Food Special: Instagram's veggie queen

Poutine; Veggie Stuffed Peppers served on a bed of caramelised Mexican rice

Take a peek into the Instagram account, Cooking In Progress, and you can't help but feel some #instalove. Presenting a smorgasbord of recipes, from the modest Sabudana Khichdi and Badam Ka Sheera to spicy Goan Bhutta Curry, Turkish Mango and Goat Cheese Gozleme, Stuffed Shell Pasta in Two Cheese Bechamel Sauce and even Honey Mushroom Bruschetta, each dish is presented so elegantly that it could easily pass off as fancy restaurant fare. However, all the dishes posted on the account are home-cooked. Plus, they're vegetarian. The brain behind this two-year old account is 28-year-old city-based businesswoman and food blogger Charvi Shah, who now boasts of 903 followers.

Poutine

Shah's affair with cooking began while living in the US as a student, where she would come back to her apartment and try out new recipes for her roomies. Post marriage too, her love for cooking continued and that led her to start this account. She informs, "The idea behind Cooking in Progress is to highlight the fact that vegetarian cuisine can be as diverse, eclectic and glamorous as its non-vegetarian counterpart." Going beyond simple cottage cheese creations, Shah has also tried out Potato and Asparagus Pancakes, Grilled Button Mushrooms stuffed with kalamata olives, cheddar and parsley as well as Vegan French Toast with Nutella and Strawberries.

Veggie Stuffed Peppers served on a bed of caramelised Mexican rice.

Ask about the reason for presenting her dishes so beautifully and pat comes the reply, "I believe in this notion, you eat with your eyes first." Most dishes presented on the account are her creations, and even those inspired from the Internet have been tweaked into healthier versions. For instance, she wraps her Chipotle-style Burritos in homemade tortillas. "The tortilla recipe is what I have learnt from my Mexican friends back in the US, but I try to make it healthier by using whole wheat flour in place of refined flour. I also go online and try to learn new techniques from celebrated chefs in the industry," says Shah, adding that she has learnt to make Biryani from her mother, but can't beat her at ity. "I enjoy cooking Italian food and Mexican would come close second. Baking the perfect chocolate cake (an eggless one) is hard to nail each time. An ounce of an ingredient varies, and it shows on your cake," she confesses.

Food blogger Charvi Shah

Log on to: www.instagram.com/cookinginprogress