From not being able to differentiate between jeera and ajwain to starting her own holiday food mixes last year, Zingyzest has come a long way in her blogging journey. While she takes care of the creative output of the blog, Saurav Nagar manages the business and accounts side of their venture. The Political Science student from Delhi University followed her passion and instincts when the blogging industry was in a very nascent stage and her perseverance led her to become one of the most well-known personalities in the food blogging space. Leaving her Canadian life behind, she decided to take a leap of faith when she moved back to India after completing her Masters in Corporate Communication and well, we don’t see any regrets about that for sure.
Starting from scratch, the blogger turned into a home chef during the pandemic and mastered several dishes in a short while. Talking to Slurrp in an exclusive chat about her journey and experiences, Zingyzest opens up about her inspiration and future visions as well as her favourite recipe. Excerpts:
Q1. You’re not a professional chef or food expert, so how did the idea of food blogging strike you?
Just like most of us, Saurav and I had no clue about cooking and learnt in the lockdown, and it’s a learning process, we learnt from my mother, nani, and of course, YouTube!
Q2. Have you undertaken professional courses/degrees to understand the food industry better?
No, but I wish to take a course in baking.
Q3. In the lockdown you donned the chef hat. So what’s that one dish you’ve mastered to perfection?
I think paneer tikka was one dish that I loved making. The process is quite long but it’s fun and tasty.
Q4. Would love it if you could share a detailed recipe of the same for our readers.
Ingredients
- Paneer (250 gms.)
- Curd
- Roasted besan
- Chilli Powder
- Coriander Powder
- Amchur powder
- Red Onions
- Salt
- Pepper
Source: Zingyzest/Instagram
Method
- For marination, add 1 cup curd, 1 tbsp roasted besan, 2 tsp red Chili powder, 1 coriander powder, 1 tsp amchur powder, salt and pepper as per taste, lemon and 3 tbsp hot sizzling mustard oil.
- Throw in the paneer cubes and let it marinate in the fridge for an hour. You can grill it on a non-stick pan or bake it in the oven at 200 degrees, flipping after 10mins. You can also air-fry them for 6-8 minutes.
- Serve with green chutney and sliced red onions.
Q5. With the holiday season, you launched your very first season special baking mixes. How was your experience exploring the business side of food?
It was quite an experience. I never thought it would be so tough. Starting from the products I wanted to curating recipes, I tried keeping everything eggless so more people can try it. Then the photo shoot began and I had to set up payment getaways and delivery partners too. It was quite an experience, but I learnt a lot and will definitely use this experience in future ventures.
Q6. How do you plan to venture into the business side of food with these products in future?
Since I’m a full time blogger, right now I’m focusing on keeping it annual however, maybe in the future I decide to make a full brand out of it.
Q7. Do you think being a food influencer is a sustainable career for long-term?
I’ve been doing it for the past 6 years now. I started when I was 19 years old. With the growing digital marketing budgets of brands, movies, products and policies, I feel blogging/ creating content is here to stay.
Source: Zingyzest/Instagram
Q8. What’s been your educational background like?
I’ve done my graduation in Political Science Hons. from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi University and Masters in Corporate communications and Public Relations from Centennial College, Toronto, Canada. Saurav completed his B.Com Hons. from Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Delhi University and Masters in Commerce from Delhi University.
Q9. Have you ever worked/thought of working in a corporate food space as a social media manager with your expertise?
I have, and I also have my degree in public relations. However, I may start that in the future with a bigger team. Right now I hardly get time from blogging.
Q10. How did you acquire the knowledge of social media and food blogging?
It’s all my experience from 6 years. I started with no knowledge and gained it over time. I also did my post graduation in PR and corporate communications and that really helped me in managing social media.
Q11. A lot of times, PR packages expect a certain kind of feedback and review from your end. How do you balance that with your own views?
If I don’t like anything, I tell them straight up on how they can improve, I don’t post it online. I don’t feel its right to ridicule someone’s work on social media.
Q12. Who would you give credit for your food knowledge and interest in the food field?
Saurav and I used to hang out a lot in our college, trying out new restaurants and street food items. Since then, we became interested in exploring and gaining knowledge.
Q13. Any thoughts of the bizarre food trends that are a rage these days?
I have made 2 videos on the same, I absolutely hate it. Wasting food for a viral reel is just plain stupid and unethical.
Source: Zingyzest/Instagram
Q14. Your Nani ke haath ki recipes have been loved a lot. What’s that one dish of hers that you absolutely love?
I absolutely love when she makes Chole bhature, it’s the best.
Q15. Comfort cuisine/food?
If you talk about the team ZingyZest, I absolutely love North Indian Food like kebabs, butter chicken and biryani. One the other hand, Saurav loves burgers, pizza, tacos.
Q16. Do you look at others chefs/influencers for inspiration in terms of food photography and styling?
Yes, I feel you learn so much from food photographers and food stylists, not only in India but abroad as well.