The Brown Scooter January, 2015 | Page 10

TBS: From Bhutan to India, your show on sweets. - The Taste of India - has surely left people drooling and craving for sweets. According to you, which are the 5 cities in India to eat sweets? VK: I think travel has taken me to each and every sweet shop in India, and I feel really lucky because of that. If I had to choose 5 cities that serve the best Indian sweets, in no particular order, it would be Mysore, Jaipur, Ahmadabad, Kolkata and Old Delhi; Old Delhi being my favourite. I simply admire the taste and deliciousness the city offers! TBS: So then which would be your favourite sweet? VK: The Rajasthani Ghevar. You won’t believe, the first time I made a Ghevar it was made so perfectly that out of excitement I threw it in the air! I tossed the pan and went dancing around saying I created it perfectly, only to realise it cracked out of my excitement. Same thing happened when I created Soan Papdi. On most occasions I get carried away with excitement! TBS: Women admire your cooking and you have a great female fan following who simply adore your personality. What should a lady cook to impress you? VK: (laughs) Haske kuch bhi khila do main kha lunga. I can be impressed with anything someone cooks for me with love. My producers say, “Sir, if we make you the only judge of Masterchef India, you will make everyone a winner”. In fact if anyone makes a simple comfort dish like a daal, with a lot of love and soulfulness,it would be more than enough to impress me. TBS: What is that one tip that you would like to give for perfect cooking? VK: I often advice people that fast cooking is not the best cooking. Greatest of dishes need their own sweet time to cook. In our households, I have never seen Indian women going full throttle to make a roti or any curry; that’s because every ingredient needs the reverence to be cooked. Photo courtesy - Vikas Khanna Group TBS: It's been a pleasure chatting with you! Thank you so much chef Vikas Khanna for taking a ride on The Brown Scooter and we wish you loads of success for your new season of Masterchef India.