On MasterChef India 2023, judge and chef Vikas Khanna saw Deepa Chauhan as a woman on a mission when the Bengaluru-based home cook auditioned with Sindh on a plate—white rice, double-fried Aloo Tuk, lotus stem crisps and Sindhi Kadhi—a reminder of home for generations of her Sindhi family. A spice and sauce brand and MasterChef India Top 9 title later, Deepa Chauhan is now what Khanna had prophesied: a woman on a mission to put Sindhi cuisine on the global map.
MasterChef Deepa Chauhan Hosts A Sindhi Food Festival In Bengaluru
Deepa Chauhan’s earnest endeavour to bring Sindhi food to the Indian and global palates( and plates) brings her to LUSH at Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel. We were invited to the Sindhi Food Festival with Chauhan at the helm of affairs. For the past few weeks, I have been craving Sindhi food. However, my knowledge about the cuisine is limited to the borders of quintessential Sindhi Kadhi-Chawal, Aloo Tuk and Dal Pakwan. These dishes much like the cuisine itself are mostly confined to Sindhi households.
Having watched Deepa intently on MasterChef India S7 with a bit of bias (fellow Bengalurean, you see), I seized the opportunity to sample authentic Sindhi food cooked by the flagbearer of the cuisine. What followed was a night of highly intriguing yet heartwarming dishes: Phool Patasha (a makhana-cauliflower gravy), Saaye Masale Me Machi (fish cooked in greens) Keema Ja Bhalla ( steamed meatballs stewed in tomatoes) and more.
Lacto-fermented pickles were polished on the word go. Sindhi Khoya, a coriander-forward dessert with 6 hours of cooking time and Sev Barfi made with freshly fried sev came with the highest intrigue. Savoury in sweet, macaroni in a traditional meatball curry, like Chauhan repeatedly told us through her tales, Sindhi food was woke before words like ‘woke’ and ‘fusion food’ even made it to the discourse.
After having lapped up not just an incredibly delicious Sindhi meal but also the highly fascinating tales of tradition, perseverance and resourcefulness of the Sindhi community and their fare, I got chatting with the ‘Custodian of Sindhi cuisine’, Deepa Chauhan.
Deepa Chauhan Talks To Curly Tales
1) You first entered the kitchen at the age of 11 to cook for your family as your mom and aunt were sick. How was your first experience in the kitchen?
I don’t remember the exact details. My mom was down with spondylosis and my aunt was expecting twins. So, there was nobody else at home to feed the family and I wanted to feed the two sick ladies.
I remember making rotis for sure which I was already adept at. There might have been a dal and an aloo in the mix because that’s the very bare-bones basic that one starts with.
Actually, I wanted to train to be a chef but there were financial constraints because, from the time I was in grade 11, I was funding myself. So, if I did catering college after my plus 2, I wouldn’t have been able to work. I decided to continue my BA and well, culinary had to happen.
So, it (career in food) happened at the right time when I was free of other responsibilities.
2) From a home cook, you transitioned into a businesswoman with Mortars & Pestles and then participated in MasterChef India S7. Is there any core philosophy you carry with you from your home cook days?
My whole journey in food professionally or commercially started because I wanted to provide clean food. That’s what I was doing for my family.
People thought I was making sauces and stuff at home to save money. That was not the point. The point was to give food to them that was made with clean ingredients and it was made without the use of any chemicals, MSG or things like that.
So, that continues to date and it’s now gone to an extent that I don’t buy creams and beauty products anymore. I use only oil and gulab jal (rose water) on my skin. I’m quite particular no matter where in the world I am.
I do not put chemicals on my body and they don’t enter your food. That’s a guarantee I can give you. They will not come via my hands.
3) You are popularly known as the ‘Custodian of Sindhi Food’. Does this title come with a sense of responsibility?
I am very honoured that I’ve been named custodian of the cuisine. I got a very rare opportunity to represent my cuisine and I think I did it well which is why I got the title. But I still have to learn so much more.
I am an expert in my own home cooking and my community’s cooking but Sindhis have a lot more communities. So, while I look silent on social media that I’m not sharing recipes let’s remember I’m not a content creator. I am someone who’s happiest in front of the stuff.
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So, that’s what I continue doing. I continue to geek out and find the connections between not just how we make our food but why we make it the way we do. The trade routes, geography and geopolitics of the cuisine interest me a lot.
I’m still learning and it does come with a lot of responsibility not to misrepresent or misappropriate. I think Sindhi food fusion is a pipe dream simply because people are not exposed to the original flavour yet.
Only after a cuisine has been overexposed can you experiment. I think Sindhi food has a while to go. I want people to enjoy the originals first and then look for the fusions.
