Food blogger adds a dash of 'Thai Chili Pepper' to pay homage to Bangladeshi culture
Shihan Chowdhury was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to Maryland.
Chowdhury is the cofounder of Power Media Group, a tech, and media marketing company. He enjoys photography, cinematography, and food – something he brought together on TikTok and Instagram @chilipeppercooks – with 1.6 million and 222,000 followers respectively.
“I wanted a proper hobby to express my own creativity because when you're working for a client, you have to express their creativity,” Chowdhury says.
His signature “chili pepper cooks,” is a nod to his Bangladeshi heritage. He says, “you literally have Thai chili peppers with everything,” like savory breakfast eggs, garnishes served with lunch and dinner, and snacks like samosas.
“I really wanted to push that along with every single one of my videos,” he says.
Chowdhury says his Bangladeshi identity influences his cooking from the spices to the flavors of food he cooks – something which appeals to his international fans.
“I get comments all the time about how my chicken is properly seasoned because in America chicken looks white even at top restaurants. That’s one of the biggest influences… the actual amount of spice that gets used,” he says.
Chowdhury has been dishing up things like spaghetti, eggs, and sauteed chicken since he was 12 years old. He got serious about cooking after watching the Netflix docuseries, “Chef’s Table.”
“I was inspired because those chefs weren't just cooking meals, they were making a piece of artwork with the meal. Essentially, that kind of inspired me to do the same,” he says.
Then he began honing his skills.
“It wasn't just the videography part, it was also the plating, the type of foods that I'm creating, and getting really creative with the ingredients and the meals,” he says.
Chowdhury likes to make fusion foods like butter chicken mac-n-cheese, where he combines ingredients from different ethnicities and puts them together. This was featured in his Ramadan series last year.
“I love breaking rules when it comes to cooking,” he says.
Although Chowdhury’s signature is adding Thai chili pepper to everything sweet or savory, he is also known for his wings.
“Some people also call me the wing king because I make all different types of flavors of wings like Blackberry wings… and burrata cheese wings,” he says.
For his sweet dishes, he uses maple syrup or honey-infused chili pepper. His recipes like the Bangladeshi Green Curry Chutney Wing and his chili pepper chocolate lassi went viral.
Chowdhury says as a TikToker it’s important to have a distinct style. He often wonders if he should follow trends or his heart when making recipes. Ideally, he’d like to do both.
Another thing he cares about is details.
“I am a cinematographer before I am a chef,” he says. “There are multiple takes that happen. I really do try to get the perfect shot for every single frame.”
Chowdhury says his favorite part of creating food and content is interacting with people from around the world. Offscreen Chowdhury says he’s a simple guy. His favorite meals from childhood are daal and Baath, lentils with rice.
To learn more about Shihan Chowdhury, visit chilipeppercooks.com.