Vikas Khanna Biography
Vikas Khanna is an Indian Chef, restaurateur, cookbook writer, filmmaker and humanitarian. He is one of the judges of Star Plus series MasterChef India. He is based in New York City.
Vikas Khanna Age
Vikas Khanna was born on 14 November 1971 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. He is 47 years old as of 2018.
Vikas Khanna Height/Weight
Vikas Khanna stands at a height of 1.84 m. He has a weight of 82 kg (181 lbs pounds)
Vikas Khanna Net worth
Vikas Khanna has an estimated net worth of $ 54 million.
Vikas Khanna Family
Vikas Khanna was born to Davinder Khanna and Bindu Khanna Khanna. He was born with misaligned feet and wasn’t able to run until he was 13.
Vikas Khanna Photo
Vikas Khanna Education
Vikas Khanna graduated from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in 1991. He has also studied at Cornell University, Culinary Institute of America and New York University.
Vikas Khanna Chef
Vikas Khanna was inspired by his grandmother who loved to cook, whereby her kitchen became a part of his foundational training. He began developing recipes at a very young age and opened Lawrence Gardens Banquets to host weddings and family functions when he was 17. He has cooked for celebrities and presidents from different countries, won several titles and awards, and built an empire from scratch in the Big Apple, but today he takes some time out to give us his fitness mantras. Along with how he maintains that sexy body, he also tells us about his idea of a perfect (and healthy!) dinner date.
Most chefs are known on the stouter side, but Vikas Khanna is known for great physique even after trying and tasting food from all over the world. He confesses, “I’m very disciplined when it comes to eating and working out. I generally workout 6 hrs a week, plus 2 hrs running. Even though Vikas Khanna travels and tries out local food he follows a healthy meal routine: “I’m generally on a high protein diet. Egg whites, lots of daals and sprouts, grilled chickens. One very important rule is that I never eat past 9ish pm.” But there are times when he cannot escape unhealthy food, “Once I had to cook an entire meal around Foie Gras for BMW and I had to keep on tasting it all day long.”
A chef’s kitchen reveals a lot about him. Vikas let’s us in on the five most healthy ingredients he has in his kitchen – Boiled eggs, protein bars, lots of fruits, dry fruits and sprouts. Did you know his favourite comfort food is ‘rich creamy chicken tikka masala?’ Most women would agree, he is definitely the Indian variant to Take Home Chef, while most men would love to be him and serenade their lady love with his kind of food. So what is a dinner date with Vikas Khanna like? Without revealing much, he coyly shares a dating tip, “I generally decide on the menu after I understand the person’s beliefs. It’s even more important than the cooking itself. Generally I keep it very simple and prepared.”
Does he believe that there is a common perception about Indian food being too oily, too spicy and/or too sweet? “It’s true that the perception of Indian cuisine is sometimes all this. But I consider India’s home cuisine extremely Healthy. I tend to focus on that style more to create a balance.” says Vikas. We read and loved his book Flavors First, especially its take on simple and healthy food. So what can we expect from his next endeavour, ‘Cooking for Life?’ “Generally, when I host big events around US or the World, I love to document the recipes cooked and served. So, not only does it keep the work-talent alive, but also supports an on-going support of the cause. Cooking for Life, will be in India next year.” Quite a wait for his Indian fans!
Vikas Khanna Career
While in India, Khanna worked for the Taj Hotels, Oberoi group, Welcome group, and Leela Group of Hotels. He had worked at Salaam Bombay and The Café at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York before he joined Junoon, an upscale Indian restaurant in Flatiron district of Manhattan. Junoon received a favorable review from Sam Sifton in The New York Times in its inaugural year and has been awarded a Michelin star by the Michelin Guide for 6 consecutive years since 2011. He has also worked with some of the most influential and award-winning chefs of the world like Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert, Bobby Flay and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Vikas Khanna Television shows
In 2011, he hosted the 2nd season of Master Chef India, which is a series based on the original British version. He has been hosting all the seasons of the show since then. Khanna was invited as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia in Season 6.
He has hosted four seasons of the show Twist of Taste on Fox Life.
He was featured as a Consultant chef on the Gordon Ramsay TV series Kitchen Nightmare.
He appeared as a judge and an Indian-cuisine specialist on the two-part season finale of Hell’s Kitchen.
He has appeared on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay as a judge and as a guest chef on The Martha Stewart Show.
Vikas Khanna Film Production
Khanna has produced a documentary series named Holy Kitchens, whichexplores the bond between faith and food. The series has been showcased at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and OxfordUniversities and Film Festivals. His documentary “Kitchens of Gratitude” was featured at Marche du Film at the69th Cannes Film Festival. His directorial debut ‘The Last Color‘ is a film about the daily struggles forsurvival on the streets of the ancient city of Banaras, India. The teaser of the film featuring veteran Indian actress Neena Gupta wasreleased at the 71st Cannes Film Festival[.
