Join the vegan wagon

chef talk

He is creative, passionate about food, and knows his ingredients. Celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani charts nouveau recipes that he presents with a dash of showmanship in his kitchen diaries. The facebook pages of his account are replete with his worldwide travels, grabs from his TV shows and a few special moments, like the launch of his cookbook, and that of enjoying a whopper at Burger King with his little daughter.

It is a radical shift for the chef as he records a rather glamorous career curve (much like his brother, the famous photographer Dabboo Ratnani), from his days of heading the kitchen aboard luxury liners (“I have worked with 38 different nationalities so far in my career, and was even managing a team of 140 people aboard a cruise liner at one point”) to powering new-age, fusion menus at swanky resto bars like Aurus and Nido in Mumbai, to authoring books and hosting food shows. And now, he has turned vegetarian.

About his conversion to the green lifestyle, he admits candidly, “I did it for my TV show and for my cook book, Vicky Goes Veg.” As a vegetarian I certainly feel a lot lighter, more active, and sport a better skin tone. I love eating fresh salads, home-cooked rajma, and even pumpkin. My favourite vegetable is sweet potato, there is so much you can do with it. I feel garlic is one ingredient that can rev up any dish, any time. It makes for a superb conversion factor in cooking.

I find vegetarian recipes are often relegated to predictable ingredients like cottage cheese, baby corn and mushroom. Forget boredom, there is fun you can have with beetroot, bottle gourd, water chestnuts... the list is simply endless. I must confess, it is very tough to shop for fresh, local produce in India. The ingredients just aren’t available readily.”

He works at a super-hectic pace (he is now working on his latest food show, Vickypedia), but special moments at home with family count a lot for him. Vicky and his wife have affectionately nicknamed their daughter, Tanisha, Tanzy. “Though Tanzy has never baked anything in her life, she is able to speak like a pro pastry chef, having watched a multitude of baking specials and videos on YouTube and TV cookery shows. She has an amazing memory, and is great in the kitchen,” says Vicky, his fondness in full glow, for the genes Tanzy has obviously inherited.

“As a dad I feel it is vital to hang out with our kids, and be clued in with what they are doing. Else kids are quite suss, shrewd and sharp. I feel as parents, we need to tune into whatever is happening in their lives.”

Sundays are a special affair at home as lazy mornings bring in an impromptu cook-off in the kitchen. “Just the other day we made a “whatever-is-in-the-fridge” salad. Quite innovative,” shares Vicky. “We often whip up seasonal smoothies and juices. But Tanisha simply loves the pasta I prepare with mushrooms and tomatoes. There is also a recipe that we have perfected together,” he says, with a secret smile. “It is a refreshing smoothie concoction that makes you beat the heat.

Take half a fresh, crunchy red apple; half a juicy green apple. Add coconut water, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon powder and squeeze in a spot of lime. Frisk in the mixie with an ice cube, strain and serve up in a tall glass after cooling in the freezer for 10 minutes. It tastes divine. Try it!”