I’m Shivani, and I love food! Welcome to Shivani Loves Food – the space for simple and flavoursome vegetarian recipes.
I hope you enjoy your time here and would love for you to follow me on Instagram to join the family.
Q&A
Why do you love food?
The act of cooking, enjoying, and sharing food is a key aspect of Gujarati culture. The daily plate features the ever-comforting daal-bhat-shak-rotli, a staple meal of delicately spiced daal, fluffy rice, vegetable curry and buttery rotlis. Come Diwali, extended families gather to feast on samosas and mithai. No celebration is complete without food, and of course, copious servings of masala chai.
In sharing my recipes online, I hope to inspire you to cook and share food with the people you love. And please do leave a review if you enjoy my recipes! It warms my heart to see that my efforts played a part in sharing love through food.
Where did you learn to cook?
Whilst I did consume an above-average quantity of cooking-related television as a child, my cooking ability must be credited to my mother. Like all mothers, she has memorised a bank of hundreds of recipes and can produce every dish without a measuring spoon, jug or weighing scale. True cooks know that quantities are arbitrary, and that spices should be measured with feeling. My mother makes many tasty dishes but this vegetable pilau is a personal favourite. And do not fret – exact measurements are provided in the recipe!
What kind of recipes do you share?
I share a lot of Indian-fusion recipes in addition to some of my healthy favourites. Gujarati foods are notoriously oily, so I enjoy getting creative in the kitchen to bring the flavours and ingredients we love into a healthier light. All of my recipes are vegetarian and most are vegan-friendly, with vegan alternatives indicated where possible. Many recipes are also gluten-free and/or nut-free!
Why are your recipes in grams?
Most of my recipes feature both metric and imperial measurements (American friends, I’ve got you covered). However, when baking, I highly recommend using a digital scale to weigh your ingredients as this is far more accurate. You can purchase an affordable one here.
What photography equipment do you use?
I take my food photos using the Nikon D3400 DSLR camera and 50mm f1.8 lens. I shoot in natural light and do post-production in Lightroom.
Food photography is a lot of fun and I have shared some tips in the food photography series on the blog. Feel free to drop me an email if you have further questions!
What is your favourite food?
I try not to discriminate when it comes to food, but one of my favourites on the blog is masala grilled cheese. And these pistachio croissants. And pancakes. Always pancakes.
What do you do in your spare time?
I work full-time as a data analyst, so this blog serves as a hobby and creative outlet. In my free time, you’ll find me reading, watching Netflix, drinking smoothies, at the gym, or playing the piano. Or I’ll be at the supermarket, aka my favourite place on earth!
I hope you enjoy my recipes. As mentioned – it would mean the world to me if you leave me a rating and review each time you make one.
Shivani
Awards & Media
- LuxLife Food & Drink Awards 2023 – Winner: Most Wholesome Vegetarian Recipe Blog
- Featured in Vegan Food and Living Magazine – October 2019 Edition
As seen in…
Previous projects:
Sugar & Spice: A cookbook for COVID-19 relief in India
In 2021, I produced an eCookbook featuring 15 of my favourite Indian and Indian-inspired recipes to raise money for COVID-19 relief in India.
100% of the proceeds were donated to Making The Difference, a Non-Government Organization raising money for COVID-19 relief in India. In total, we raised over $800 for the cause! Thank you for your continued support <3
If you’d like to donate further, you can via the Making The Difference website. If you would like a copy of the eBook, please get in touch via email at [email protected].