Mumbai Food: Foodies chat about home food, their journey and more

The crack of a hard egg and then the sizzle when it splatters on an oiled pan the soft rustling of fresh coriander and the whirring of a vintage mixergrinder these sounds are like melodies to a gourmand because if music is a religion food is a direct blessing from GodAnd what can we tell you about the songs that transpire when you put two worshippers before a table full of scrumptious grubOn a crisp Monday afternoon we meet popular bloggers Ankiet Gulabani 28 of Belly Over Mind fame and Saloni Kukreja 22 aka Food of Mumbai at Cafeacute Zoe in Lower Parel Gulabani blogs about recipes while Kukreja talks about food in the city and the camaraderie between them is apparentApart from sharing the anxiety of keeping a world of flippant netizens engaged the two also share memories of living with two refrigerators in their respective Sindhi homes and the familiarity that comes from living in the quaint alleys of Bandra all their lives But what does it take to turn an intense passion for food into their bread and butter They tell usSuman Fill us up on how you guys started bloggingSaloni I wanted to study culinary arts since I was in the ninth grade and was hoping to pursue it in Switzerland But I ended up going to Singapore to study business instead When that also didnt work out I came back to Mumbai and eventually started the blog in 2013 which was a year after social media platforms came to India I have seen it grow so much since and I am grateful I began earlyAnkiet I joined a food magazine after I returned from college in London in 2011 But within a week I found out that it would be shutting down soon I tried a few other things in between that and starting my blog in 2016 But mostly I realised that young people were not cooking and tons of heirloom recipes could possibly get lost How do you get people excited about cooking You speak to them in their own language InstagramSuman What are your views on social medias impact on the FampB industryAnkiet It has definitely had an impact because everyday decisions with regard to food are influenced by what we see on social media platforms It happens subconsciously like Oh I saw this there now I am craving it But I also feel like theres a lot of noise on Instagram and its up to people like Saloni and I to be responsible about what we put out there and to make sure that it is worth talking aboutSaloni It obviously affects the eating patterns of a lot of people and when you look at it that way its a great platform to influence the thinking about certain kinds of food Theres plenty to learn too because social media is so accessibleSuman Theres a host of elements around food in the form of hashtags and what not which have nothing to do with eating How do you view this shift from consumption to interactionSaloni Much of it has to do with the fact that people understand more about food now Different cuisines are available to us now versus what it was like before Since people are aware they are open to experimenting with their palate They are also well travelled The role of social media and food delivery apps is such that now when a chef thinks of a dish they dont just consider how it will taste but also how it will look Ankiet You know theres this cafe in Dubai that has these little icons beside dishes on their menu to indicate which ones are more Instagrammable and they may not necessarily be the best tasting I have even seen young kids at other tables in restaurants who order food click a picture take a bite and leave All of that goes to waste But thats the world we live inMini lamb burgers seafood linguini spinach chevre crepe pocini ragout fetuccini and roast beef bruschetta arriveSuman How do you guys go about creating and sharing the content for your blogsAnkiet I work six weeks in advance and its a habit I picked up while working with and for magazines I research and prepare an edit calendar so that I know what I am cooking on a particular day as soon as I wake up Saloni I try to religiously post at least twice a day and usually plan out the entire weeks itinerary over the weekend I do promotional stuff some recipes and reviews so I try to mix things up Earlier I would take up a lot of projects but now I do my research before saying yes Thats also because all these years later I can afford to be pickyAnkiet to Saloni Are you branching out into videoSaloni Right now I am doing it for collaborations only but it involves a lot of money Also I have been blogging for so long that getting into videos now will be like starting from scratch Its really scaryAnkiet to Saloni I know its like throw money andwait I am trying to translate paisa fek tamaasha dekh in my headSuman What do you think about the health food crazeSaloni I feel like it has come from the West In America at least they eat a lot of shit and they must have realised that now But we were all fine all along with the diets we traditionally had at home Plus healthy food like smoothie bowls and salads are prettylooking so youll find numerous eateries doing it just for that Its just fancy packaging with things like cacao chips from Peru and all that jazzAnkiet I dont understand Why are things blackWhy do dishes have charcoal Does it add flavour No Then why Turmeric had to go all the way to the West for us to understand its worthSaloni You wont believe this but I saw vanillabeanflavoured ghee What the hell is thatAnkiet I know right Its like oh this health cafe ka food will make your skin glow and I feel like telling them But regular Bombay salad will also make it glowQuick takesFavourite VFM joint in the cityAnkiet Jimmes KitchenSaloni DakshinayanWhat was your first blog aboutAnkiet It was about Indian Accents doda burfi treacle tartSaloni A review of Francescos Pizzeria Lower ParelWhat would your last meal on earth beAnkiet Chingri maachcher malai currySaloni Rajasthani dahi curryWhat is the biggest food faux pas according to youAnkiet Not using your hands to eat when you need toSaloni Eating pizza with ketchupCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates