Masterchef judges Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Kunal Kapur on India’s moment at the global culinary table

Khanna credits Brar for his calm amid chaos and Kapur for anchoring him when he first joined MasterChef in Season 2 and struggled with Hindi, being more fluent in Punjabi and English. We speak to the trio about the reality show, the evolution of Indian cuisine and the ever-changing dining landscape. Excerpts:

Fifteen years and 11 seasons of MasterChef India later, how has the show evolved?

Vikas Khanna: It was one season old when I came onboard and I remember seeing briefs where the word was written as “masterchief”. People didn’t know the word yet. The show entered living rooms and slowly gave the profession an identity. That transition, of recognising who a chef is and what he or she does, was one of the biggest changes the show brought in.

Kunal Kapur: We’ve all grown with the show, be it the judges, the contestants or the country. Fifteen years ago, no one spoke about a “food economy.” MasterChef helped spark a larger movement: appreciating our own food, our regional nuances and the people who cook — whether at home or professionally. It also changed how we consume certain ingredients. Something like avocado that once felt alien, today is as common as nimbu or mirchi.

Ranveer Brar: India’s relationship with food has changed exponentially, not gradually. People now travel for food and food conversations are everywhere, from television to social media.

The judges with the participants on the sets of MasterChef India (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

In a country where intuition often matters more than measurement, how do you balance instinct versus technical perfection while judging?

Ranveer Brar: Instinct comes only after the fundamentals are in place. Like any art form, you first master technique, then you flow. Early on, we judge contestants strictly on technique. As they grow, technique is a given and that’s when instinct and creativity begin to matter more.

Kunal Kapur: Technique is paramount but intuition is the DNA of food. Ingredients change every season: chillies vary in heat, turmeric changes colour with different brands, produce responds to soil and weather. Cooking isn’t factory-made; it’s deeply responsive and that’s why intuitiveness is built into cooking but technique is where you refine this intuitiveness.

Vikas Khanna: Having spent most of my life in the West, for me, measurement is critical, especially when you’re cooking with teams from different cultures. That precision allows the cuisine to translate accurately to a global audience. Intuition, for me, lives within the structure of symmetry, mathematics and balance.

Vikas, your food is deeply rooted in memory and nostalgia. Do you worry that we’re losing recipes that were never written down?

Indian food’s strength lies in its fluidity. Unlike rigid cuisines like French, our cuisine allows evolution. That flexibility is why Indian food is finally finding its global voice. Being too rooted can also mean being stuck.

Where do you think the next global leap for Indian food will come from — fine dining, regional kitchens or home cooks?

Kunal Kapur: Restaurant chefs consciously drawing inspiration from local cuisines. Smaller menus, sustainability, regional pride — this is driving excitement and global interest.

Ranveer Brar: It has to come from everywhere — fine dining, home cooks. If one side grows alone, the bubble bursts. Indian food needs a collective push.

Vikas Khanna: Change happens through awareness and by putting chefs at the forefront. When we entered the industry, people knew only the owners or manager. When diners trust the chef behind the plate, cuisine gains credibility.

 

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Indian food, from dishes to ingredients across the country, is finally getting its due, both at home and globally. Who do you credit for this shift and where do you see it going next?

Vikas Khanna: If there’s one person who introduced Indian food to the West, it’s Madhur Jaffrey. She was the first reference point for Indian cooking for Americans and the British and, decades later, her books are still on shelves. Another key figure was Floyd Cardoz, who brought depth, confidence and modernity to a global stage. Today, even non-Indian chefs engaging seriously with Indian cuisine make a difference. When someone like Gordon Ramsay explores Indian food, it expands reach and legitimacy. That said, we’re far from where we should be. Despite the sheer number of Indian restaurants in the US, representation at platforms like the James Beard Award is minimal (Khanna has been shortlisted in ‘Best Chef: New York State’ category). Asian cuisines, especially Korean, are still far ahead. Indian food has begun its global journey but we need many more Indian chefs on the global stage.

Kunal Kapur: I agree. I would add Himanshu Saini, who has emerged as a global face of Indian cuisine at a very young age, and Gaggan Anand, who reshaped how Indian food is perceived internationally. Within India, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor remains transformative. He didn’t just popularise Indian food, he made cooking a respected, aspirational career, giving families the confidence to support it.

Ranveer Brar: What Madhur Jaffrey did for Indian food abroad is what Sanjeev Kapoor did at home. The next milestone was achieved by Manish Mehrotra, followed by the current generation — Prateek Sadhu, Himanshu Saini, Varun Totlani, Hussain Shahzad, who are pushing boundaries. If I were to use a cricket analogy, Indian food hasn’t even reached its Gavaskar era yet. We might be the early players, perhaps, the Vinoo Mankads of this journey. The current generation could be the Gavaskars and the ones after them will be the Virat Kohlis, the rock stars of food. Indian food’s global story is only just beginning.

What’s next for each of you?

Vikas Khanna: Bungalow is my last restaurant. I am also working on my film about a failed chef seeking redemption in India, which releases this year. It stars Shabana (Azmi), Prateik (Patil Babbar) and has music by AR Rahman.

Ranveer Brar: A long, at least, six-month break. I felt like I am doing the same things over and over again. I was never that guy and I don’t want to be that guy now at 50.

Kunal Kapur: For me, it’s balance, doing meaningful work that doesn’t feel like work. Goa is calling. I am opening a restaurant there called Pincode Bungalow.