Highway on their Plate

In Chandigarh for the weekend,Kapoor is taking the show to iconic places in Punjab,including the famous Pal da Dhabha. “We are hitting the highway,for dhabhas are the lifeline of Punjab and this time,the dhabha wallahs will be given a day off. The contestants will take over the kitchen,and whip up south Indian food,” says Kapoor.

A graduate in hotel management from Chandigarh,Kapoor worked as a management trainee in the kitchen at Taj Chandigarh,before moving on to work with various hotels in Delhi,Bangalore,Chennai,Goa and Kuwait. Chandigarh,however,still holds some of the yummiest memories for him. “It’s the best place for authentic,affordable and simple Punjabi food. I remember,as a student,we would make a dash to Chaplin in Sector 34; it had the tastiest food,served in liberal quantities and was light on the pockets,” he says,also going back 14 years,to the first domestic fast-food chain in the city,Yankie Doodle in Sector 17,which was renamed Hot Millions.

Cuisine-wise,the chef agrees that Chandigarh has made advancements,but his favourite here is good old Punjabi food. “Food is dependent on who is cooking it. It behaves in a certain way and pattern when in the hands of an individual,” says the chef,who feels that India still needs to standardise its cooking procedures and kitchens. “We are dependent on the chef and the agricultural produce,seasons,climate and so on. One needs to standardise cooking procedures,so that a kitchen can operate independent of a chef,” says Kapoor,adding that he also stresses on quality control in restaurants and hotels.

Coming from a family of bankers,Kapoor’s calling came at a young age,when he would watch his father,uncles and grandfather take over Sunday cooking. “I would be in charge of stirring pots,and my father would keep telling me about ingredients,spices,herbs,masalas,” he recalls.

The kitchen was and still is his comfort zone. It doesn’t matter whether he gets Michelin stars or a line of awards,what matters is getting his taste and flavour right. For him,it’s the travel and exploring of new cultures and their food that keeps his kitchen fire burning. “India is yet to be explored in terms of food. There is so much authentic,simple cooking happening in Indian homes that needs to be discovered,” he says.

Catch the Punjab Special episode on Masterchef India Kitchen Ke Superstar,Star Plus,on April 15,8 pm