Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar is always happy to come to Calcutta. It’s not just his deep love for the food but also the history, so much so that one would wonder if he has anything else left to explore in the city. “The Armenian and Jewish side I really haven’t explored. Those layers are definitely something I would like to know,” said Ranveer to t2 when he was in town to attend the India Luxe Lifestyle Forum, hosted by the Indian Chamber of Commerce on September 4 at Taj Bengal. Over a hearty chat, Ranveer told us why he feels he hasn’t achieved anything, spoke about the cosmetics industry eating on the chef’s job, films and, of course, food! Excerpts.

Tell us what’s hot right now in the world of food.

I think the hottest thing that’s happening right now in the food world is this whole beautiful dissection and rediscovery of India through its food. The other bit is this whole home chef celebration that’s happening. In India, home cuisine was such a big element of our culinary repertoire you know; it was street food, royal food and then home cooking and unlike anywhere in the world. Maybe Italy and India are two countries, maybe Greece also, their home food is never celebrated that much. In India today it is celebrated through home cooks.

You’ve worked in kitchens around the world. How have these diverse experiences influenced your culinary approach?

I think it is all that you have. As chefs, your currency is your travel, your conversations. The number of recipes that you know doesn’t really matter. The place where you’re coming from and you’re cooking in, is your real currency. And because you get to travel, because you get to be around food people, it just helps.

Which countries have influenced you the most on a vacation? Countries that always teach you something…

Turkey, I think. You know, so I travelled to Konya for Rumi’s tomb. There is Seljuk cuisine which is pre-Ottoman food, which is again beautiful and simple. But even in Ottoman food, the home cooking, the tandoor and the way they treat it is very, very different. Turkey is one country where I’ve always come back from with inspiration. Nordic countries you know, the Lapland of Finland, Lappish Sweden… those parts where they really almost have nothing and are able to create so many layers of flavour and texture that there’s so much learning to always sort of go back there. In the newer world I’d say Peru, Chile….

What from Indian cuisine would you like to take to a foreign country?

I think the easiest way to help people connect with a country can be perhaps a cooking technique. I would take the tandoor you know. You just give me a tandoor, I can open a small restaurant just with one tandoor.

What was the most challenging dish you’ve ever created, and what made it so special?

I think for me the magic of biryani will always be special as a dish. So, you know, for the longest, I cooked in the gurdwara. Daal waal banti hai, sab kuch khulla hota hai. So I was used to interacting with food and cooking. Biryani, you don’t interact. You’re done, close the lid and come later. Right? So that I think is the magic of biryani, when you open that lid, you’re not in control. And the real cooking happens when you’re not looking. Biryani instills a much deeper confidence and builds a much deeper relationship to your ingredient. So for me, like I said, I first cooked my proper biryani when I was 20.

How do you balance tradition and innovation in your cooking?

I don’t ya! I try and keep it simple. The only innovation I probably add is, sometimes in presentation, sometimes in pairing so you know I would probably pair a Malabar Parotta with something that you would not normally pair it with.

You mentioned in the session that you cook according to your mood. What would you cook when you are happy, nervous, excited and grateful?

So when I am happy, I’d be cooking a risotto, which is meditative, you know. When I am angry... hmmm (thinks)... when I’m cooking, I’ll never, I mean you automatically get centred when you’re cooking. When I am grateful it is always kheer for me. It’s always kheer or some kadha prashad or whatever. If I am excited, it would be some kebab or something, like a galouti.

Is there a dish or cuisine you haven’t mastered yet but would like to?

Plenty of cuisines… I don’t think I’ve even mastered one. So, I think we are all cooking, especially Indian food. You know, every village has a story. Every village has a cuisine in itself. It’s very difficult to master all that. So I’m not a master of any cuisine, I’m a servant of food.

In India any particular cuisine you want to explore more?

I’d want to learn a lot more of North-eastern food.

So many years of experience... is there anything you haven’t achieved yet?

I have not achieved anything yet. See, it’s a very simple formula. I am living into the future through the present. I’m not chasing anything. I’ve never chased anything. I did not chase these roles. I did not chase these awards. I have been living into the future through the present. So, that is all I’m doing. So I can’t really tell you five years from now what’s going to happen in my life. I can only say that I’ll try and honestly live through the moment that I face, that’s all I can say. I’m almost 50 yaar! Thanks to good hair colour and good skincare regimen....

Do you follow any regimen? You don’t look 50!

Of course! I make sure that there’s enough I eat for the skin. I’m telling you all these cosmetics... basically chefs should run the cosmetic industry. I go and I look at this shampoo with avocado, one shampoo with coconut, one shampoo with papaya, one face mask with pineapple... I’m like chefs should be running the cosmetic industry man, all you’re doing is using our ingredients. That’s what our grandmothers used to do, they used to take a papaya and give you and say face pe laga lo. Now all these are coming in a box.

Your Reels about food are so informative. Especially on Bengal... you do not just talk about misthi doi, biryani or rosogolla... from telebhaja to Calcutta’s cabin culture, your Reels are on point. How have you learnt so much about Bengali cuisine?

Conversations, no? Conversations. Sitting over a coffee, conversing. Kabhi, you know, Nakur (Girish Chandra Dey & Nakur Chandra Nandy) ka dukan mein baith jaata hoon. Uske dukaan pe jaake baith gaye, aadha ghanta baat kar li. Kahan se aaya chhena, kya hai, kaise hai, kisne banaya. Conversations... khane ki koi kitab nahi hai, khanai kitab hai. So all my knowledge that you see is purely conversation, keenness to know and conversation.

From food, let’s talk about films — after Modern Love Mumbai, you will be seen again on the silver screen in the upcoming Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer The Buckingham Murders… tell us about the experience.

It’s a very grey sort of a character. Very not-me sort of a character. It was the right sort of uncomfortable. I have my insecurities. But it just felt that this borderline is uncomfortable. Punjabi mein ek word hai chaka kholiya… when you are a 48-year-old guy, the biggest insecurity is you don’t want to change yourself too much. But then you realise any character, positive or negative, makes you better! It leaves a little bit but for good so that confidence sort of allowed me to say chalo karte hain! You know, I’ve been getting negative roles for the last eight years, three south films, all villains. I refused all those roles. This was a negative role that I said yes to because I said after Modern Love Mumbai, I felt it was a good leap and the right sort of uncomfortable to navigate.

So how are you enjoying your journey as an actor?

I can’t complain.

We know Calcutta holds a very special place in your heart, what’s your message?

Kolkata, ami amar monta tomar ranna ghor e rekhe jacchi! That’s what I tell Calcutta every time I leave.