If you’re looking for culinary tips, tricks, and lip-smacking recipes to try at home…

By Pooja Shah

Globally acknowledged for its unique spices and finger-licking flavours, is it possible for one to not like Indian food? While many of us are lucky enough to have parents and didis at home who are Indian culinary experts in their own right, the pandemic has prevented us from that unique dine-out experience at one of the many renowned Indian restaurants in Bangkok. If, like me, you’ve attempted to cook any of your favourite restaurant dishes and realised how difficult it is to recreate the exact taste, don’t worry! To help your culinary ambitions this lockdown, we’ve selected our top five Indian food YouTube channels, from professional chefs to those with homegrown talent, who feature mouthwatering restaurant-style recipes for you to recreate and sate your appetite. 

Food blogs are a fast-growing industry on YouTube, allowing foodies to embrace their inner cooking skills. These chefs not only excel in their field, but prove that whether or not you are a certified chef, a passionate kid, a senior citizen, or a housewife, it is never too late to learn cooking. By bringing diverse cooking recipes and techniques, these gifted artists share a mutual ambition to take Indian cuisine globally and produce content for their spectators. So don’t miss out on these channels, and curry up!

Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana
6.66 million subscribers
We all know Sanjeev Kapoor, the superstar of the Indian culinary industry, an award-winning chef, author of several cookbooks, and a MasterChef India judge for two seasons. With his exceptional résumé, he began his YouTube channel in 2009, through which he aims to take Indian cuisine globally and empower people to embrace their cooking skills. With over 11,000 videos, ranging from 2-5 minutes with English and Hindi subtitles, Kapoor presents his followers with hassle-free and Michelin-starred recipes. His charismatic personality is the icing to his videos! As Indian cuisine is his forte, he introduces various starters, drinks, desserts as well as fusion treats. His Pav Bhaji by Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor video is a must-watch (linked above).

Hebbars Kitchen
5.81 million subscribers
Having established her channel in 2015, Archana Hebbar is a self-taught chef who moved to Australia post-marriage. As a vegetarian, her options were limited, driving her to master her cooking skills. Her videos are so satisfying, pleasing your eyes with short and effortless recipes. With over 1,700 videos currently, she continues to produce appetising, traditional Indian meals, and shares easy vegetarian recipes ranging from snacks, desserts, main courses, and much more. If you are a vegetarian living abroad, this is your online cookbook! 

Rajshri Food
2.87 million subscribers 
Founded by the late Shri Tarachand Barjatya in 2011, Rajshri Food is the ultimate channel for some drool-worthy recipes that are 100 percent vegetarian. Moreover, they are super simple to follow, true to their motto of, “Anybody can cook with Rajshri food.” This platform has a wide range of talented and self-taught contributors, and offers recipes of diverse Indian dishes, and western cuisine with a touch of desi in them. With over 1400 videos, there are recipes for North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Thai, and Jain cuisines – you name it, they’ll have it! They also have recipes for seasonal occasions and include life-changing cooking hacks. 

Cooking Shooking 
4.27 million subscribers
If you’ve come across this channel, the first question on your mind would probably have been, “How old is he?” Yaman Agarwal started this channel at the age of 14 as an enthusiastic foodie, and he’s still going strong at 22. You can find recipes for all sorts of dishes at his channel, with some street-style and healthy elements, all hassle-free, requiring no oven, baking, or complications. Having uploaded over 600 videos, he presents simple cooking methods and narrates in English, which is a bonus for those who prefer step-by-step instructions.

Nisha Madhulika 
11.7 million subscribers 
Truly an example that passion has no age, 61-year-old Nisha Madhulika is a star celebrity chef. Struggling with empty nest syndrome, she started her YouTube channel in 2009 and shared her recipes as a way to overcome loneliness. As a talented and passionate chef, Madhulika has won many culinary awards, including Top YouTube Cooking Content Creator in 2017, embracing her passion and turning it into a thriving career. She continues to make finger-licking and mouthwatering recipes, recreating the exact taste of dishes from restaurants. If you are a vegetarian, this channel’s for you, as there are over 1700 videos, with countless vegetarian, authentic, and traditional Indian recipes for you to check out!