12 Desi Food Instagrammers You Need to Follow Right Now

Are you following these jaw-dropping desi foodies on Instagram?

Food porn on Instagram is great. You can ogle at it without having to cook it, you can surf through it at work and it might just inspire you to rustle something up for yourself in the kitchen. Now, watching them international sous-chefs putting out plates of unpronounceable stuff is not as much fun because, come on, I would rather see edible treats that I can dish out from my own supplies at home.

So, what you need to find is desi food instagrammers. I had 3 experts (If you aren’t following them, do it already!) on my timeline:

• @saffrontrail
  
• @tarikasingh
  
• @kishiarora
  

and I requested them to recommend 3 foodies each that I could follow. Check out the awesome list that resulted below that’ll give you scrumptious food shots, recipes and a peek into culinary culture:

Making a case for Indian Chinese food. Absolutely delicious, many variations on an original theme, and now a tradition by itself. #indianfood #indiancuisine #foodpic #instafood #instapic #foodies #food #foodie #indianchinese #foodstagram #foodporn #foodpics #foodspotting

A photo posted by Kaveri Ponnapa (@kaverikamb) on Dec 8, 2015 at 1:31am PST

50 ways to the heart of a mango-the season has just begun. Just love this sparkling Coorg green mango curry made with a mixture of spice and sweet(from a syrup of jaggery).The hard,sour slices of green mango change in the spice mix, turn translucent and literally melt in your mouth. Almost the best part of summer. Almost. #thecoorgtable #delicious #indianfoodbloggers #local #locavore #localfood #foodgasm #foodporn #foodstagram #summer #mango #mangos

A photo posted by Kaveri Ponnapa (@kaverikamb) on Mar 8, 2016 at 9:45pm PST

The perfect meal-a little bit of everything on one plate-flavours, textures and tastes all worked out & balanced for you. No endless decision making and debates,all you have to do is enjoy every little detail served up in small portions. On this one: fish curry; pepper-fried mutton; fried prawns; fresh corn in spinach;bisi bele baath; vegetable stew in coconut milk and more. #indianthali #southindianthali #instafood #instapic #instagood #food #foodie #foodies #foodpic #southindiancuisine #indiancuisine #indianfood

A photo posted by Kaveri Ponnapa (@kaverikamb) on Dec 6, 2015 at 11:40pm PST

Azhagar kovil dosai. Almost every temple of importance in India has a unique offering to the deity. From Paayasams (milk boiled with rice, jaggery, ghee and nuts), Jaangiris (deep fried savoury crisps), sugar syrup soaked jamuns to murukkus (lentil crisps), there is an incredible variety of offerings made.  Temple food and cooks have set the tone for the evolution of food in India. The famous Udipi cuisine, now known for its  Sambar across the globe had its humble beginnings with cooks from the community that cooked in the Udipi temple kitchen. Think Madurai and close your eyes and you have images of the towering Meenakshi Temple Gopurams, the Malli poo or jasmine flower market, streets filled with carts selling steaming hot iddlies and the Azhagar Kovil. A picturesque temple perched on a hill, Azhagar Kovil  is located in the outskirts of Madurai and is one of the 108 temples worshiped by the Vaishnavites. It has always been my dream to document temple food in India and I had the privilege of being taught to cook the delectable Azhagar Kovil Dosai by the cooks from the temple kitchen. Recipe link in bio

A photo posted by rakesh raghunathan (@puliyogare_travels) on Aug 3, 2016 at 10:15pm PDT

#ambur a cultural and culinary feast during #ramzan #foodphotography #foodsafari #biriyani #therakeshraghu #kheema #samosas #haleem #eid #southindia #incredibleindia #soi #_soi

A photo posted by rakesh raghunathan (@puliyogare_travels) on Jul 14, 2015 at 8:13pm PDT

The Legendary Mountbatten Mani Iyer's watermelon rasam (recipe link on bio). Includes his secret rasam powder recipe too ;) #watermelon #pongal #mountbatten #tambram #recipes #melons #organic #juice

A photo posted by rakesh raghunathan (@puliyogare_travels) on Jan 11, 2016 at 9:20pm PST

Dhanbad wale pakode with Imli ki chutney made for this rainy evening. @arvindkhanna19 used to bring these miniature pakodas from subzi mandi outside our campus sometimes. Recreated those today and we both ended up talking about how cheap these used to be there. #pakodasofindia #pakoda #deepfried #glutenfreesnack #indiansnacks #chaistories #teatimesnacks

A photo posted by sangeeta khanna (@sangeetaamkhanna) on Jul 14, 2016 at 6:32am PDT

