Chef Ripu Daman Handa will create new recipes like Moroccan tajine with a tangy twist of nimbu and aam ka aachar, fondue with red chillies and chocolate in Snack Attack-Firangi Twist. He chatted with Darpan Mago
A young boy from a lesser-known locality of Tilak Nagar in Delhi has made his grand presence felt in the cooking arena. Hailing from a family of doctors, Ripu Daman Handa decided to carve his own path and deviate from the expected family lineage. “I learnt cooking when I was in sixth standard. During my childhood, our family used to visit Gurudwara to offer services at the langar (free public canteen). Gurudwara is the place where I learnt to make rotis for the first time. My family wasn’t initially supportive of me taking up cooking as a career option. To be honest, I wasn’t good at all at academics. My father and grandfather both are doctors and it was disappointing to see their progeny lacking to make the same mark. After getting the MasterChef title, things changed,” says Ripu adding that “cooking for me was a passion that lay as an undercurrent before winning appreciation and acclaim of people.”
After the victory at season 3 of MasterChef he will now be hosting a new show Snack Attack —Firangi Twist on Zee Khana Khazana. The chef will add some firangi tadka to Indian dishes. Ripu informs, “We will have three types of menus on the show — Indian, Continental and fusion. For instance, preparation of fondue usually involves cheese and bread but I am going to prepare it with red chillies and chocolate. In a new dish Indianised sushi, I will be mixing the Japanese and Indian ingredients to come out with a new flavour. Instead of the regular rice and raw fish, I will be using poha accompanied by a stuffing of paneer or fish. We will also be showing how to make Moroccan tajine with a tangy twist of nimbu and aam ka Aachar (lemon and mango pickle). Usual Moroccan tajine has poppy seeds (khus-khus), chickpea (chana), tomato, salt and garlic but I will be modifying it by using apricots, saffron and typical Indian spices. You will also learn how to make desserts like rocky road. It is an American traditional dessert often eaten around Christmas but will be given an entirely new taste by adding a few spices.”
Ripu will also be seen enthralling the audience with his singing, dancing and some workout tips. “I have done many pull-ups and push-ups in this show,” he says. Celebrity guests are also participating in the show. After Vir Das, filmmaker Sajid Khan will be seen in one of the episodes.
Ripu is a well-travelled chef and has visited places like Paris, Dubai, United States, Singapore, Kuwait, Thailand and Switzerland. After winning MasterChef, he had plans of pursuing studies in culinary arts and was also planning to write a book. However, as luck would have it, the chef had to drop all his immediate plans due to his television shows. “I did Nach Baliye for my girlfriend Shivangi. I didn’t anticipate the overwhelming response,” he says. Now he feels that the practical exposure in cooking is better than theoretical knowledge. “Wherever I travelled, I just indulged in food. My trip to America was about three weeks long and I have relished loads of breakfast items. In Kuwait, I tried the authentic lebanese cuisine and got inspired. In Paris, I’ve had different varieties of panini just to explore their preparation style. The whole idea behind having the dishes from world over was to better understand diverse preparation styles and then come up with my own twists. I love the preparation of restaurants in Paris and I’m very keen to bring the whole concept here in India.” Ripu is also doing a food show for the audience in America and also plans to pursue a short-term course in culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America.
Ripu says more emphasis must be given on taste rather than blindly following the recipe. A keen observer of fusion trends in Indian food industry, he says, “It doesn’t matter what a dish it is, but a little alteration in taste can do wonders and this is precisely the twist I’m looking for. There is a small and popular restaurant near Tilak Nagar called Tummy Section. The owner of the place is my school friend. Once I asked him that the shawarma in his menu wasn’t the original dish but a simple combination of masala chicken slices with chopped onions and tomatoes. Though shawarma is originally an Arab dish and involves far greater ingredients, Tilak Nagar has found its own way of preparing it. After going through many such incidents in Delhi restaurants, I realised that even if a dish isn’t made of exact ingredients, it can still make a name with simple alterations. Belonging to a regular Punjabi family in West Delhi, many are now bored of ordering the usual shahi paneer, dal makhni and butter naan. People need a twist and I have got the answers.”
Basil, cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, garlic and mustard seeds are the top six ingredients for Ripu Daman. He informs that Khari Baoli in Chandni Chowk is the best place to shop for spices and INA market is a host of quality sea food. Ripu also informs that though he relishes his food but doesn’t like cooking for himself. “If I cook for myself I’d eat around two rotis and if my mother or someone else cooks for me, I end up eating four rotis,” says Ripu.