Vikas Khanna: I am a bhatakti aatma when it comes to food

A wanderlust when it comes to tapping the food cultures of the world and India in particular, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna was in town in search of some mouth watering Gujarati delicacies the other day. As he sat down to a freewheeling chat with AT savouring the Gujarati dal, Vikas spoke at length about what makes him look at life in a different perspective. Excerpts:
You are an avid fan of Gujarati food.What is your fave pick? So far as food is concerned, I am a bhatakti aatma. Steve Jobs had said a very nice stay foolish, stay hungry. It is apt for me. I travelled to a lot of places in Gujarat with this hunger. I had gone to Kutch where I stayed at a police station because I was told they’d guide me to a nice view early in the morning. I’ve never seen such a lovely police station, the walls of which are designed with traditional Kutchi glass work. Add to it, what they offered me was even fabulous,bajre ki roti, geeli lassan ki chutney and lal mirch with a hint of salt. I loved the sukhadi prepared by a homemaker in Surat, it melted in my mouth.
Are you enjoying your stint as a mentor on the small screen? My work is like bhakti. One can quantify a home by its worth, but my work is intangible. I tell participants of MasterChef India, ‘don’t close your eyes while you go out from here, because there is opportunity waiting for you’. Now thanks to TV there is lot of awareness about ingredients and people are willing to experiment. There are a lot of career options for those with a knack of food.
What kind of struggles determined your career? The biggest struggle was that I didn’t know English when I went to the US in 2000. The best job I did was when I was paid $18 to make phulkas for students, sometimes making 100 phulkas at a stretch. I even bathed pets to fund my studies. I did all kinds of jobs — one of my colleagues at my kitchen would tell me, ‘chef, you have done everything but for two things – except for stealing money and going for prostitution,’ and I would laugh and tell him I came abroad to learn values and that’s what I have done. I never thought of begging because I believe in dignity of labour and I know name is not earned in a day’s time. I used to mop floors, do the dishes and I worked hard because I wanted to study. I saw things change in the US after 9/11 and I weathered a lot of adversities. I went bankrupt and closed three restaurants before establishing myself. But that hunger to bring a difference to the plate kept me going.
What should be done to popularize Indian food? We need to document our own food history. Outsiders can’t look beyond the buffaloes and the bullock cart. It is our responsibility to understand the significance of the ingredients and food culture of our country which is very diverse.