HYDERABAD: Food shows in India offer a tantalising glimpse into the rich tapestry of flavours, traditions, and stories that define Indian cuisine. From showcasing regional specialties to fostering culinary innovation and cultural exchange, these shows play a pivotal role in celebrating India’s culinary heritage while also embracing the evolving gastronomic landscape. With this in mind, the “The Family Table”, a family food game show hosted by celebrity chef — Ranveer Brar — wherein two families compete against each other by preparing their legacy dish is being streamed on OTT platform Epicon. CE gets in touch with the celebrity chef Ranveer Brar about the show, his journey in the culinary world and his memories of Hyderabad cuisine.
Tell us about Family Table.
I’ve always believed that cooking by chefs, street food or royal food, has always got its due. But home food, which is truly the foundation of Indian food, never really got its due. There’s an entire genre of home cooking that lies in heirloom recipes from different families that need to come to the fore. With the Family Table, the idea is to bring those recipes, those conversations forward.
How is it different from other shows in which you are a part?
With the Family Table we hope it will tempt viewers to spend quality time in the kitchen and with each other and keep trying new recipes in the process too. In a country where our day begins with ‘Aaj khane mein kya hai!’, food becomes the perfect conversation starter.
Every family has their heirloom recipes or tips. What’s yours?
Two dishes are especially close to my heart. The earthy Kanak Kheer and Churi bring back nostalgic aromas wafting from my Biji’s kitchen, where I spent a lot of time as a kid. Another dish that I consider heirloom is Nihari, a legacy from Munir Ustad, my first teacher in my professional culinary life.
Where does Hyderabad stand in your food map?
Hyderabad has always charmed me with its history, culture and of course, its cuisine. Having grown up in the City of Nawabs, exploring the City of Nizams had been on my bucket list for a long time. I finally got to visit it during the shoot of a TV show, pretty much at the beginning of my television journey. There was so much to explore both in terms of food as well as history.
What was your initial memory of Hyderabad?
When I first visited the City of Nizams, I was quite overwhelmed as to where to begin. We were on a tight schedule and there were innumerable avenues to explore. But looking back, it was a wonderful experience, right from a simple tamarind based stew that I learned from a septuagenarian lady from a Royal family, to the Badam ki Ashrafi by Badi Bi to the classic biryani places around Charminar.
According to you, which dish reminds you of Hyderabad apart from biryani and why?
Quite a few, to be honest. They say during Ramadan, all roads lead to haleem and that’s exactly the time of the year I visited Hyderabad. It’s when some of the city’s best culinary fares are laid out for the world to see. Lukhmi is another must try at this time. The famous flat-ish mince-filled samosa variation hit all the right notes, as did the unique Pathar ka Gosht.
What’s your favourite ingredient and why?
The world knows!!! Dhaniya and ghee. Coriander in all its forms, the leaves, stems, root and the seeds even, is nothing short of superfood. They aren’t just meant to enhance flavours but they have natural antioxidant, anti-depressant, anti-microbial, anti hypertensive properties as well. And as a Punjabi, my love for ghee is a given. Not only because it was generously used in our cooking, but because it’s quite an underrated and sadly misunderstood ingredient. When used in moderation ghee is excellent for our health, both internal and external.
What inspired you to become a chef?
When I was in my pre-teens, my mother got ill and I decided to make rajma for all of us. I had no recipe but had observed when mother would cook it. It turned out good enough for father to secretly tell mom that he loved it! That sort of clinched the deal for me. And of course, the street food of Lucknow, food stories, I wanted to share all of that and more with the world.
What are the most interesting and challenging parts of the job?
Travelling to experience new cuisines, cultures, meeting people and listening to their food stories are some of the perks of what I do... and love doing! Challenge is to do them justice when I recreate those memories in my kitchen.
As a chef, you have cooked for many celebrities. Is there anyone for whom you want to cook?
I’ve cooked for Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee once and I’d have loved to do it again. Lucknow is always special to me and Vajpayee ji is always special to Lucknow. Technically he’s the first celebrity I cooked for! I idolise him for a lot of reasons, especially his statesmanship, courteousness, the poet in him and much more.
There are many luminaries in the chef world. Is there anyone you look up to?
I have been inspired by many people in my life and continue to be. Right from my Biji (grandmother), Munir Ustad, the street food vendors of Lucknow, chef Charlie Trotter, Padma Shri Imitiaz Qureshi, Heston Blumenthal to name a few.
How was your acting experience and are you planning to continue? Future projects.
Acting for me, is another medium of expression after cooking. I couldn’t have had a better launchpad than Modern Love. Rajveer seemed pretty much like an extension of me. My next with Hansal Mehta, the Buckingham Murders opened to rave reviews at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and across the world too. Definitely on the lookout for the next exciting script!