Tik Tok is helping carry forward culture in many ways, including with Gen Z chefs cooking up delicious Indian delicacies with a modern twist.

What started off as a quarantine hobby for Shreya, known as @Shreyawa2 on TikTok, evolved into a food blog called Shreya’s Kitchen, where she’s been creating and passing down her vegetarian Indian and non-Indian recipes to followers. 

Over the past few months, the popularity of TikTok has sky-rocketed, as people find a way to spend their time while at home, and inspired new hobbies including dancing, fashion and cooking.

TikTok is a way for creators to easily share content minus the complicated editing process. All you need is a phone. 

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a rise of TikTok chefs, each with their own personalities and specialties, and Shreya is no different. 

Her authentic vibe and personality are what immediately drew me to her account when it showed up on my for you page and I couldn’t get enough -- and I’m not the only one. 

Indian food has its own rich history and origin. Through TikTok Shreya is passing down her own food knowledge to her followers in a way they can easily adapt. She’s putting a twist on traditional dishes as a way to carry on South Asian food culture among the newer generation. 

Shreya’s recipes are an important form of storytelling and everyone loves a good story. She weaves her personality and her unique lived experiences into each dish she prepares for all of us to view.

Shreya’s TikTok account has attracted 98.0K followers in a short amount of time, as she shares short and simple instructional food videos which often include her own take on popular Indian dishes. 

Whether it be her paneer-stuffed aloo tikki burger, chilli dumplings, or rasmali shots, there’s a recipe that everyone will like. Plus, her food blog and Instagram page are full of incredible photographs that will make you want to start cooking immediately. 

Growing up I would often watch my grandparents and parents cook traditional Indian food, but always thought it was way too complicated to learn. 

Through Shreya’s videos however, it becomes clear that cooking Indian dishes doesn’t need to be viewed as a “tedious chore,” a phrase she says previously described how cooking made her feel.

Now, she stresses that creating recipes has become her “primary source of happiness throughout the day.” 

TikTok chefs and food bloggers like Shreya have taught me that cooking doesn’t need to be frustrating, and in particular, carrying forward ethnic traditions and spreading love and joy through food is a powerful thing.

Her passion for creating and sharing recipes is contagious, and after watching one of her videos, you’ll be hooked and testing out Shreya’s recipes with your own twists in no time.