CHENNAI : Though innumerable food hacks and a list of must-try restaurants flood our social media feeds, our stomachs inevitably return to home-cooked meals, woefully dialing our mothers for soothing recipes. Home is where the heart is, and the heart beats for wholesome meals and mouthfuls of memories.
Blending traditional recipes with humour, and dance, influencer Shamshad Begum has carved a niche in the culinary world. She claims the key ingredient for any recipe is found within oneself, saying, “The secret ingredient to all my recipes is love; cooking is a form of expressing love and the joy of serving it to our loved ones.”
Shamshad’s passion for home-cooked meals is deeply rooted in childhood memories. Growing up with friends from diverse cultural backgrounds, she was exposed to a variety of dishes. “I wanted to bring those unique home recipes to the outside world. My unique selling point is the way I present it, infusing comedy and dance. It’s entertaining, and that’s what people love about it.” she says.
Begum’s Choice, her Instagram handle and personal blog, originated during the lockdown when she helped small businesses through social media. Shamshad’s innovative approach and engaging content have made her a household name in Chennai.
One-pot, homely cuisines
With Instagram constantly its changing its algorithm, Shamshad hopes to reinvent herself and reach a wider audience. “Cooking was the ideal choice because I love food but prefer eating at home,” she says. In the spirit of home food, she began a new cooking series, Begum’s Kitchen, which redefines home-cooked meals.
This has gradually become a runaway success, with followers skyrocketing from 150K to 250K overnight. “Most people thought I bought followers, but that’s the impact cooking has,” she says. The first episode features a mutton dish, artfully stolen from her mom’s kitchen aka the rich flavourful Mutton Laal Masala.
This fiery Rajasthani delicacy — originally enjoyed by Rajput warriors — includes tender mutton simmered in a spicy, aromatic red chilli and yogurt-based gravy. A staple in the Rajasthani cuisine is much celebrated and garnered over 100K views within hours.
Yet, not every recipe was straightforward. Her quick-cook ‘fluffy egg omelette’ turned out to be a huge task for the team, taking three hours and 30 to 40 eggs to get right. “Cooking and shooting are two different things... By the time we adjusted the camera angles, one side would be burnt. But it’s all worth it when we see the final product,” she says. Eventually, the influencer turned to easy family-friendly recipes.
Every guest who visits Shamshad, including celebrities who feel like family, raves about her mother’s trusty, mouth-watering shammi kebab. “It’s my favourite dish. It has an outstanding taste and a super soft texture that melts in your mouth. You’ll never find this at a restaurant. The mutton keema ratio makes it unprofitable for eateries,” she says.
Followers also discover the allure of semiya biryani and nombu kanji, both one-pot wonders with endless possibilities. “The biryani is super simple yet mind-blowingly delicious. Whether with prawn, chicken, or veggies, it’s perfect for any meal. Add ragi or millet semiya for a healthy twist,” suggests Shamshad, making it ideal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. As for nombu kanji, it is a dish found in abundance during fasting at every home, mosque, restaurant, cloud kitchen, and catering unit. Gentle on the stomach, Shamshad underlines, it is adaptable to dietary needs, filling, and nutritious.
This summer, to beat the heat, the cook introduced us to a shake made with the king of fruits for the summer — the mango milkshake. “Chia and sabja seeds add cooling properties. Soak mangoes for an hour before eating. Mangoes are rich in antioxidants and vitamins, but enjoy in moderation,” she notes.
Spoonfuls of success
The video that she put out earlier this week was for an authentic home-style Nalli Ghosh biryani. Looking ahead, Shamshad is excited about her upcoming episodes and has plans to expand her exploration to our homes. “We shot a traditional Muslim badam halwa, It’s a delicacy served at weddings and very close to my heart,” she reveals, adding that making videos is a task. Her team, including assistant Renu and videographer Dinesh, are crucial to her success. “Dinesh has a particular style of shooting, and we hire more lighting and set up a proper studio for each shoot,” she adds.
While food blogging and documenting fancy aesthetic cafes are her trademark, her USP lies in attracting audiences and teaching people that cooking is a super fun experience. “You do not have to stand still and cook food...
it’s more about enjoying what you cook that adds more flavour to your dish; like light music can make your soul float adding the aroma of food all around the household,” she says.
With plans to start a YouTube channel and explore more of Tamil Nadu, her culinary journey is just beginning. Shamshad plans to explore the historical and cultural aspects of Chennai through her ‘Old is Gold’ series. Shamshad’s story is one of passion, innovation, and resilience. Now taking on new challenges, she hopes to continue to reinvent herself and reach new heights.
Ammi’s Mutton Laal Masala
Ingredients
Onion: 1 or two
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Mutton: 1/2 kg
Tomato: 3, big
For masala
Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala: 2 tbsp
Salt: As per taste
Method
Add oil in a pan, and thinly sliced onions. Sauté until golden brown.
Add ginger-garlic paste to the onions and sauté for another two minutes. Add mutton and mix well until the mutton releases its juice. Purée the tomatoes. Add this with the masala and finely chopped coriander.
Pressure cook it for 5 to 7 whistles or until the mutton gets soft. (Tip: Use mutton front shoulder which has the perfect bone-to-soft flesh ratio and is easy to cook as well.)
Reduce this gravy until it becomes a thokku. Add some pepper powder in the end for that extra oomph.