Vicky goes voracious

Retaining the traditional flavours and keeping up with the contemporary times, celebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani is known for his ‘modern’ Indian dishes. The famous host of cooking show Vicky Goes Veg, Ratnani is bowled over by Chandigarh and its lovely people. “Chandigarh is rather too organised compared to the rest of India. And people here sure have a fine palate,” shares Ratnani, in Chandigarh on Thursday.

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Quick notes…

All-time favourites: Sindhi curry, rajmah chawal, biryani of all kinds

Favourite cook: My mother and nani. I try many of their recipes

Eating out: Many small local joints — a dosa here, chaat there, spread across Mumbai

Favourite ingredients: Namak, you really can’t do much without it when it comes to cooking

When not cooking: Writing menus, consulting, travelling, and bonding with the family

His love for food started in his Sindhi family in Mumbai, where his buas, nani and the extended family enjoyed cooking. Love for eating drew him to the world of cooking. While it seemed spontaneous at that time, looking back he can draw the connections. With formal training from the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, Vicky honed his skills in top Indian hotels and restaurants. Not a believer of hathon main jadoo, he maintains, “Vo jadoo create karna padta hai. Just like a mother’s cooking gets only better with time, similarly a chef too needs practice to be near perfect.”

Interestingly, his mother’s side of the family is all vegetarian and father’s staunch non-vegetarian, so he grew up savouring the best of both worlds. While he didn’t go veg forever, the host of the popular show Vicky Goes Veg did abstain from meat for a while. He has also written a book by the same name. He explains, “I was experimenting with this veg show. During this while, I tried to stay vegetarian thinking myself as stranded on an island that only had vegetables! It helped me be a little more creative.”

If cooking he’s in love with, camera isn’t unwelcome either. “While hosting the show, there were times when I even forgot that there was a camera in front of me,” he chuckles. Modern Indian cooking is his signature style. “It’s only now that we talk of celiac diet, earlier we have had gluten in almost everything. With veganism and celiac diets, there is a need to rethink the traditional recipes and that’s what I do. Modern cooking methods and aid from technology has really made work in the kitchen faster,” he shares. Creating different combinations and playing with aesthetics of serving is what he revels in.

Carrying his special Maharashtrian masala, a couple of Sindhi recipes and experience of travelling around the world, Chef Ratnani is holding a special two-day culinary event that will conclude today at XO — JW Marriott. The dinner feast promises a variety of his signature dishes, from grazing platters and Sindhi curry to desserts paired with the finest beverages. “I shall have my mother’s special Sindhi curry and nani’s aloo tuk, amongst others,” he beams.

When not cooking, Ratnani is busy writing menus, consulting, reading, travelling and bonding with his family. “I love music, to watch films and go trekking.”

To those eyeing a career in the culinary field, Ratnani says, “It’s a very competitive field. There is rising demand, changing expectations. Travelling has sure made Indians open-minded as far as food choices are concerned, but Indians in general are pretty demanding. So pressure is high in professional kitchens.”