Chef Vicky Ratnani talks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about his latest show — Vicky Goes Desi on NDTV Good Times
What can the viewers expect from this season of Vicky Goes DesiIJ
looking at the past few shows that I have done like Vicky Goes Veg, in this season I want to share some good recipes which people already know of but there is an urban touch to the whole show. There is also a slight health angle to it, it is not diet food but it has some interesting elements like colours, in terms of combinations, that it is cost-effective and easy to cook.
Any challenges during this showIJ
When I was writing and researching the recipes, that one will get to see, I had a vision how I would have prepared the same dish using a slightly different manner. People have microwaves but most use it to just heat food. But I wanted to break the border, I wanted to tell people that you can still cook fish in an oven instead of using a kadhai. The recipes are about urban Indian cooking with a twist. Take for example a dish from Gujarat — Handvo. To give it a twist I have added some mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Today, modern-households have different spices and ingredients, the dishes I will cook will be using these in a mix and match combination with great flavours.
Should desi food not stick to traditional way of cookingIJ
In the show, we are not deviating from the traditional way of cooking a dish. We are just adding some oomph to it. In that sense, predominantly, the dishes are very Indian.
What according to you is fusion in foodIJ
When it comes to fusion, it is very important to understand what works with what. In order to fuse two cuisines, it is important to have an in-depth knowledge of the two foods that one is trying to bring together. Just because one wants to create fusion doesn’t mean that one should end up confusing the client who comes.
You usually stick to cooking vegetarian dishes. WhyIJ
There is a huge gap when it comes to cooking vegetarian food or understanding it. One has seen that when people cook vegetarian food, they stick to Indian or western. But it is more than that. Even restaurants don’t have too many cooks who use eggs in dishes. We thought to amalgamate all the elements of vegetarian food through this season and present dishes representing the world that are vegetarian.
Have the palates of people changedIJ
People have started to experiment. Modern Indian cooking, including Asian, has become prevalent. There are many cafes world over who are giving a quirky and trendy twist to Indian dishes with some great results that people are loving.
Are there a lot of takers for Indian foodIJ
Definitely. There are many who love Indian food. Indian cooking is different, we use spices and not seasonings. Each spice has to be used and mixed differently. So use them, requires experience. But globally, chefs aspire to cook Indian food in some form or the other.
nAre we used to eating daal-chawal all the time and hence vegetarians find it difficult to find food that suits themIJ
There are some things that never change and are part of our DNA. But there are many Indians who are travelling and trying out different dishes and feel that daal-chawal is not the only option. There are many vegetarian options now available. Almost 60 per cent of Indians are now willing to try these dishes.