Here’s what family meals mean for these chefs from India and abroad

It’s ironic that for people who are constantly surrounded by food, chefs eat so poorly: no weekends off to catch that fancy new cafe in town, no fixed timings to have their lunches or dinners, with “tasters” sampled while cooking for guests often becoming meal substitutes. If there is one meal most of them forward to, however, it’s that wholesome family meal that involves their loved ones and sometimes, even pets and plants. Five renowned chefs share with Vogue details of what their meals look like at home.

Asma Khan, founder, Darjeeling Express, London

What does home-cooked food mean to you? 

Eating at home is my moment of peace. It’s my time to reconnect with my children.

Who wears the chef’s apron inside the house? 

It’s me! When I’m at home, I cook and when I’m not, I cook for my two kids and husband at the restaurant.

What’s a typical meal like? 

There is always rice because my husband is Bengali. When my older son comes home from university, he prefers to eat roti. We do not have a lot of meat at home, but fish with bones-in cooked in traditional Bengali-style with mustard and chillies, or fish malai curry is a given. There is always a dal and a potato dish like aloo dum. We eat a lot of cauliflower, usually with cucumber raita. On Sundays, which is my day off, I cook Indo-Chinese like hakka chow or chilli chicken with egg fried rice.

Your go-to meal for one at home? 

I usually cook eggs, a masala omelette or anda curry with toast. My other ideal combo is rice and potatoes and for me, that can only mean biryani.

Kelvin Cheung, partner, Kiko-Bā and Dadel, New Delhi

What does home-cooked food mean to you? 

Eating at home means creating as well as nourishing a smiling baby, a giggling wife and our tiny, happy family.

Who wears the chef’s apron inside the house? 

Me and Bodhi, my 19-month-old toddler. While Andrea, my wife, does a majority of the cleaning. We try to split jobs equally around our home.

What’s a typical meal like? 

It is about balancing carbs with fat and protein with a focus on nutrition and variety for our toddler. Exposure is key to building palates, we are encouraging him to become an adventurous eater. We like to keep things simple with as little mess and cleanup as possible, so we tend to make meals that require one pot and garnish heavily with fresh vegetables and/or probiotics like kimchi. So sometimes it’s omelettes with heaps of vegetables, for our toddler we would top this with nutritional yeast, with a side of buckwheat toast, or a fridge-clean up marinara sauce with zoodles. Bodhi would have this with quinoa pasta. Corn chowder with sweet potato remains a winning dish for all of us.

Your go-to meal for one at home? 

Scrambled eggs using a knob of butter. I might throw in some zucchini and kimchi if I’m feeling ambitious. If I’m only cooking for myself, it will be transferred into whatever bowl is around and eaten as is. I never plate when it’s only me.

Sujan Sarkar, co-founder, Rooh, San Francisco; and Baar Baar, New York

What does eating at home mean for you? 

Comfort and healthy food with as many vegetables as possible.

Who wears the chef's apron at home? 

I oversee my restaurants across the world and live with my wife. We spend a lot of time between NYC, San Francisco, Chicago and Delhi. Kitchen time is usually shared between us.

What's a typical meal like? 

Our home menu ranges across cuisines and seasonality. Sometimes, I'll do a simple cheese sandwich with sautéed mushrooms, spinach and avocado. Once in a while, it's uttapam with zucchini and cheddar. For the bigger meals, we have Indian food like rice, dal, an egg masala or a fresh salad of grilled veggies, Indian millet, again topped with a cheese like feta.

Your go-to meal for one? 

When I'm eating alone, it's usually a comforting meal. Like a wholesome bowl of dal-khichdi with lots of vegetables and omelette on the side. On a lazy weekend, a simple bowl of butternut squash soup with sour cream and Linguine Primavera does the trick.

Garima Arora, founder, Gaa, Bangkok

What does home-cooked food mean to you? 

That’s food that I eat when I’m back in Bombay with my family. We start at noon and the meal spills over six to seven hours until dinner! The wine is brought out, my in-laws come over, friends are invited. It’s a feast of multiple courses. When I’m by myself in Bangkok, home meals are an opportunity for me to focus on my well-being.

Who wears the chef’s apron inside the house? 

I cook for myself every day, and back home we have two cooks and sometimes my dad cooks. He is big on regional food and makes a variety of things. From a Kerala-style fish cooked in banana leaves, neer dosa with prawns, raw papaya curry and oats idli.

What’s a typical meal like? 

I keep my meals simple and wholesome. I started working out regularly so I'm trying to be mindful about my protein intake. For breakfast, my go-to is scrambled eggs with good bread and sausages or a slice of whole grain bread with cheese. Lunch is usually something light like a salad and dinner is a hearty bowl of pasta with meatballs or a snack board of dips like hummus and tzatziki with bread. I love brunching, so when I have a day off, which is rare, I will kick off the afternoon with champagne and small bite-sized dishes. Having friends and family gather over long meals is what all my favourite memories are made of.

Your go-to meal for one at home? 

This depends on my mood, but it most definitely starts and ends with a good bottle of wine.

Manish Mehrotra, founder, Indian Accent, New Delhi

What does home-cooked food mean to you? 

Family meals are a mix of glam, and sometimes simple and comforting soul food. These days it’s also about dishes that don’t need too many utensils!

Who wears the chef’s apron inside the house? 

The whole house chips in. I live with my wife and my 13-year-old daughter and we all cook.

What’s a typical meal like? 

It all depends on the family’s mood. Sometimes it’s idli and sambar, sometimes curd-rice, chicken curry, aloo mattar, paneer makhani or even pasta and noodles with curry. On weekends, a hearty meal of chole-bhature with raita, homemade pickle.

Your go-to meal for one at home? 

Maggi and bisi bele bhaat.

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