Through the open door of a ground floor flat in Metropolitan Housing Society off the Bypass — converted into the Khichdi Khichri kitchen — Gaggan Anand waves at t2. He is dressed casually in a Foo Fighters grey T-shirt, army-print track pants, chappals and an iWatch strapped around his wrist. His waist has expanded several inches from the last time we met in 2013 — no doubt a sign of food and fame — because his Indian molecular gastronomy restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok, ranked #1 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2016 for the second consecutive year. The 38-year-old ex-student of St. Thomas’ Boys’ School strokes his beard and sits down to chat.  

In 2013, you said you hate shaving… and now you have a beard to prove that right! 
(Laughs) I’m too lazy to get rid of all this hair! 

You became a dad six months ago to baby Tara… tell us more!
Six months and 17 days (as on October 31). (Takes out his phone, flicks through images and stops at one of him and Tara on a flight.) She sleeps with me on my chest. I’ve started travelling with her because I want her to get used to my lifestyle and me. With my eating experience, she will become a foodie. The moment she turned six months (snaps fingers), we started travelling together. We went to Jeju, Seoul, Milan, Spain, Barcelona and she was supposed to be in Hong Kong too but she had a running nose, so we stopped. Next month, she’s going to Japan. I want her to have a normal life and choose what she wants to be. She wants to be a tomboy, DJ, Playboy model… I don’t care… but she has to be a foodie! 

What kind of a father is Gaggan?
Most patient. I think the best gift I’ve given Tara is a turntable. Whenever she cries, I put the turntable on and she listens to music and is peaceful. She stays with us (Gaggan and his wife Pui) in Bangkok but she will move with me to Japan. 

Where in Japan are you moving to, when and why? 
Kyushu, after year 2020. I think everything comes with an expiry date and Gaggan the restaurant has around five more years to go. 

So what will happen to Gaggan the restaurant then? 
I think I will make it into a proper cooking school. My house is there, infrastructure is there… I’m only moving. And I think that then I’ll finally make money from Gaggan! 

You’re saying you don’t make money from Gaggan now?! 
I don’t still own a house; I live in my wife’s house. I drive a good car but I pay a loan every month. I’m not making money... I’m seeing money coming in and going. Restaurants that win awards don’t make money. I have a blank cheque with the fame I have and one day, I’ll write a number on it. That day will come when I close Gaggan. 

What will you do in Japan? 
I plan to buy land there and open a restaurant with a farm and make food from my own produce. It will be a 10-seater restaurant open on the weekends only. My dream is to have a restaurant with a two-year waiting list! At Gaggan, it’s four months.  

You arrived in Calcutta on October 30. How did you spend Diwali?
At night, we went to Shibuji (Wood Street-Theatre Road crossing) for chaat and pakoda. I uploaded a video of it on Instagram at midnight and a Japanese friend of mine, the top boss of Shiseido, sent me a message, “Could we try one of these in Bangkok?” 

How was it shooting for Netflix’s documentary web series Chef’s Table? 
It was incredible. The scene opens up in Calcutta. (To Saket Kandoi of Khichdi Khichri) Do you have Netflix? I’ll show you guys the trailer… So as soon as it was out, my Instagram follower count went from 10,000 to 38,000 within five months. (The trailer starts on Saket’s desktop and Gaggan jumps excitedly) See, see, it starts with my face! It was a month of shooting and I was with a camera and mic throughout. The narration was done right at the end. Four weeks of shooting, 12 hours a day and then they took the best parts and made a documentary out of it. There was no repeat shooting. (A shot of the Gaggan kitchen in Bangkok plays) Look, look at the army! There are employees from 21 countries in our restaurant now. The episode was nominated for the Emmys for Outstanding Directing For A Nonfiction Program 2016. After that I have had people calling me to make a film on me. 

Are you going to accept the movie offer?
It’s very hush-hush right now. Yes, there might be a commercial movie on me next year. I have not yet accepted the offer. Some very big Bollywood actor will act me… that’s amazing, right? One of my conditions is there has to be an album made of rock music. I thought of creating eight rock anthems from Deep Purple, Pink Floyd… everything… by buying their songs and creating a Hindi version. Imagine a Hindi version of Another Brick In The Wall, Highway Star, Smoke On The Water or Brothers In Arms… same chord, everything, but the lyrics have to be Hindi. Bits of each will be played at critical moments of the movie. That is my movie. You need a singer who doesn’t have fame. I’m a guy who came from nothing so I’m going to give the chance to someone who came from nothing. 

Who is your closest friend in Bollywood and what’s the best advice from him/ her?
Ram Madhvani (director of Neerja) is my best friend. He said, “Don’t sign a Bollywood deal without talking to me!”