This is how we eat out sookhe alu. Pyaz ka paratha made with mixed flours and methia athanu which is a fenugreek pickle from Gujrat. #methiaathanu #sookhealu #paratha #indianfood #minimalgluten #pyazkaparatha #healthyliving

A photo posted by sangeeta khanna (@sangeetaamkhanna) on Jun 7, 2016 at 7:40pm PDT

Onion coconut uttapam for lunch. Made of mixed millets and lentils, some poha thrown in. Loads of ghee, peril la seeds chutney and some idli podi will be sprinkled too. #desikhana #desiisthenewexotic #everydayexotic #everydaynutrition #uttapam #glutenfree #glutenfreemeal #onedishmeal

A photo posted by sangeeta khanna (@sangeetaamkhanna) on May 25, 2016 at 1:05am PDT

Following up on the video of prepping yesterday's #nonchalantdinner, this was the end result. The kulchas (which I made from @skoranne's book) puffed up so well on baking, the subtly spiced potato stuffing sticking to the inside walls of this chewy, light and savory Indian bread. Will have to try this in an actual tandoor which will define the smoked and slightly charred characteristics associated with some Indian breads. Topped with nigella seeds and fresh coriander with lashings of butter, I feel this could be had on its own... Extremely satisfying. #chefs #chefslife #chefstalk #chefsinthehouse #chefsofinstagram #food #foodies #foodporn #foodtalk #foodgrams #instafood #igersfood #igers_food #meal #cook #cooking #recipe #allrecipes #allmyrecipes #doubletap #truecooks #Mumbai #MeraMumbai #Munchalant I'm #nonchalantgourmand #IndiaDiaries #homegrown #hometown

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nikhil Merchant (@nonchalantgourmand) on Jul 25, 2016 at 11:02pm PDT

I got to try out the menu of @littlefooddaily the brainchild of my buddy ol'pal @little_chefb. She's one of the few chefs in the city who's cooking I have enjoyed on casual brunches to mid-week evenings at her place. While one would get to taste her cooking at her catering shindigs around the city (should one be lucky to be invited to a home or an event hiring her) she's launched a food delivery service bringing some of her (and now mine!) favorite dishes. It's attuned to be a delicious meal for a person with a healthy appetite. From a delicious kale salad (freshest I have had in the city) to a well tweaked Mexican fare, the food will leave you satisfied (visit www.littlefooddaily.com). The best takeaway (Pardon the pun!) about this place is the ease of ordering a variety of cuisine specific dishes when you are not in a mood to buy, source, spend & put together a variety of ingredients to make ONE dish. It works out super VFM should you be feeding yourself or a family. Quick, excellently packaged and at the moment delivering around their area in the suburbs of Mumbai (Andheri west, Juhu & Goregaon on..) this ones a keeper on your speed dial, good luck LilB and Bon appetite! #chefs #chefslife #chefstalk #food #foodporn #foodtalk #foodgrams #instafood #igersfood #igers_food #meal #Mumbai #MeraMumbai #Munchalant #orderonline #IndiaDiaries #homegrown #hometown #delivery #dineout #eatout

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nikhil Merchant (@nonchalantgourmand) on Jul 18, 2016 at 12:26am PDT

It's all laid bare in black and white. Got these really fresh Brinjals in the market today so scooped them up to put together a hoisin smothered Brinjal bake. It's topped with crunchy black and white sesame seeds and is kicked up many notches with Bhut jolokia in the homemade hoisin. #nonchalantdinner for the #FBdinos is starting off on a good note. #chefs #chefslife #chefstalk #chefsinthehouse #chefsofinstagram #food #foodies #foodporn #foodtalk #foodgrams #instafood #igersfood #igers_food #meal #cook #cooking #recipe #allrecipes #allmyrecipes #doubletap #truecooks #Mumbai #MeraMumbai #Munchalant #nonchalantgourmand #IndiaDiaries #homegrown #hometown

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nikhil Merchant (@nonchalantgourmand) on Jul 14, 2016 at 6:39am PDT

*Instagraming from the hills yay!* Throwback to enjoying this stack of banana caramel pancakes with BR Clove Candy Crunch ice cream inspired by Colgate's Sensitive Clove. Obsessing over the flavour of the ice cream- adds such a kick to these pancakes. #Icloveit

A photo posted by Shivesh (@shivesh17) on Jul 30, 2016 at 7:32am PDT

I had such a fun time making this sablée tart. Pâte sablée is a classic French shortcrust pastry dough. I piped a generous amount of pastry cream ( it had beautiful specks of vanilla in it!) on the tart and decorated it with blueberries and mint leaves. Should I post the recipe on the blog🤔?

