Chef Ratnani’s Indian cuisine spices up Cookery Corner at SIBF

On Friday evening, Indian celebrity chef, author and TV presenter Vicky Ratnani, who has served his culinary creations to world leaders and celebrities such as Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela and Rod Stewart, demonstrated three quick recipes from his new cookbook Urban Desi: Non-Vegetarian, which caters to those with busy lifestyles. In a span of one hour, the witty chef rustled up the dishes which drew on both Indian and Arabic influences, while keeping the audience entertained with funny quips and one-liners.

Voted India’s Chef of the Year in 2015 at the Indian Restaurant Awards, the master chef picked up and honed his global culinary skills on cruise liners while travelling the world, and has two TV shows and now two cookbooks under his belt. 

At SIBF 2022, he demonstrated a meat-and-dates dish, Maharashtrian prawn pulao and thecha chicken kebab, filling the Cookery Corner at Expo Centre Sharjah with delectable aromas.

"While cooking is not rocket science, it does require some logic and planning. Today, we don't have the time to shop for ingredients and cook at leisure. So Urban Desi offers 49 recipes spanning the surf and turf categories, one-pot dishes and quick recipes which you can cook up in a few minutes," Ratnani said, during his demonstration. He also offered handy cooking tips such as replacing ghee with olive oil if one doesn't like the taste of the former and heating up the cooking dish well in order to render the meat a good colour.

The chef also offered tasting samples to the audience after the event and gave out signed copies of his new book.

An exciting line-up of internationally renowned chefs and experts are sharing their expertise and headlining 30 cooking activities including live demo sessions at SIBF’s Cookery Corner until November 13.