When I was a child, I remember sitting on the sofa with my mother to watch Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s ‘Khana Khazana’. Mamu used to be armed with a pad and a pen (which had a bright blue cap that I found fascinating for some reason) and she would diligently write down the recipes as Kapoor guided her (among thousands of other viewers) through them.
This ritual wasn’t just limited to my house. Many of my friends too were going through the same routine at home, with their mothers. Sanjeev Kapoor was a household name and the delicious dishes our mothers whipped up at parties and get-togethers were often attributed to him. Mamu had a famous stuffed veggies recipe that our relatives had come to anticipate whenever we had them over for dinner (which was quite frequently back then as my dad loved hosting). She got the recipe from Kapoor’s famous show but it had taken her a while to master it (with some tweaks) so she didn’t hesitate to claim it as her own.
Many of the dishes my mother made came from a thick black leather bound notebook, the pages of which were filled with recipes from ‘Khana Khazana’. I sometimes wish we had had the foresight to save that diary but it got lost as we moved homes. Back then, once my mother had memorized the recipes I guess we didn’t consider it as invaluable as I have come to think of it now.
Spoilt for choice
The good thing now is that everything that was once on that food journal of sorts can be found online. Though Sanjeev Kapoor will always be mamu’s favorite chef, there are many great chefs who share their wonderful creations freely with others on social media. Chefs like Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar, and Kunal Kapoor among others share many recipes that appeal to our Nepali palate.
Food content creators on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook also provide simple recipes for daily, wholesome meals. You no longer need to sit in front of the television, at a scheduled hour, to learn how to cook. Mamu thinks it’s a miracle and often wonders why people my age and younger don’t take advantage of this and still prefer to eat out. However, things have changed after Covid-19. Though there are many restaurants opening up, people also love to cook and host at home. And the wealth of information we have available online has made great dinner parties possible.
Over the past few years, I have been diligently collecting recipes from YouTube channels of Indian Chefs as well as saving reels of simple recipes on Instagram. My best friend shared a really long google docs full of recipes from all over the world and I was inspired to do the same. However, while food content creator’s recipes are fun and easy to replicate, the charm of learning from the top chefs is entirely different.
Learning from the pros
My first stint with online cooking lessons began with Ranveer Brar’s YouTube channel. His engaging banter makes learning to cook fun and less like a chore. I started watching them during the pandemic lockdowns and I became quite a pro in the kitchen, if I might say so myself. The thing with learning from the top chefs is that they inevitably teach you to be a good cook by arming you with skills that quick recipes never provide. For example, Brar taught me that cooking with coriander stems brings out its flavor while the leaves are used for garnishing purposes.
He said if you put coriander leaves in curry while it's cooking, the flavor gets lost in it. Whereas if you add the stem part, it cooks with the curry and gives a nice taste and aroma. I didn’t know that and all these years, I had been recklessly adding whole coriander to curries.
Chefs like Brar might seem intimidating at first. After all, they do everything so effortlessly. But overtime, you will come to emulate their techniques and understand your spices and other ingredients. I like how Brar keeps things simple. He never tells you that you need a specific ingredient to make something. He gives you alternatives. I mean, you can’t do without ‘imli’ to make ‘sambar’ but besides the absolute essentials, everything can be substituted with something else or simply not used. Great cooks give you that flexibility.
Making learning fun
I must confess that I never thought cooking could be fun. I thought of it as a mindless chore. My favorite line while growing up used to be, “Why cook for two hours for a meal you will finish in 20 minutes?” Mamu always said she enjoyed cooking because it calmed her. It was meditative. I never understood that until a few years ago. I remember Sanjeev Kapoor made cooking feel like a fun activity on his show. He enjoyed it and he wanted others to enjoy it too. It’s the same with Brar. He cooks at such a leisurely pace and his body language is so relaxed and comfortable that it makes you want to do the same when you are in the kitchen. Over time, watching him take his time in the kitchen, I too have started taking things slow. Now I don’t rush through the washing and chopping, choosing instead to savor the process and feel the different textures. The beauty of turning to the pros and not looking for shortcuts is that they really teach you that cooking can be a mindful act—something that you can enjoy and use as a relaxation technique.
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Top favorite chefs
I have mentioned Ranveer Brar repeatedly so I’m going to skip him here. But these are my other three favorite chefs who I think can teach even the most uninitiated some really cool cooking basics and tricks.
Kunal Kapoor
If you want to learn how to make amazing kebabs and curries, look no further. His is the only YouTube channel you will need. Apart from that, he also teaches you to whip up some unique chutneys and drinks.
Shirpa Khanna
Best known for winning the MasterChef India title when she was just 29, Shripa Khanna’s YouTube channel is an eclectic mix of mouthwatering recipes. If you want to learn to cook different kinds of Indian dishes, this can help.
Harpal Singh
He is an Indian chef and restaurateur. His YouTube channel is a fun one with recipes you are not likely to hear of elsewhere. One of my favorites is the ‘Spinach Corn Potato Boats’ that is easy to make, filling, and nutritious.