A photo posted by Shivesh (@shivesh17) on Jul 13, 2016 at 5:54am PDT

It is so hot these days that instead of going to college, all I do is sit at home and bake haha. Made this Creme Caramel earlier this week. Today I made Churros and I died a little and went to food heaven😂👼🏻. Have a great weekend, everyone!#mychefstable

A photo posted by Shivesh (@shivesh17) on Apr 8, 2016 at 4:45am PDT

Homemade sourdough + sweet Sicilian toms + basil I grew + walnut oil from my neighbour's local oil mill in France + feta. Good, simple food makes me so happy.

A photo posted by Shaheen Peerbhai (@purplefoodie) on May 8, 2016 at 9:52am PDT

I made this rhubarb and blackberry patisserie today. • pâte sucrée • génoise soaked with rhubarb syrup • Poached rhubarb • Light vanilla and tonka crème pâtissière with blackberries • Cream cheese and mascarpone mousse #dscolor #DSPINK

A photo posted by Shaheen Peerbhai (@purplefoodie) on Apr 9, 2016 at 7:37am PDT

Tried my first recipe from the Gjelina cookbook, a twist on Mexican corn on the cob with cheese to get over my Mexican hangover. Here, it's made with shallots, red jalapeños, lime, coriander and feta. YUM. #dontcareaboutbadlight #sogood

A photo posted by Shaheen Peerbhai (@purplefoodie) on Apr 5, 2016 at 1:13pm PDT

Avial, kovakkai kari, maddur vadE, parangikkai vethakuzhambu, paal kozhakkattai...followed by lemon rasam and one akki roti slid in gently somewhere because I tell her that my mother in law's akki Rotis are *the* best! Maybe an obattu after this. Belt status - buckles undone. Body status 😴😴😴😴😴#SemmaKattu #Saappatturaman #MaamiyaarChellamAlso

A photo posted by Ajit Bhaskar (@macroajit) on Jul 10, 2016 at 2:22am PDT

Brb imma hog like crazy 😀😀😀 Puri Aamras #FTW! (And cabbage sabzi to maintain the (lol)health quotient. Also, totally spurned the curd rice offered after this. #AmmaSaappadu #AmmaChellamForever 😇😇😇😇 #TamitForever

A photo posted by Ajit Bhaskar (@macroajit) on May 19, 2016 at 7:43am PDT

Sri Lankan inspired meal. Red rice. Jackfruit seed curry. MoLa keerai and methi leaves curry. The souring agent for both was goraka (malabar tamarind/kudam puli/kachcha puli). Dessert is set thick curd (sorry, cow curd and not buffalo curd as it should be ;) ) toppled with copious amount of kithul (palm) treacle. Also seen in the middle is a little blob of a special milagai thokku which is now part of almost all of our meals ;)

A photo posted by Ajit Bhaskar (@macroajit) on Apr 3, 2016 at 12:31am PDT

Amra, Makok, Ambade, Jangli Aam, Lapsi, Hog Plum- this fruit has many names. While it's usually pickled, I decided to make curry instead. Link in the bio. I ordered these from @thefarmhousecompany using @scootsyit

A photo posted by Ankiet Gulabani (@spankiet) on Jul 16, 2016 at 4:38am PDT

This week I cooked my way through a new regional cookbook by Smita Deo titled 'From Karwar To Kolhapur Via Mumbai'. Pictured here is a dosa made out of watermelon rind, a Masoorichi Amti and a side of Gajarachi Koshimbir. Simple stuff, yet super delicious. Find her recipes for these and a link to buy this book by clicking on the link in the bio.

A photo posted by Ankiet Gulabani (@spankiet) on May 4, 2016 at 11:05pm PDT

Braised chicken legs with a spicy cured egg yolk. Friday #lunch game on point.

A photo posted by Ankiet Gulabani (@spankiet) on Feb 19, 2016 at 1:18am PST

Artisanal chocolate making.....so much fun. 🙌

A photo posted by Mason and Co (@masonandco_chocolate) on Jun 29, 2016 at 2:51am PDT

Breakfast Cinnamon Buns ... Morning breakfast at our new Bread and Chocolate cafe in Auroville. #breadandchocolate #masonandco #yum

A photo posted by Mason and Co (@masonandco_chocolate) on Feb 24, 2016 at 8:11pm PST

Possibly the world's best use for cacao butter! Roasted sweet potatoes with a dairy free cacao and coconut oil butter, spiced with honey and cinnamon.....it's to die for. #masonandco #yum #trials #organic

A photo posted by Mason and Co (@masonandco_chocolate) on Nov 29, 2015 at 10:56pm PST

If you have any suggestions for other desi food instagrammers that merit a follow, put them in the comments box below.