4) We loved your stint on MasterChef India 2023. Tell us about some of the most momentous experiences on the show that you’re grateful for.
I had a refrain, “Hum kahin ke nahin hai” (We {Sindhis} don’t belong anywhere). And when I was selected for the show, the judges said, “Aap yahan ke ho” (You belong here). And that was a really cute way of telling me, I’ve got my name apron.
The other high point was when my daughter came on the set and I was making Sindhi Khoya that day. And that was sweet because it’s supposed to be fed to your daughter first and she was there on the show. I’m really happy I made dishes like Gucchi Pulao and Khoya which are not really heard of outside our community.
5) Tell us about the team challenges and your camaraderie with the judges
The team challenges were fun. The thing is… after Baa (Urmila Asher) left the show, I was the oldest.
People sometimes looked to me for guidance. They rarely listened to me because I would literally call them “namaqool” (unreasonable in Urdu). Some of them were idiots. ( In jest)
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Who were they? (I interject, laughing)
I’m not taking names. (Breaks into peals)
They (fellow contestants) would do things like placing one tuile and switching on a whole oven for it.
Or somebody would put an electric appliance in the sink or leave things scattered. So, they earned the title “namaqool” from me.
Whenever I had to keep them in check, my line to them was “Chop Chop.” So, all the ducks would be in a row.
Those were fun times! My daughters were not home anymore when I went on the show. So, I think I was missing disciplining people. I got to live vicariously through these kids.
6) Your biggest takeaway from the show?
The biggest takeaway from the show is the kind of belief the judges instilled in me. A person like Vikas Khanna told me, I look like I’m on a mission. And I hadn’t even seen it (showcasing Sindhi cuisine to the world) as a mission.
And when I was leaving the show, Ranveer Brar called me the hero, the protagonist and the story. He said, “Aap kirdar bhi hai aur kahaani bhi.” ( You are both the character and story). It’s really sweet and shows how large-hearted they are and how generous they are with their compliments.
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7) Do you think travel has helped you become a better cook?
I think so. More than travel, it’s also the curiosity.
In my teens, I hadn’t travelled much. But if I taste something, I am able to replicate it. It’s a God’s gift. If I have the ingredients handy, I can replicate the technique as well as the flavour. More or less. I wouldn’t say exactly, because the air and water differ.
I’m really blessed with this gift and I just have to make sure I keep at it so I don’t lose my touch.
6) What are some of the qualities you feel have helped you come this far?
I think level-headedness.
Even if I’m going through something, I may or may not choose to show it. And I’ve learned that with age. In my 30s and 40s, my kids would hate me because I was constantly pulling them in line. But as I’ve grown older, I can command people without yelling at them.
Rapid Fire Time With Deepa Chauhan
1. A dish you’d recommend as an introduction to Sindhi cuisine
Kadhi
2. Your favourite comfort food
Kadhi Chawal
3. A kitchen spice you cannot do without
Hing
4. A dish you find overrated
Avocado Toast
5. A dish you find underrated
Koki Parathas (Cross between Nippat and Akki Roti)
( She explains this Sindhi dish to be a cross between Nippat and Akki Roti, two beloved Bengaluru classics)
6. Your favourite restaurants in Bengaluru
Bengaluru Oota Company
Toscano
7. Your favourite judge from MasterChef India
All three. I’m not naming anyone.
8. Contestants you are the closest to
Priyanka (Kundu Biswas) and Priya (Vijan)
Priyanka was my roommate.
9. Which dish comes to your mind when I say
– Santa Sarmah
Aghor Khali Thali
-Nayanjyoti
Duck Confit
When we were training, he made Duck Confit.
And it was out of this world! That guy was very good with pastry and meat. And he still is.
– Priyanka Kundu Biswas
Durian ka Taj
The day she replicated Vikas Khanna’s dish, she spent a lot of time helping Baa. And I really respected her immensely for that.
-Ranveer Brar
Nihari
I learnt to make Nihari thanks to him during the lockdown.
-Vikas Khanna
Dahi ke Kebab
He’s a real-life Raymond’s man. You want a son, brother, husband like Vikas. He’s like the personification of Raymond (The complete man).
10. A one-line advice you have for aspiring chefs
Don’t give up, but be consistent.
We can’t help but believe Deepa Chauhan’s parting words are a silent ode to Sindhi cuisine itself. A cuisine that may not have a country but resides resiliently in the hearts and homes of its descendants. A cuisine that lives on in the cooking pots of Deepa Chauhan’s Dadi (paternal grandmother). Heirlooms that have survived the partition and today, emanate her Dadi’s blessings in every bite.
Where: LUSH, Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel
When: 20th to 21st February
Time: Dinner Buffet; 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Cost: ₹2499 per person
Cover Image Courtesy: Supplied
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