Film producer Gauri Khan’s Mumbai-based restaurant Tori has issued a clarification after a content creator claimed its paneer failed an iodine test used to detect synthetic ingredients.

Responding directly to the video posted by Instagram influencer Sarthak Sachdeva, the restaurant’s Instagram page commented, “The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. As the dish contains soy-based ingredients, this reaction is expected. We stand by the purity of our paneer and the integrity of our ingredients at Torii.”

Gauri, one of the co-owners of Torii, is married to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

The statement came after Sachdeva included Torii in a video series testing the authenticity of paneer served at celebrity-owned restaurants in Mumbai. Sachdeva currently has over half-a-million followers on Instagram.

In the video, the Instagram influencer visits several high-profile restaurants and performs a basic iodine test — a method commonly used to detect starch in paneer. If the iodine causes the paneer to turn black or blue, it suggests the presence of starch, which may indicate the use of synthetic substitutes.

Restaurants featured in the video include Virat Kohli’s One8 Commune in Juhu, Shilpa Shetty’s Bastian in Bandra, and Bobby Deol’s Someplace Else — all of which passed the iodine test. At Torii, however, the paneer changed colour, prompting Sachdeva to question its authenticity.

Sachdeva replied to Torii’s clarification, writing: "So am I banned now? Btw your food is amazing.”