At Foodhall@ 1MG Road Mall, people wait on 40-odd seats to catch a glimpse of Vikas Khanna, a MasterChef host, and a Michelin starred chef.
The buzz of excitement soon turns into a frenzy of phone-grabbing and photo-snapping as the man in question enters looking dapper in his suit. He apologises to the growing crowd for his tardiness, with his hands on his ears and they are instantly charmed. With skill and precision he whips up two drinks for his enthralled audience.
Chef Khanna was in town for the launch of his new book Shaken and Stirred . The idea emerged due to the plethora of books already available on cocktails. “Nobody figures that an average person doesn’t serve cocktails at home,” he states. With people becoming increasingly health conscious, this book will provide an alternative.
Everybody has a comfort drink and Chef Khanna’s happens to be nimbu pani. His favourite drink happens to be cucumberade, a combination of cucumber and lemonade. “Cucumber is so sour and lemon so Indian that we didn’t think of combining the two. The combination is very simple, but we never thought about it,” he explains.
The 44-year-old chef started his journey from Amritsar. He first thought of pursuing cooking professionally was when he was 16 years old. Khanna’s uncle had seen him cooking chole bature and paneer pakode, and had recognised his passion for food. “My chacha took me to Delhi, to Maurya Sheraton. That was the first time I saw a strawberry. Dekh ke pagal ho gaya.” He reminisces that day vividly as it was momentous to the change that followed.
The kitchen has not only been his means of livelihood, but has also taught him the lesson of patience. “The moment you lose it, you make a lot of wrong decisions. Ego enters your kitchen once you start getting angry,” he said. Khanna believes that every stage of life can teach one a lesson. He learnt never to give up from the MasterChef contestants. He also acknowledged that his profession is one that requires constant reinvention, “Each time I travel, I invent something new. In this way, India is infinity.”
As a chef he is inspired by the work of Sanjeev Kapoor, and is a big fan of Alain Ducasse. “I admire the work of Daniel Boulud. Bobby Flay has worked with me for so many years. Gordon Ramsay is the reason I’m on television.” Elaborating on his first time on television, Khanna says that a spotlight of three minutes got him considerable recognition. “I came in as a consultant for an episode in 2006, and next month I was on the cover of several American magazines,” he recalls.
With sparkling eyes, and a soft smile the chef articulates his amazement at how much love he receives. “The fact that people are interviewing me and are asking for autographs has shaken and stirred me.” He hopes that his life would set an example, and encourage young minds to follow their dreams.
In a conversation about the food scene in Bengaluru, the chef said, it was one of the first few cities to be cosmopolitan. “This was the first city to emerge with pub, restaurant, bistro and café cultures. The changes happened so rapidly, that most of it went unnoticed.”
Khanna’s next book Utsav , an encyclopaedia of food and festivals is getting ready. One of the only culinary books that is set to go to Cannes, “ Utsav is my dream book. I think for India to have a global stance it should think beyond its boundaries, this is what I am attempting with this new book,” he enthuses.
He admits that chocolate is his indulgence. “Even the extra bits and pieces on a serving dish I wipe off with my finger and put into my mouth. My pastry chefs tell me to just go ahead and spoil myself, but I deny myself because it is my guilty pleasure,” he laughs.
