08 July,2026 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Letty Mariam Abraham
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Pics/By Special Arrangement, Instagram, X
Long before YouTube tutorials and Instagram recipe reels took over, there was one man who ruled the Indian kitchen. This writer remembers her mother ardently waiting for every episode of Khana Khazana to scribble down ingredients and the right method to recreate every dish that came from Sanjeev Kapoor's kitchen. Decades later, the chef, restaurateur, and television personality remains one of the country's most recognisable culinary voices. Having recently joined JioHotstar's MasterChef Australia as a guest judge, Kapoor tells mid-day what sets the OG franchise apart, why expertise matters, and why recognition sometimes trumps merit.
Excerpts from the interview.
What structural differences did you notice in the way food competitions are formatted internationally compared with how we do them back home?
I think there are fundamental differences, and there are hundreds of them. It is the outcome of a food competition. It takes everything from the right talent, production, training, and great storytelling. The team that does this understands food. Here, anyone can make it. For example, if food content has to be created, it need not necessarily go to a food content specialist. The basic difference is the focus. Let's take the rating system in India. A view is treated as a view, whether it's an X view or a targeted view. It's like saying if your bone is broken, you can go to any doctor. But in reality you have to go to a specialised doctor. Food has to be cooked in a kitchen and has to be real. I remember when we were starting our TV channel, Food Food, people said, âEntertainment is important. You need to get Bollywood celebrities to garner eyeballs.' I said, âNo, this is not how it is.' Some years ago, if somebody had told me a cricketer had started a restaurant, I'd have said, âVery good. I'm thinking of starting a cricket academy' [Laughs]. Specialisation is important. That's why MasterChef Australia works globally because it is run by a team of specialists. People are trying, but the noise is more, while the real impact is less. It's like we talk salad, eat samosa.
Do you think chefs are truly beginning to understand the depth of India's regional cuisines or are we only scratching the surface?
We have not even scratched the surface. If you walk into a supermarket, the biggest Indian food influence is butter chicken. The second is naan. Forget regional cuisines. Talk about Goan curry and it will fall flat. We sometimes get carried away because three or four places are talked about and we think that's a big influence. We are far from it. We need to do a lot more. We can either keep fooling ourselves or keep doing media-friendly things. It's like somebody saying Mexican food is doing very well in India [laughs.]
Social media has created an era of Instagram chefs who can achieve overnight fame with a 15-second viral video. Sometimes, that bypasses the years of knife work and discipline that professional chefs go through. Do you think this democratisation is enriching food culture or creating a superficial industry?
Both will happen and go in tandem. You cannot stop it, or say this is right and that is wrong. That is what democracy does. It gives opportunities to everyone. When more people get the chance to showcase what they have, this is bound to happen. There may be many people who are better than us. Alas, they are not known. So, we are not necessarily the best. We are the best known.
18
Number of years âKhana Khazana' ran for
Sanjeev Kapoor had mussels, palm sugar, fresh turmeric, garam masala, mango pickle, ghee, basmati rice, and a spice rack. The top nine contestants also had a one-on-one masterclass with the chef
Sanjeev Kapoor is the first chef in the world to own a TV channel based entirely on food
