Living in times when eating out is turning out to be worth a gold bar with taxes on restaurant bills only skyrocketing, it might just be the right time for the kitchen phobics to take a leap and set up their kitchen. There couldn’t be a better time to do it, with Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna giving the world the ABC’s of cooking through his book My First Kitchen, uncomplicating the world of gastronomy. Here, in this world that the master chef leads you into, you’re freed from the hard and fast rule to stick to recipes, or ingredients you can source only from the Parisian lands — it’s only expressing yourself through food, Vikas says in this interview with us.
The rule one for kick starting the project kitchen, he says, is not looking at others’ kitchens for inspirations. “Every kitchen and its needs are different. Start with less and add later. Keep a good work surface area; it will help you to keep the kitchen clean all the time. A kitchen is created by memories. Celebrate it with friends and families. Technology is helping us in making kitchens self sufficient, invest in it to make your life easier,” Vikas lists.
Cover of the book
Through this book, published by Penguin Random House (380 pp; '1499), Vikas explains how it’s not essential to have the most perfect or the most expensive tools to do great cooking. “I had set up a banquet space in the back of my parents’ house in Amritsar. Though it was my first set-up, I made too many mistakes. When I did a catering and made money, I spent it on new kitchen stuff, majority of which I didn’t use. It became a way of living from what I had learnt. Be a minimalist. There is so much out there in the market, it’s most important to keep what is necessary,” the renowned chef shares.
Today, he is one of the most sought-after chefs for heads of states and world leaders. Does he carry his favourite knives around, we ask — “Nowadays, I source the kitchen requirements from wherever I’m travelling to — Mauviel (cookware) to Wustoff (a top knife brand). After my knife sets were taken away in Paris, I carry very light stuff,” he replies.
Presenting recipes using ingredients from all over the world using culinary techniques from every nook and cranny of India that can be made in no time, Vikas says the new-age Indian food is all about evolution. Brussels sprouts with garlic and paprika, spicy star fruit and fennel curry, spicy dates and tomatoes are some such creations from the book. “Indian food is in the constant state of evolution. Best part of this forever changing cuisine is that we are now defining Indian cuisine individually based on our palate, lifestyle, needs, time, economics and travels,” he adds.
World over, people are taking cooking more seriously, he admits. “I think in the urban lifestyle, cooking has taken a much stronger role. It’s therapeutic, not just about physical sustenance but a form of entertainment. We are becoming independent and yet connected. This book is a good guide for it,” Vikas signs off.
A lowdown
- A good work surface area helps in maintaining a clean kitchen.
- Be a minimalist. Buy less.
- A kitchen is created by memories. Celebrate it with friends and family.
- Invest in good technology to simplify your life.