Karo Christine Kumar
Pictures: B. Halder

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GAGGAN AND HIS CALCUTTA BUDDY

 

How do you and Saket (Kandoi) know each other?
Gaggan: We’ve been friends for the last 15 years. When Saket told me about his venture Khichdi Khichri and showed me his website, I was like, ‘OMG, he’s serious about this’. Look, he’s got these mashis in the kitchen wearing caps and all. (Turns to Saket) By the way, caps are not all that hygienic, you know. The most hygienic thing is what you are — takla. Japanese chefs are like you. 
Saket: C’mon, man (gives that friend-who’s-pulling-your-leg look). 
Gaggan: I swear, every sushi chef in Japan is bald now because they’re not supposed to grow hair. 
So anyway, when Saket shared the idea I thought it was the most wonderful thing because I have always believed in protecting Indian cuisine. I presented khichri way back in 2011 at Gaggan. It was a mushroom khichri based on people’s perception of mushroom risotto, where Basmati replaced risotto… kind of like a mushroom pie. That kind of innovation has always been there at Gaggan. 

Saket, have you been to Gaggan?
Gaggan: He’s a ch****a, na. Goes to Bangkok and calls me…
Saket: (Interrupts) You were not there! 
Gaggan: Arre, I was in New York! And then he’s telling me he won’t go there and eat… 
Saket: C’mon if you’re there, then that’s like my place but if you’re not there then I have to behave all proper…
Gaggan: You have to behave even if I’m there! 
(Both laugh loudly)
So anyway back to khichri. Even in my new restaurant in Bangkok (Meatlicious), I have porridge, beef porridge. When we did a pop-up in Seoul, we cooked abalone (seafood) porridge, but more like a south Indian abalone khichri. What is khichri? It’s a poor man’s diet because Indians had large families and lentils and rice was the easiest solution. The Bengali khichri is my favourite. I think it’s the most technologically advanced khichri. When you make khichri, you put it in the pressure cooker, seeti mara, chhaunk mara and you’re done. With Bengali khichri, you can’t do that. The flavour won’t come. You have to roast the lentil, and follow every step. 

What are your khichri memories in Calcutta? 
Back in the day, I would cater to the staff cafeterias in the IT and call centre offices of IBM and TCS in Salt Lake. This was in the days of honey but no money! On a monsoon day, say my menu was Chinese, I would call HR and cancel it and say, ‘Let’s do khichri… and beguni, papad and chutney’. At that time, we priced it Rs 40. It was the most profitable business because it was dal and rice and thoda ghee maar detey thhe. And then I used to say, I’m going to put 40 pieces of hilsa fry at Rs 40 extra per plate. I would be sold out in an hour! I started with 600 meals and grew to 6,000 meals. And then I left everything and ran away from India… 

What brings you back to Calcutta today? 
I come here every Diwali to meet my mom and catch up with old friends. Saket and I were both out last night and deciding kahan chaley… we both don’t drink … five-star mein wahi khana milega… so we thought let’s go to Shibuji. Went to Shibuji, had chaat and mineral water se haath dhoya…

Mineral water se haath dhoya?
Arre because I get very sick. What’s that movie with Imran Khan? Haan, Delhi Belly. Woh khujal-khujal ke chicken fry kar raha tha…. I can’t forget that scene (laughs)! It’s also because when you live outside your stomach becomes very fragile. 

The Meethe Chawal and Moong Dal Payasam from the Khichdi Khichri kitchen arrive — in tasting portions on spoons 
Saket: Hamare yahan bhi ek chammach khana hota hai, not just at Gaggan’s. Ek chammach khana ke liye, imagine, people queue up for a month! I was like, are you serious?! Of course, it’s crazy food but...
Gaggan: Ek chammach (one spoon) is the first course. Uske baad toh aur chhota ho jata hai (after that it’s even smaller)! Next, I’m thinking of serving food where you will need to find it (imitates using a microscope). 
Saket: Forget the food, don’t you just give people the aroma of food? Khushboo ke liye paanch hazaar rupaiya! 
Gaggan: Woh bhi dete hain hum log! We had something called the Kiss (gelatin of rose water, shaped as a kissing mouth). At one point, we thought of keeping a guy who would spray rose water when it arrived. In today’s world, you have to confuse people, not convince! If tomorrow someone complains that the rosogolla was not gol (round), you have to throw at him fancy names and techniques and the next time, he won’t ask for a gol rosogulla. He will say, “Eta hi bhalo”. 

Karo Christine Kumar
Gaggan Anand is the Virat Kohli of cooking because.... Tell t2@abp.in