Ranveer Brar: I’ve heard Kanpur food is very tasty

Chef Ranveer Brar wants to try out the traditional recipes of Kanpur
Becoming a chef was a challenge
Born and brought up in Lucknow, chef Ranveer Brar, now known all over the world, says he faced quite a lot of opposition from his family when he decided to be a chef. “Initially my family was against the idea. My father wanted his kids to be engineers or doctors and he was quite surprised with my choice of vocation,” says Ranveer, who was in Kanpur recently to promote his show.“Nobody thought that being a chef would be a lucrative profession. But I was determined, and here I am. In fact, because of my passion for food I was nicknamed ‘Langari’ (person who operates a Langar) at home. I am happy that I managed to prove that I am in the right profession and my family is also proud of me now,” says Ranveer, who runs his own restaurants in Boston and Singapore.
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Cooking is an Art
According to Brar, cooking is like any other art. “Cooking is an art that is why it is called ‘Paak kala’. It’s good that food is being talked about and given so much exposure in magazines and on TV.” He adds, “It has increased people’s awareness about food, which is such an integral part of our lives. Today people love spending a good amount of money on having the best of food. In fact, I still consider myself a student of this art.”
A wish list for Kanpur
Afoodie, Ranveer doesn’t miss an opportunity to try out old recipes. “I love to eat food and also to cook. I specially am fond of traditional food. I love to dig out recipes from old khansaamas. There’s a 95 year old khansaama in Lucknow named Mubarak Ali. He once prepared matar pulao, bota and rasawal for me. I made it a point to learn the recipes of those from him. People say that old khansaamas don’t share their recipes with other chefs, but I am lucky that whenever I have asked recipes from all these all old cooks, they have never hesitated to share them with me,” says Brar, whose wish list for Kanpur includes tasting the Kadhau Gosht made in Jajmau during the annual Urs held in December there, and of course Thaggu Ke Laddoo. “In fact, I’ve heard that one gets very tasty food in Kanpur. I want to come here and try out some of the traditional recipes of Kanpur,” says Ranveer.
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