On my pinboard: Ranveer Brar

Ranveer Brar, chef, TV show host, judge and food stylist, began his career at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Soon, he launched three restaurants in Goa — ‘Morisco’, a seafood restaurant, ‘il Camino’, an Italian restaurant and an open-air barbeque eatery called ‘Fishtail’.

His Franco-Asian restaurant in Boston won many awards and over the years, Ranveer has become one of the most sought-after chefs, not just in India but around the globe. He was seen in season four of MasterChef India as one of the judges alongside Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikas Khanna.

For a long time now, Ranveer has been hosting different television shows like ‘Breakfast Xpress’, ‘The Great Indian Rasoi’, ‘Food Tripping’ and ‘Thank God It’s Fryday’. He can currently be seen on LF’s ‘Himalaya – The Offbeat Adventure’; he is seen playing the role of a storyteller and exploring a personal experience as he discovers the undiscovered the Himalayan range.

DISH

Khichdi

“Khichdi is my go-to comfort food. With all the eating that I do while travelling, this is one dish that helps me relax and feel at home. I also enjoy relishing East Bengal cuisine, because of its rustic nature. The fact that it is prepared with hyperlocal ingredients, makes it rich in flavours. The ‘Chital Macher Muitha’, a fish kofta dish, prepared especially during Pohela Boishakh is one of my favourite.”

TRAVEL DESTINATION

Dharamshala

“After my recent visit to the Himalayas, it will be Dharamshala. The small pockets of quaint and quiet activism in this place attract me a lot. Konya in Turkey is yet another place I would like to visit again. It is the resting place of Rumi and has a serene vibe. For me, travelling is all about exploring and analysing — I become like a sponge when I am on the move. I am not a very social person because there is a lot of information I am processing and experiences I am measuring.”

CHEF

Rick Stein

“Growing up, I looked up to the American chef, Charlie Trotter. But in terms of a travelling chef, I draw inspiration from Rick Stein. He is a British chef who is the most perceptive traveller I have known.”

BOOK

‘The Botany of Desire’

“I enjoy reading non-fiction and poetry books. ‘The Botany of Desire’ and ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’ by Michael Pollan are still my favourite go-to books. I am currently reading ‘The History of Ancient India’ by Tony Joseph. Apart from this, there are a lot of books on food that I read frequently.”

INSPIRATION

Surjeet Kaur (Grandmother)

“She was a frail old woman from the outside but was a tough person on the inside. In spite of seeing a lot in life, she made sure that everybody was taken care of and we as kids imbibed values more than education. That’s something I have learnt from her — principals and values are more important that books.”