By Lauren Ofman, EIC
Over the past two years or so, my TikTok “For You” Page has seen its fair share of content – dancing videos, fashion videos, animal videos – but I can confidently say that Food TikTok has changed my life for the better.
Two recipes specifically have become staples in my diet: Emily Mariko’s Salmon Rice Bowl and Gigi Hadid’s Spicy Vodka Pasta. While I will admit that I was a bit late to discover these gems, I’m incredibly impressed with the quality and flavor that these quick meals deliver.
Let’s talk about Emily Mariko, the 29-year-old influencer who took social media by storm in the past two years. A Columbia University graduate, Mariko girl-bossed her way to professional careers at Google and Facebook and earned herself a strong and loyal audience on YouTube and TikTok, where she has quickly made a name for herself as a food creator.
According to Mariko, her passion for cooking began during the Pandemic as she became progressively bored at home. Her Japanese-American background influences her cooking as she has published recipes from traditional Japanese Donburi to Frito pie.
More recently, she became viral on TikTok for her Salmon Rice dish that resembles a baked salmon roll. The dish is incredibly easy to make and has simple ingredients – rice, salmon, soy sauce, Kewpie mayo, sriracha, and sushi nori.
The dish is incredibly self-explanatory, but the flavor is addictive.
I bought all of my ingredients from Trader Joe’s. I started by seasoning my salmon with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and threw it in the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 450℉. I then tossed my microwavable Jasmine rice into the bowl and mashed the salmon into it. I added a drizzle of mayo (I used regular because Kewpie is hard to find), soy sauce and sriracha. I topped it with avocado, mango and cucumber and wrapped the mixture in nori as I ate it. Adding these toppings is optional but encouraged! The result is a saucy, crunchy, spicy concoction that will keep you satiated and happy.
The craze over the next viral recipe, “Spicy Vodka Pasta”, was sparked by supermodel Gigi Hadid who posted her coveted recipe to Instagram back in 2020. While I am certain she did not invent this decadent dish, users quickly named it “Gigi Hadid’s Spicy Vodka Pasta” and it has been trending ever since.
The dish, once again, is quite simple and involves just a few ingredients: a pasta of your choice, tomato paste, shallots, onions, heavy cream, vodka, and cheese. When cooked together, the ingredients form a creamy pink sauce that tastes like it’s been cooked for hours (it takes 15 minutes). Don’t forget to add pasta water to make the sauce adhere to the pasta!
Basically, I’m going to tell my kids that Gigi Hadid invented vodka sauce and Emily Mariko invented sushi! Jokes aside, these recipes are simple, easy, and delicious. They represent the positive side of social media in which users can share ideas, gain inspiration, and connect with each other. Go try these recipes and leave a comment below telling us what you think!
