Rasoi Raja
Chef Ranveer Brar is put on the hot seat as 22-year-old restauranteur Kushal Todi plays quizmaster.
Food is as complicated as you make it out to be,” says Ranveer Brar. “It is basically about fire (heat) and its applications to ingredients. You can’t go wrong if you stick to the basics.” The celebrated chef is chatting with Kushal Todi, a young restaurateur and owner of Kurries & Burries at Girgaum Chowpatty. It is easy to mistake their relationship as that of teacher and eager pupil, but the duo has just met.
The chef is a judge on MasterChef India, the Indian edition of the cooking show that gives every home chef the confidence to be a maestro in the kitchen. An hour away from the day’s shoot, he is comfortably at home on the set. He calls this his Masterclass mode. Teaching then, only comes naturally.
Brar was 17 when he decided to pursue a career in food. He left home to work for kebab ustaad Munir Ahmed in Lucknow. Later, he joined the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), and worked at the Taj in Delhi and Goa. He went on to open three restaurants - Morisco, Il Camino and Fishtail in Goa. When he moved to the Claridges Hotel in New Delhi, he became the executive chef of Spanish restaurant Sevilla. At 25, he was the youngest executive chef in India.
Brar asks Kushal his age, and on learning that he is just 22, says, “You haven’t done badly for yourself either.” Kushal is left smiling.
A vegetarian by birth, Kushal loves Mexican food. The lack of good vegetarian options in international cuisine in Mumbai is what led him to start his fusion, all-vegetarian restaurant. Brar lends a word of caution. “In this business, it’s easy to celebrate your laurels but the food world is so huge that you are reduced to a blip. As long as you remember this, your work will be rewarded.” According to the chef, even if five customers are happy, your job is done.
“Being in the food industry is all about the journey, you have to take pride in it. If it is a path that you chose, you will be lucky,” he says.
It’s easy to see why Brar is one of the most popular chefs in the country. A known face as the host of various food shows, he reaches out to audiences with his simple, innovative recipes, and a pinch of charm. He exchanges banter with everyone on the set, urging people to drink tea and politely requesting for extra lighting or a cleared space so the photographer can take his shot.
On being told that he has a lot of fans across social media, he smiles shyly and asks, “Really?”
Brar was the executive chef at BanQ in Boston where his menu boasted a fusion of flavours from South Asia and France. At Kushal’s restaurant, he creates a fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisines like Thai, Burmese and Chinese. Naturally, his next question concerns that muchmaligned food term - fusion. “As a term, fusion is very limiting; inspiration must be open and unlimited. For inspiration you need substance and depth. To get inspired, you need to go and eat the food, then come back and create something based on what you tasted and most importantly, what you felt,” he says.
“So instead of mixing up flavours, you need to put your feelings on a plate?” asks the curious pupil.
“Yes. The person eating at your restaurant needs to know how you felt when you had that first Burmese khow suey,” offers the teacher.
Kushal is vegetarian and Brar is judging a food show that has decided to follow an all-veg format. Talk turns to how vegetables are finally finding their spot in the sun. Brar wants to know Kushal’s thoughts on this trend. “I think vegetarian food is something that everyone can enjoy. There’s a huge flavour palate and the sheer variety of vegetables available makes for great choices,” he says.
The chef nods in agreement. “When it comes to flavours and nuances, there’s only so much you can do with meat. If you believe in flavours, then vegetables are your playground. Vegetables have subtle flavours and it is difficult to bring them out,” he says.
As the cameras start rolling around them and the studio lights flicker on, Brar shows off his knife skills. He asks Kushal to spend a day with him, promising to teach him more. Unlike other masterclasses, this one doesn’t have any food at the end of it. If Brar takes up Kushal’s offer to eat at his restaurant, there may just be another masterclass in the making.
Food is as complicated as you make it out to be,” says Ranveer Brar. “It is basically about fire (heat) and its applications to ingredients. You can’t go wrong if you stick to the basics.” The celebrated chef is chatting with Kushal Todi, a young restaurateur and owner of Kurries & Burries at Girgaum Chowpatty. It is easy to mistake their relationship as that of teacher and eager pupil, but the duo has just met.
The chef is a judge on MasterChef India, the Indian edition of the cooking show that gives every home chef the confidence to be a maestro in the kitchen. An hour away from the day’s shoot, he is comfortably at home on the set. He calls this his Masterclass mode. Teaching then, only comes naturally.
Kushal too isn’t here to make small talk. He is determined to talk about the business of food, the global vegetarian food trend and how to make fusion food appealing. But first, some butter. He calls the chef an inspiration. “You started out at a young age, and I can’t think of anyone better to learn from,” he says.
Brar was 17 when he decided to pursue a career in food. He left home to work for kebab ustaad Munir Ahmed in Lucknow. Later, he joined the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), and worked at the Taj in Delhi and Goa. He went on to open three restaurants - Morisco, Il Camino and Fishtail in Goa. When he moved to the Claridges Hotel in New Delhi, he became the executive chef of Spanish restaurant Sevilla. At 25, he was the youngest executive chef in India.
Brar asks Kushal his age, and on learning that he is just 22, says, “You haven’t done badly for yourself either.” Kushal is left smiling.
A vegetarian by birth, Kushal loves Mexican food. The lack of good vegetarian options in international cuisine in Mumbai is what led him to start his fusion, all-vegetarian restaurant. Brar lends a word of caution. “In this business, it’s easy to celebrate your laurels but the food world is so huge that you are reduced to a blip. As long as you remember this, your work will be rewarded.” According to the chef, even if five customers are happy, your job is done.
“Being in the food industry is all about the journey, you have to take pride in it. If it is a path that you chose, you will be lucky,” he says.
It’s easy to see why Brar is one of the most popular chefs in the country. A known face as the host of various food shows, he reaches out to audiences with his simple, innovative recipes, and a pinch of charm. He exchanges banter with everyone on the set, urging people to drink tea and politely requesting for extra lighting or a cleared space so the photographer can take his shot.
On being told that he has a lot of fans across social media, he smiles shyly and asks, “Really?”
Brar was the executive chef at BanQ in Boston where his menu boasted a fusion of flavours from South Asia and France. At Kushal’s restaurant, he creates a fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisines like Thai, Burmese and Chinese. Naturally, his next question concerns that muchmaligned food term - fusion. “As a term, fusion is very limiting; inspiration must be open and unlimited. For inspiration you need substance and depth. To get inspired, you need to go and eat the food, then come back and create something based on what you tasted and most importantly, what you felt,” he says.
“So instead of mixing up flavours, you need to put your feelings on a plate?” asks the curious pupil.
“Yes. The person eating at your restaurant needs to know how you felt when you had that first Burmese khow suey,” offers the teacher.
Kushal is vegetarian and Brar is judging a food show that has decided to follow an all-veg format. Talk turns to how vegetables are finally finding their spot in the sun. Brar wants to know Kushal’s thoughts on this trend. “I think vegetarian food is something that everyone can enjoy. There’s a huge flavour palate and the sheer variety of vegetables available makes for great choices,” he says.
The chef nods in agreement. “When it comes to flavours and nuances, there’s only so much you can do with meat. If you believe in flavours, then vegetables are your playground. Vegetables have subtle flavours and it is difficult to bring them out,” he says.
As the cameras start rolling around them and the studio lights flicker on, Brar shows off his knife skills. He asks Kushal to spend a day with him, promising to teach him more. Unlike other masterclasses, this one doesn’t have any food at the end of it. If Brar takes up Kushal’s offer to eat at his restaurant, there may just be another masterclass in the making.
