Italian cuisine too!

SHIPRA KANNA

Shipra Khanna was the winner of “MasterChef India” at 29 years old, and has since launched herself as a famous Indian food guru. She has 4.2 million followers on Instagram. She appeared in other television gourmet shows as a celebrity chef after beating all comes in MasterChef India (season 2). Her Darzi Bar & Kitchen was launched in 2017, in New Delhi. Khanna is renowned for her straightforward dessert creations and international foods. She also has a penchant for fusion cuisine such as her ever popular pan rasmalai and rum balls. If you’re into healthier foods, her khus lemonade is definitely a must-try too!

DEEBA RAJPAL

“Passionate about Baking” creator Deeba Rajpal began her career as a primarily baking blogger. Food styling and recipe creation have since made her quite the authority where

Indian confectionery is concerned. She has over 336K followers on Instagram. She loves creating her treats with local ingredients, with seasonal baking being her favorite.

Rajpal specializes mainly in eggless baking and vegetarian food. Some of her most famous delicacies include eggless baked cream Bundt cake, eggless mango cheese cheesecake, and a great eggless rose thandai trifle for those who love to go all out with sweet treats during Holi. In 2021 she launched her first cookbook, “Passionate About Baking,” showcasing an array of mouth-watering chocolateinfused treats.

TOP PAKISTANI INFLUENCERS

ZIA TABARAK

Food served on the streets of Pakistan via You Tube’s Street Food Pk is another drool-worthy digital space created and maintained by local Pakistani foodie Zia Tarbarak. It features mouth-watering uploads of cuisine from all across the country, and currently has 998K subscribers. Tabarak travels to every corner of Pakistan to document the country’s finest home-cooked cuisine. When it comes to Pakistani street food, you can bet he’ll teach you how to make

anything from dumba to jalebi!

Some of his most noteworthy live recipes include healthy options like oil-free roasted chicken. He also teaches subscribers how to make village food, such as chawal ki roti and sarso ka saag. Other concoctions include lip-smacking mutton tawa qeema. Viewers are also hooked on his stuffed lamb kababs!

MEHRUNNISA YUSUF

Mehrunnisa Yusuf’s Instagram feed which comprises over 2.2K followers, is heavily influenced by her food blog, Come, Con Ella. Additionally, Yusuf’s blog is well-known for its artisan-like recipes, which make excellent comfort food staples in both international and local kitchens. Her readers derive a profound sense of each cuisine’s origin, tradition, and conveyed mood via the blogger’s vivid and artistic descriptions.

Some of her featured recipes include Pakistani dishes like gajar halwa, which is essentially a carrot dessert infused with cardamom. Other great foods showcased are channa chaat, peach and raspberry torte, and delicious espresso pecan brownies. A savory dish of note is kedgeree, a tasty curried rice concoction.

HAMZA SALMAN SIDDIQUI

Instagrammer Hamza Salman Siddiqui is the budding chef and food writer of Hamza’s Food Ventures. The account has 13K followers. It’s filled with images of scrumptious food he’s enjoyed at various eateries across Pakistan, with detailed comments on the establishment. This includes what they offer, as well as feedback on his personal experience dining there. The array of food he covers is quite extensive, ranging from classic lava cake to New York cheesecake to chicken roulade. He also writes about various beverages and the best spots to find tantalizing seafood. You can also find some of his own recipes, including comfort food like focaccia bread.

So there you have it. A list of some of the best Indian and Pakistani foodies influencing and educating food lovers across the globe!