Vikas Khanna defends Gauri Khan’s Torii restaurant over fake paneer claims, slams content creator for spreading ‘misinformation’

In Pic: Vikash Khanna and Gauri Khan

Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna has come out in support of Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri Khan's Torii restaurant after a content creator claimed that the eatery is serving fake paneer in their dish. Taking to his Instagram account, Vikas shared a story backing Torii and called out the content creator for spreading misinformation. The chef also shared why the paneer at the Torii restaurant reacted the way it did.

On April 18, Vikas Khanna shared a story defending Gauri's restaurant and wrote, "I've been cooking & working with the science of food for the past several decades. I've never seen such terrible misinformation like [this] YouTuber who claims to be a food scientist."

"IODINE changes color with reaction under presence of ingredients: potatoes, rice, bread, cornstarch, flour, unripe bananas. The use of these ingredients (thus reaction) could also happen in cross-contamination. It's scary that unqualified people are taken seriously," he further added. In this post, he not only tagged the restaurant but also YouTuber Sarthak Sachdeva.

Gauri Khan's restaurant responds

After the video of the influencer claiming that the paneer served at Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's restaurant is fake went viral, the official handle of the restaurant, Torii, responded with a clarification. They stated that the dish served contained soy-based ingredients, which naturally include starch - leading to the reaction in the iodine test.

"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," they responded.

What is the iodine test?

The iodine test is a simple chemical test used to detect the presence of starch in paneer. Pure, unadulterated paneer contains no starch. When iodine solution is mixed with starch, it turns blue-black. Hence, if paneer contains starch, it will change color. On the contrary, if it is pure, the iodine solution will show no reaction, as pure paneer contains no starch.

About Torii

Gauri Khan launched Torii in February 2024. Located in Pali Hill, Bandra, it is an 82-seater pan-Asian restaurant. While Mumbai's culinary scene is incredibly diverse, Torii aims to stand out by becoming a premier dining destination in India that rivals top restaurants globally.