Kitchen is a melting pot of the Shadrasas

Celebrity chef, TV show judge, author and food stylist, Ranveer Brar's passion for food has driven him to every nook and corner of the world. He was inspired by the local Kebab vendors in Lucknow and one such kebab ustad, Munir Ahmed, tutored Brar on the finer points of kebab making. That was the epiphanic moment that made him choose cooking as his calling. He became the youngest executive chef at a five star hotel at the age of 25. In an interview with Veerendra Bhargava he explained his views on Kitchen. Excerpts.

What is your first impression when you hear the word 'Kitchen'?

My entire professional life! A place of worship. Our scripts define 'Rasoi' as the place where the Rasas come together, through food. So for me, the term 'Kitchen' is a melting pot of the shadrasas, or 6 tastes, of life, interpreted through food. 

What is the importance of the kitchen in your day-to-day life?

This is where I draw my energy from, be it the home kitchen or the professional kitchen. I believe that a cook is no less an artist. Just as artists express themselves through their art, be it painting, sculpting, embroidery, so too do cooks/chefs, who express themselves through the food they cook. I enter my kitchen as an artist would in their studio, thinking, what can I create today.

What do you have to say on the gradual development of the concept of working kitchen when you started your career and now?

I think a lot has changed, especially since the time I joined the industry. What is important is to realise that working kitchens have become more efficient, more space-saving, more well-planned, more multi-use.

What is the most challenging job in the kitchen in your opinion?

I feel that would be the washing job, dish washing, appliances and accessories washing and the most ignored as well.

How do you maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the Kitchen?

Hygiene and cleanliness is a coordinated effort between science and processes. Using the right chemicals along with the right processes to use them and right processes to audit various hygiene methods and results. Also training plays a big role in understanding the standards of hygiene and cleanliness at a working place, given people join from different backgrounds, it's imperative for everyone to be on the same page.

Tell us about the safety features of your kitchen.

For me, in a professional kitchen, safety is three-fold. That would be – Fire safety, Food safety and Employee/Life safety. W.r.t Fire safety, regular audits, regular checks, fire drills, having the right quantity and apt placement of fire-fighting devices and so on. For Food safety, following FSSAI standards is imperative, ensuring that the staff is trained in the same, understanding the concept of time and temperature control, understanding the need for logging, tracking and being updated in the space of food safety and the current standards.

In terms of employee safety, it has a lot to do with facilities, kitchen and workflow planning, creating efficient spaces, that use the right materials to avoid accidents, using the right workflow methods, no overlaps and so on. In short, planning an optimal use of the overall facility and resources, making it conducive to safety and avoiding accidents is very important.

Which method of cooking do you pursue in your kitchen, traditional or modern?

That mostly depends on the dish I am cooking. If it's an Indian dish or I am trying to get to traditional flavours,, I use traditional methods of cooking. If however, the dish calls for more modern techniques or needs accentuating, I use modern methods & equipments of cooking.

Do you have a penchant for using new technology gadgets in your kitchen? Have you added any lately?

I am not really a gadget person, I am more a pots n pans person. My latest collection would be more traditional earthenware, copperware and so on. There are the basic gadgets in place too, such as Robot Coupe, Thermomixers, smoking guns, spherifiers, however, I think it's a personal choice & evolution to move more towards traditional methods.

Describe the role of the trained staff in your kitchen? Do you face any specific challenges in hiring the desired staff?

From what I have observed over the past some years is that the role and availability of trained staff have seen an overhaul. I'm using technology and processes in the kitchen to reduce dependency on trained manpower. Happy to say that across our various outlets we have been able to reduce our dependence on trained manpower by at least 20% taking it forward to semi-trained manpower processes and technology.

Frozen foods are becoming popular now-a-days. What are your views on Frozen Foods?

I've always said that the bigger need in our country beyond gourmet food is logistical support to feed people. The Frozen food ecosystem is really important to build that and the demand for frozen food is also really important to build those logistics and cold chains. I've always said and believed that frozen and safe is better than fresh and spoilt. I think at a lot of places, if there is a choice to opt for be food safe and standardized, frozen foods sit well. And if they sit well, I feel one should order them, because it creates demand and helps build the frozen food ecosystem more, thereby avoiding starvation in the bigger, macro economy. 

What are the different sources of inspiration that you look up to while designing the menu of the restaurant and buffet? How frequently do you change the same?

Sources of inspiration are typically, where you are from and where you are at, what grows around there, food habits of people where you are and what inspires you during your travels, people you meet. According to me, the greatest challenge for a chef would be simplification of all these inspirations into an uncomplicated, understandable dish.

What are the essential health and lifestyle trends prevailing now-a-days that you like to incorporate in the kitchen?

The difficult past few months have shown us the power & importance of home food, what we grew up eating, what our DNA is shaped by. When I and my team were working hard to get recipes to people stuck at home, people who had never cooked before or not much, I realized that the maximum demand was for simple, day-to-day home food. And this is what is here to stay, going back to roots, identifying food at the sub regional and hyper local levels.

More and more people are becoming calorie conscious. Keeping the statement in mind, what are the dessert trends followed in the restaurants?

Trends are more based on sustainability and well being rather than just health. I think we are in a stage, globally, where we understand that our health is related to the overall health of the planet. Hence, trends that alter the planet health positively automatically are beneficial for us. So we are moving from personal choices to community choices and definitely from fitness to overall well-being, where food is not just for the body, but also for the mind.

Ingredients play an important role in food preparation. Do you prefer using local ingredients in your preparations? How do you select the vendors?

Local ingredients are what we prefer. We choose our vendors based on integrity and their commitment towards the produce.

What is your criteria for selecting the utensils? Is there any specific brand that you use more than others?

That would essentially be based on the menu. The kind of food determines the kind of utensils to be used to cook them. We try and go with conventional utensils, both in terms of shape and materials. It makes the final product more authentic.

Throw some light on the selection of crockery and cutlery?

Similar to my observation above, again this is very menu driven typically. I personally prefer natural shapes, cleaner designs and earthy colours.

Which are the upcoming cuisines in focus?

From what I have observed in the past months is that we are re-tracing our steps towards our own cuisine, not just traditional, but regional and sub-sub regional. And this is what is making a comeback in a big way, into menus and eating preferences in general.

Do you conduct food festivals? How do you decide on a particular theme? Do you think that regional cuisines are a good theme?

Food festivals should be a celebration of seasons, of various occasions and celebrating cuisines that are related or in context with the broader scheme of the restaurant. Those are the kind of food festivals we like to do.

Do you agree that there is a need to change the curriculum of culinary courses in India?

Yes, I do believe the curriculum needs to undergo a change. 70% of it is already in place since it's about the basics. The other 30%, especially w.r.t International cuisine, needs to be relooked at. The exploration of modern cuisine and regional Indian cuisine needs to get a little more detailed.

What are your views on framing the curriculum designed especially for Indian food?

I've always been in favour of framing the curriculum design favouring Indian food typically because it's the right thing to do. Our Kitchens and our understanding of cuisine is very structured. We haven't been able to give it the kind of importance it deserves. If we are able to do that, it'll be a big step forward for culinary education in India.

India is extremely diversified whereas its food culture is concerned. What according to you is the scope of popularizing Indian regional cuisines across the globe?

Indeed, ours is a vast repertoire of recipes, documented and otherwise that needs to be out there for the world to know better. I think the best way to do it is to represent them well to be able to justify their evolution and significance.

How do you define your 'Dream Kitchen'.

My Dream Kitchen would ideally be defined by – Less is More, w.r.t people, processes and the space it occupies.

(This story has been published under arrangement from Better Kitchen magazine)