EXCLUSIVE: Chef Kunal Kapur on his love for pets, Mumbai street food and more

Indian celebrity chef, restaurateur, and media personality, Kunal Kapur is globally recognised for his exceptional culinary skills. With numerous accolades under his hat, the chef is now increasingly gaining popularity among netizens with his crisp, engaging and tempting food videos.

However, there is more to Chef Kunal Kupar's life than just food. In a candid conversation with Mid-day Online, the chef reveals his love for furry friends leaving us growing more fond of him. We were left in complete awe at finding out that the chef is a parent to eight pet dogs - all strays, a side of his which largely remains unfolded to the world.

"Being brought up in a family full of animal lovers caused me to develop the same love towards them. I grew up watching my grandmother feed the strays whenever they entered the veranda of my house," says Kapur.

Chef Kunal Kapur, previously a parent to two strays, adopted a few more during the Covid-19 pandemic. "During the lockdown, I realised there was not enough food for stray animals and they would eat food out of garbage. That is when I started feeding them daily, twice a day. Currently, I feed over 80 stray dogs every day."

The chef has eight stray pets adopted from the street - Brownie, Pixxie, Teddy, Manglu, Pudgy, Foxy, Whity, and Rani. Each of them has been named according to their looks and personality.

Chef Kunal Kapur's pet care routine
"Having pets at home is like having kids. There are many aspects pet parents must consider that are paramount to their holistic well-being. This includes food, hygiene and health and emotional care."

According to the chef, it is extremely essential to make time for pets and connect with them. Though having pets at home is undoubtedly good for one's mental health, one must understand that it is equally important to provide them with the necessary love and care. Kapur suggests playing games with pets, taking them out for a walk, and giving them a warm rub from time to time. This makes them feel loved and included in the family.

As for the hygiene part, the chef says, "It is extremely important to keep your home clean if you have pets. It is a natural trait of pets - dogs and cats, to lick their paws and eat anything off the floor. You have to make sure the floor is absolutely clean. I use the ITC Nimyle floor cleaner which does not leave any toxins on the floor. It is clean and safe for pets."

Speaking about the right diet for pets, Kapur states, "Every pet has a different diet. One of my pets is allergic to wheat, but she loves curd and rice. The other one loves to eat beef. It is also important to balance out the food they like and the food that is required for their better health. Ensure you serve them fresh foods."

He adds, "Feed them a good mix of veggies, dal, protein foods and some scratch-based items. Earlier, I was making the mistake of serving a lot of dairy foods which didn't work for my pets so I had to cut it down."

Each pet parent will experience some hits and misses when it comes to feeding their pets, however, the chef asserts that the more you take care of your pets, the better you will understand them. "It is very similar to parenting a child for the first time. You take time to learn how to nurture your firstborn, but with the second or third child, you become a pro at parenting. The same is with taking care of pets."

Chef shares an easy recipe for pets
Kapur speaks of constantly experimenting with recipes for his pets as they love to eat something different from time to time. However, he hasn't shared it publicly. "I know what works best for my pets, but it might not necessarily work for other four-legged beings."

"For my pets especially, I make a nice healthy stock of meat which I spread on the meals. Its smell is what tempts my pets to gulp down their food."

A simple recipe that can be whipped up in no time, shares the chef, mostly includes seasonal veggies that are light, unlike vegetables like potatoes or pumpkins. "I use carrots, beans, yellow dal, green peas. I cook them together. Once they are soft, I mash them and add chicken stock to them. I serve this with either boiled rice or chopped pieces of roti, depending on the time of the day and my pets' preferences."

Pet parents can try this for their pets, but it is best to see what works for them and accordingly modify the recipe.

Chef talks about his favourite street food in Mumbai
Kapur was in Mumbai to attend a pet event organised by Pet Fed India, one of the country's pet festivals. Mid-day Online asked the chef which street food he loves to eat when in Mumbai. He says, "It might sound cliched, but it is true. I love a good Mumbai vada pav. So whenever I am in the city, I have to bite into it."

Other Mumbai dishes that top his list of favourites include Pav Bhaji, Mirchi and Bhajji Pav, Ussal Misal and Misal Pav. He says, "More than the Misal Pav, I love the chivda that is served along with it. It has a perfect mix of sweet spicy and sour tastes. It tastes fantastic."

While Kapur prefers indulging in chaat in Delhi, UP and Rajasthan, he says when in Mumbai, one also has to explore the various namkeen and farsaan items which can't be found even in Delhi. "These are my go-to foods when I visit Mumbai."

The chef also loves to relish authentic Maharashtrian food like Kombdi Vade, Bombil fry, and fish thali. "What I love about Maharashtra is that there is a whole spectrum of food each having its unique flavour. The play of spices here is very interesting. Being someone who enjoys Indian regional food and flavours, I love the fact that various regions of the state have different masalas for cooking like the goda masala or the malvani masala."

In an interesting observation, the chef also states that khichdi is the most unique in Mumbai. "Being a Punjabi, khichdi at my home is cooked very differently. It is mostly bland and is cooked only when someone in the family is sick," he says.

"I underwent a cultural shock when one of my friends took me to a restaurant only to eat khichdi. I thought someone from my group of friends was sick. That is when he told me that khichdi in Mumbai tastes very different and I could not agree more. The first bite of typical Bambaiyaa khichdi had me thinking, issme khichdi waali toh koi baat hi nahi hai, yeh toh bohot mazedaar hai."

Plans of expansion and upcoming projects
The celebrity chef currently has two flagship restaurants under his name, Quarter Plate and Pincode located in Noida and UAE respectively.

On being asked if he has plans to set up a restaurant in Mumbai, he says, "Mumbai is such a fascinating city and I would love to have one restaurant here. We have just been a year old now and we're still trying to cement our foothold and understand the Delhi and Dubai market. This said, yes, I think the more logical way ahead would be to target the next metro city, which is Bombay. I still call it Mumbai Bombay. Currently, we are scouting for the right location and the right mix, the right partners to take this forward."