Chef Vicky Ratnani, Executive Chef and Culinary Director, is a celebrated culinary genius who began his journey in Mumbai, India, where his passion for cooking was ignited. Known for hosting shows, collaborating with Michelin-starred chefs, and blending traditional flavours with contemporary techniques, the Sindhi chef brought his signature recipes to JW Marriott Chandigarh.
The 2-day culinary event prepared by Chef Vicky Ratnani featured some of his much-appreciated grazing platters and Sindhi curry, all paired with the finest beverages. To get you an inside scoop of the event and the journey of the chef, Slurrp conducted an exclusive interview with Chef Vicky Ratnani.
The Journey From A Foodie To Chef
One of the most intriguing questions to ask a chef is about his inspiration behind creating the dishes. Upon being asked about his journey, Chef Vicky Ratnani shared, “I don’t have a stereotypical story of becoming a chef. I love food, I have ever since my childhood, and up to the point where I used to steal tiffins in school. I have eaten in every neighbour’s house wherever we lived.”
“Attempting to do something different than my father, I got into hotel management. But while I was in college, I started like really loving how to cook and I did a very prestigious Italian restaurant with my professor in my second year. And that was the turning point when everything I was cooking was coming out like ‘wow’. Then, I went abroad to work and it worked out really well. I became the first Indian executive chef to Manson Mandela, Queen Mary II, Queen Elizabeth II, and the list goes on,” Chef Ratnani further shares.
“Vicky Goes Veg” And The Road Ahead
Chef Vicky Ratnani talks about his show Vicky Goes Veg, “Vicky Goose Veg happened about 11 years ago. My first show on NDTV was ‘Do It Sweet.’ Then ‘Gourmet Central’ happened which was the first show on Indian television to show food from all over the world. I was then asked for a pure vegetarian show. At that point, the only vegetarian food which was there in this country in books or whatever was Indian vegetarian food or regional dishes. There was no global vegetarian cuisine. So, then we came up with ‘Vicky Goes Veg’. The show did so well that we even made it a book, which too performed great. During that time, what transformed me as a person, and as a cook, was how much you can do with vegetables, because for the show, I turned vegetarian. So, I wrote all the recipes while cooking while being a vegetarian. It was not method acting, but I just thought that ethically it would be much better if I gave meat out of my system.”
Global Cooking With The DNA Of India
“When I came back to India and I started cooking in India, you had to realise that there has to be something Indian about you or your food South. Now even the way I cook Indian food has a global touch to it as I use my sensibilities from what I've learned as a chef towards Indian food, my methods of cooking, the way I plate it, etc. My cooking style is global and very progressive. For example, I don’t overcook my vegetables. They are cooked, but still, there's a bite to it. If I am making a bhaji with carrots, I'll use baby carrots. I'll cook it in a way that it's got a little bite to it so that the nutrition and flavour are there. It's not going to be bland. There will be a bit of masala, but at the same time, you must get the taste of the carrot. All in all, my style of cooking is very fresh, my plating is very creative, and I like to see a lot of different colours on my plate,” reveals Chef Vicky Ratnani about his style of cooking.
Bites Beyond Borders At JW Marriott Chandigarh
Slurrp asked Chef Vicky Ratnani about how he likes Chandigarh and the menu he would be curating for the event, and he said, “ I love Chandigarh, I love the way people live here. They are very polished and pleasant. Talking about the menu, for starters, we have a grazing platter. I love Korean cooking, so I’m doing smoked Korean BBQ chicken skewers with peanut chilli glaze. The processing of the roast chicken is like a classic French style where it's going into a brine, when it comes out, we're going to marinate it overnight, then we're going to slow roast it. So the method is very classical French, but we’ll use Indian masalas rather than garlic and Rosemary and thyme. Then, we have Calcutta beetroot sliders in the charcoal bun with soya chop. We also have tacos served with house pickles, basil green apple chutney and saffron yoghurt. For vegetarians, I am making paneer with yellow chilli, miso, black garlic, and cream cheese. Coming to the non-vegetarian side of it, we have the Berebere spiced river sole with Ethiopian spicy tomato chutney. The basic idea is to play with new ingredients as I think as a chef we have this sociocultural responsibility to make the guests try something they usually wouldn’t.”
“Coming to the main course, I have a Sindhi kadhi with aloo tukk and ghee rice. Then, we have a charred corn and cottage cheese croquette which is almost like malai kofta with ricotta cheese served with burnt garlic saag and Italian tomato sauce. For the non-vegetarian section, we have a black masala roast chicken made with spring onion mash, black pepper and stone flavour sauce. And Sindhi lamb shanks served with Gucchi pulao and palak raita. For the dessert, I’m preparing a plate with Ricotta and mascarpone cheese crepe, rhubarb sauce, and Callebaut chocolate. All that I want to convey to everyone is to come with an empty stomach and an open mind to have a great experience.”