Dashing dishes and delicious love boosters

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He was born in Amritsar, where he grew up amidst large family feasts, the seasonal produce fresh from the fields of Punjab, and of course, his biji’s (grandmother’s) traditional cooking. It was at his grandmother’s side that chef Vikas Khanna learnt the intricacies of Indian cuisine.

Khanna Sutra: Food Lessons in Love is Vikas’ latest book of recipes, celebrating the tradition of sensuous eating. He has focused on recipes that allow the special ingredients to stand out. “There are varying ingredients in different cultures, that are known to generate passion and fire within us, but the book has been confined to the culinary ingredients that have wonderful aroma, flavours and textures, and that are also visually stimulating,” shares Vikas, who was in the city to launch the fourth boutique of Celeste chocolates and talk about his book.
Michelin-starred chef Vikas, the man who also owns one of New York’s hottest new restaurants, Junoon, never tires of extolling the virtues of a man who can cook. The chef wants to make the word bawarchi sound sexy and he believes it is cool for men to cook.
“Women connect to food in a much deeper way than men. For them, a guy who cooks, can also take care of them,” he says.
Recollecting his experience of serving food at the White House, Vikas says, “I cooked a saatvik meal for the Dharmic Seva Conference for Hindu American Seva Charities at the White House and I think it was great to serve and speak about Indian food and culture. The dinner was a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.”