Vikas Khanna Philanthropy
Vikas Khanna launched the foundationof “South Asian Kid’s Infinite Vision” to focus on worldwide issues that demand urgent action such as Tsunami Relief, Hurricanesof the Gulf Coast, Haiti. In collaboration with charitable institutions, such as Save the Children, the foundation has hosted many events worldwide – from The Great Pyramid of Gizain Egypt to the Taj Mahal in India.”Cooking for Life” founded by Khanna in 2001 in New York along with the world’s top chefs supports several social causes. Vision of Palate is his awardwinning workshop developed to educate people with visual disabilities about the sense of taste, flavor and aromas. On 14 May 2012, he cooked for a fundraiser hosted for President Obama atthe Rubin Museum of Art in New York City Khanna is the goodwill ambassador for Smile Foundation and supports the cause of malnutrition in India. He pledged to raise 1 million US dollars for the same.
Vikas Khanna Awards and Recognitions
- Michelin star for his restaurant Junoon by Michelin Guide for 6 consecutive years.
- Top 10 Chefs in the world by Deutsche Welle News and Gazette Review.
- Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris causa) Degree by the G D Goenka University.
- Doctorate in literature (Honoris causa) by D Y Patil University.
- James Beard Foundation Award nomination for his book Return to the Rivers in 2014
- “Rising Star” Chef Award by Star Chefs for his role in shaping the future of American Cuisine” (2011)
- GQ India Man of the year 2012 by GQ Magazine
- Featured in the list of Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine in November 2011.
- “Access to Freedom Award” in 2005 from SATH.
- The Shining Star Award from “Just One Break, Inc.”
- Proclamation from the New York City Council for his outstanding contribution to the city, and was chosen “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1.
- Featured on the cover of Men’s Health India Magazine in 2012
- He was voted “New York’s Hottest Chef” in a poll conducted by the New York Eater blog
Vikas Khanna Bibliography
1. Ayurveda – The Science of Food and Life
2. Mango Mia – Celebrating the tropical world of Mangoes
3. The Cuisine of Gandhi – Based on the beliefs of the Legend
4. The Spice Story of India
5. New York Chefs Cooking for Life
6. Modern Indian Cooking
7. Flavors First: An Indian Chef’s Culinary Journey
8. My Great India Cookbook
9. Khanna Sutra: Food Lessons in Love
10. Everyone Can Cook
11. Savour Mumbai: A Culinary Journey Through India’s Melting Pot
12. Young Chefs
13. Return to the Rivers – Recipes and Memories of the Himalayan River Valleys
14. Bliss of Spices – The Essence of Indian Kitchen
15. Hymns from the Soil – A Vegetarian Saga
16. Amritsar – Flavours of the Golden city
17. The Magic Rolling Pin
18. World Feast – My Favourite Kitchen
19. MasterChef India Cookbook
20. Shaken & Stirred – 101 non-alcoholic blends
21. Timeless Legacy – His Holiness the Dalai Lama
22. The Milk Moustache
23. UTSAV – A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals
24. Indian Harvest – Classic and Contemporary Vegetarian Dishes
25. Essence of Seasoning – My All Time Favorite Recipes
26. Mocktails, Punches, and Shrubs
27. My First Kitchen
28. A Tree Named Ganga
29. POEATRY – Poems from the heart of farms and a kitchen
30. PÃTRA – Heritage of the Indian Kitchen
31. The Last Color
32. The Wholesome Grain
33. Pilgrim’s Flavours
Vikas Khanna Recipes
Here is an innovative, elaborate and rich dish made using bananas and capsicum that will be loved by your vegetarian family. If you get this dish right, you will be winning half the battle in your new home.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 large onions, finely sliced
- Unripe bananas (boiled)
- Potatoes (boiled)
- Coriander (chopped)
- Chilli and salt to taste
- 2 tsp gram flour and ½ tsp green cardamom powder
- 2 medium capsicums cleared of seeds and white pith
- 1 ½ clarified butter (ghee)
Tangy Sorbet
Method:
- Fry some onions in a pan till it turns golden. Crush or chop the fried onions and keep aside.
- Peel the bananas and potatoes and mash well.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas and potatoes with browned onions, ginger-garlic paste, chopped coriander, chilli powder, gram flour, cardamom powder and salt and mix thoroughly.
- Fill this stuffing into the hollow capsicums. Using a sharp knife, cut the stuffed capsicum horizontally into 2-inch thick slices.
- Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan and shallow-fry the stuffed capsicum slices till the capsicum softens slightly and the filling is golden and crisp.
- Serve hot with paranthas and mint chutney.
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