Influencer alleges paneer used at Gauri Khan’s Torii is fake as Virat Kohli, Shilpa Shetty’s outlets pass; restaurant responds, ‘We stand by our ingredients’ purity’

At Virat’s restaurant, the influencer ordered their famous paneer chawal. Before eating the dish, the influencer did the iodine test on paneer to find out whether or not the paneer used is real. However, Virat’s restaurant passed the test.

His next stop was Shilpa Shetty’s restaurant, Bastian. Here too, the paneer used in the dish passed the viral iodine test. The influencer then moved to Bobby Deol’s Someplace Else, which too passed the test, suggesting the paneer used is not fake.

 

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A post shared by Sarthak Sachdeva (@sarthaksachdevva)

At the end, Sarthak headed to Gauri Khan’s newly opened restaurant Torii, where he ordered a fancy paneer dish. However, he alleged that the paneer used in the dish was fake. The video posted a day ago, garnered over 5.5 million views and attracted attention of many.

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One of the users commented, “Appreciate your honesty. Not everyone has courage to do this.” However, others defended Gauri and said, “Dude, don’t drag Shah Rukh Khan in between this as it is his wife’s restaurant. Also, it’s not like Gauri personally goes grocery shopping.” Other comments read, “The risk you have taken to say anything to Shahrukh’s restaurant 🙄let us know if u get any threats…fyi we wont be able to do anything.” “The paneer used in SRK’s retaurant was also real. Sometimes the starch gets stuck on paneer, which makes it fail the iodine test, get it checked in lab before claiming anything.” “Do u know they can file a complaint against u for unnecessary defaming their business?”

The video soon captured the attention of the restaurant’s official Instagram page, who in their defence said, “The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. As the dish contains soy-based ingredients, this reaction is expected. We stand by the purity of our paneer and the integrity of our ingredients at Torii.”

Replying to Torii’s comment, the influencer wrote, “So am I banned now? BTW your food is amazing.”

They also shared an official statement, which read, “We are utterly surprised at the news of ‘fake paneer’ being served at Torii. The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. For all dishes that contain soy-based ingredients (a staple in Asian food) this reaction is expected. From sourcing our produce to the food being served on the plate to our patrons, there are quality checks at every step of the way. Our commitment to excellence in the food we serve remains unwavered.”

What is iodine test for paneer?

It is a quick way to check for starch adulteration in paneer. If paneer changes colour to blue or black when iodine is added, it means the presence of starch, suggesting it might be adulterated. Pure paneer is made from milk proteins and should not turn blue or black when treated with iodine. To do the test, add a few drops of iodine solution (tincture) to a piece of paneer. No colour change proves it is pure and changing colour to blue or black indicates it contains starch.