Quote-Unquote with Chef Ranveer Brar
By Aryeman Raj
His innate charismatic charm has won his zillions of fans who love
not just the way he cooks but makes cooking look like kids-play. Chef Ranveer Brar keeps zooming in and
out of cookery shows and also endorses brands. In a brief chat, we target him
on some foodie-talk.
On the Indian city which has
fascinated him the most.
In the west, Kolkata is one of the most amazing
cities I’ve been to. There is China Town where ‘Indian-Chinese’ food originated.
Pujo food is a must in Kolkata if you go there during the Durga Puja
festivities.
Overall, I think temple food in India by itself is
a whole space that has not really been spoken about. In the 1150-year-old
Jagganath Puri temple in Odisha, the recipes for prasad (sanctified food) date
back 1000+ years.
On the broadening spectrum of existing food cuisines.
We have realised political
boundaries cannot define eating. So instead of ‘Gujurati food’, we have
Kathiawadi food and Surati cuisine. Hence, food is automatically becoming more
detail-oriented. Across the world as well, responsibility and detail are
becoming core drivers of cuisine.
On
using gadgets to speed up the cooking process.
Gadgets, now
I actually endorse a lot of them. They are basically a means of convenience.
For example the mixer: if I had my way I would grind my own spices by hand. Who
has the time? Think of your gadgets as time-saving devices.
On
the most required gadgets in a kitchen.
What are the essential gadgets that an average
family kitchen should have? You’d need a mixer of sorts, stick blender or
bullet blender, and if you’re health conscious, then an air fryer… not because
I endorse them!
