Chef Kunal Kapur speaks to SANDEEP HATTANGADI at the launch of new web series ‘Sweet Break Up’.
Tell us something about your background.
I was born in New Delhi to a Punjabi family. I did my schooling from ST.Francis DE Sales and then a degree from Institute of Hotel Management, Chandigarh. I also a graduated from the Delhi University in Commerce. At a very early age, I took a liking to cooking and pursued it to become one of the most well known chefs in the country today.
Tell us about your journey to be a top chef.
Afer my Education and a degree from the Institute of Hotel Management Chandigarh, I was given a job at a top hotel in the pastries department , which is considered to be the most menial job in the chef heirarchy but I took it up as a challenge and tried to give it my best . I thought my job extended beyond working in the kitchen and I personally looked after the guests. Once the GM of that hotel saw me doing his and reprimanded me reminding that it was not my job but I was always curious to know what the customers wanted, their food and drink preferences and how we can please them.Having learnt the early lessons about cooking from his father and grandfather, I began my career around 2000, from the Taj group of hotels and worked with many of its hotels in various cities across India. After a long career at the Taj group of hotels I am now the Executive Sous Chef at the Leela Kempinski in Gurgaon. I have also opened a restaurant which has achieved the Best Restaurant Award. In January 2008, I was rated as one of the Best Indian chefs in Delhi by India Today and was also titled as “the next big guy in kebabs and curries in India”.
You are a television star too.
I have made television appearances both in India and abroad. I hosted and judged the popular Star Plus television show MasterChef India in season 1, season 2, season 3 and season 5. I hosted my first travel & food show ‘The Foodie comes to America’, shot entirely in New York and California, discovering the journey of Indian food in the USA. The show was aired on Times Now which captures my travel and culinary journey across one of the world’s most vibrant cities, showcasing the best Indo- American cuisine. I also hosted season 1 and season 2 of ‘My Yellow Table on NDTV Good Times and ‘Pickle Nation’, ‘Fit Foodie’, and ‘Celebrating Togetherness’ on Living Foodz..I was invited as a guest judge on an episode of Season 2 of MasterChef (U.S. TV series) and made a guest appearance in an episode of Chef Pankaj Ka Zayka, on Star Plus, India.
What do you feel is the reason for this burst of food shows and food channels and chef shows?
I think our food has evolved over the years . Earlier it was usually the females in our family like our mother and sisters who cooked food but now being a male chef is considered to be a premium job and has a lot of respect. With globalization and the opening of the economy and the proliferation of TV channels, we were exposed to cuisines from the distant parts of the world and the Indian food connoisseur wanted to taste such exotic cuisines and most foodies became a part of this food festivals and cookery shows which made the ladiy of the house take up notice of the various dishes, the food channels and food shows started to get more and more attention and hence this rise in food channels and food shows.
What is your new web series Sweet Break Up with Sugar Free all about?
It is a a web series, a first of its kind in the food space. The brand always thrives on innovation as key for its growth and has introduced many variants in the category for the sweet binging yet calorie conscious Indians. As an extension to its innovation drive, the brand has unveiled a new campaign ‘The Sweet Breakup’, a one-of-a-kind 5-part web-series in the food category. This web series demonstrates in an authentic way that you can indulge into your favorite dessert guilt-free without compromising on the taste. The 5- city trail as part of the campaign only reaffirmed that any sweet recreated with Sugar Free tastes the same when made with sugar. I believe this was the first time a dessert truck was going around India and hence there was a lot of excitement among people wanting to know what’s cooking.
This campaign marks the culinary journey of Sugar Free across 5 cities Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai, where celebrity chef Kunal Kapur reconstructed 5 different speciality desserts by using Sugar Free products. The brand also had on board the famous foodie duo Rocky and Mayur whose fun banter added to the entertainment element in the web-series. The journey started from Delhi where the Chef created the famous Tewari Brother’s Gulaab Jamun followed by Lucknow where Ram Asrey’s famous Malai ki Gilori was made. The truck then headed East to Kolkata where he recreated Balaram Mullick’s Sandesh and then southward to Bangalore where he made a fusion dessert using G Pulla Reddy’s Dharwad Peda and created Dharwad Peda Tiramisu. The final leg of the web series was shot in Mumbai where Chef Kapur added a spin to made Ladu Samrat’s modak and created delicious chocolate modaks. All of these were created using Sugar Free.
Why do you think that sugar control is becoming an inherent part of Indian delicacies?
Foodies now are more aware of cholesterol and diabetes and what harm they can pose for their health and as everyone is into gymmiing and exercise and six packs and and perfect figures, the Indian food lover abhors anything very sweet and hence thinks twice before partaking his favorite sweet and also goes easy on the oily fried stuff to control his cholesterol which can lead to severe cardiac problems.
LAAL MAAS
INGREDIENTS
•500 grams mutton
•3-4 Tbsp mustard oil
•5-6 Cloves
•3-4 sliced onions
•2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
•2-3 Mathania red chilli paste
•1- cup dahi
• 3-4 chopped garlic
•2-3 Tbsp ghee
•Key Ingredients: garlic, ghee, clarified butter, mutton, meat, yoghurt, hung curd, cloves, red chilli, ginger, onion, mustard, mustard oil, clove
METHOD:
•Heat oil in a pan and add cloves.
•Sauté sliced onion till golden brown.
•Now, add mutton and fry.
•Further add ginger garlic paste, Mathania red chilli paste, dahi and salt.
•Cover and cook over low flame.
•Add sautéed garlic.
•Smoke with charcoal
•Serve hot!
VEG PINDI CHOLE
INGREDIENTS INGREDIENTS
250 gms pindi chole1 Tbsp tea leaves1 Tbsp cloves3-4 cinnamon5-6 Green cardamom5-6 Black cardamom2-3 Bay leaves5-6 Ginger2-3 Green chillies1 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp dried mango powder1 tsp kasuri methi powder2 Tbsp ajwain4-5 garlic pods1 Tbsp tamarind waterBlack salt and regular salt1 tsp Red chilli powder1 tsp dhaniya powder1 tsp jeera powder.
METHOD
1 tsp Pomegranate powder How to Make Pindi Chole (My Yellow Table) Soak chole overnight, Take a clean cloth and put tea leaves, cinnamon, cloves, green & black cardamom, bay leaves in it and make a bundle (potli) out of it. In a pan put soaked chole along with the bundles spices, salt add water and allow this to boil for at least an hour. Once boiled, add turmeric powder, dhania powder, jeera powder, red chilli powder, pomegranate powder, dried mango powder & kasuri methi powder and keep aside without mixing or stirring. Heat oil in a pan, saute ajwain, ginger, garlic & green chillies, Now, pour the mixture over chole. Add water, pinch of black salt, one Tbsp. tamarind water, salt to taste and cook it over low flame. Once cooked, garnish with chopped coriander.
