Kunal Kapur To Manish Mehrotra, India’s Biggest Chefs Share Their Favourite Foods And Guilty Pleasures

June 19, 2026 7 min read

Indian chefs Kunal Kapur and Manish Mehrotra sharing their favorite foods and guilty pleasures.

At a Glance

At a recent awards ceremony, India’s top chefs, including Kunal Kapur and Manish Mehrotra, revealed their favorite comfort foods and guilty pleasure foods. Moving beyond their professional creations, they shared personal cravings for simple dishes like dal chawal and indulgent favorites like butter chicken, offering a relatable glimpse into their lives and highlighting the enduring appeal of home-style cooking.

Top Indian chefs confessed their favorite comfort foods and guilty pleasures at an awards event, revealing a love for simple, home-style dishes.
Chef Kunal Kapur named dal chawal as his ultimate comfort food, emphasizing its connection to home and simplicity.
Chef Manish Mehrotra revealed butter chicken and naan as his guilty pleasure, highlighting the joy of indulgent classics.
Other chefs admitted to loving street food, instant noodles, and biryani, showcasing a diverse range of personal cravings.
These confessions make chefs more relatable, validating readers’ own food choices and highlighting the importance of home cooking and street food traditions.
The revelations underscore that even world-class chefs appreciate food for its emotional connection and nostalgic value, not just its complexity.

The Award Show That Wasn’t About Awards

India’s biggest food awards saw more than just trophies being handed out. Off the record, away from the cameras, celebrated chefs and food professionals shared their most personal food confessions. They talked about the dishes they crave when the professional kitchen closes and the apron comes off, revealing a surprising and often comforting side to their culinary lives.

These are the individuals who craft exquisite, often experimental, dishes for a living. So, what truly satisfies their taste buds after a long day? The answers ranged from simple home-style meals to indulgent guilty pleasures, offering a relatable glimpse into the lives of culinary artists.

This candid sharing, covered by NDTV Food, provided a peek behind the curtain, with top Indian chefs like Kunal Kapur and Manish Mehrotra opening up about their favorite comfort foods and guilty pleasure foods.

Kunal Kapur’s Ultimate Comfort Food: Dal Chawal

Renowned chef Kunal Kapur, known for his modern take on Indian cuisine and television presence, revealed his ultimate comfort food: Dal chawal. This humble dish of lentils and rice, a staple in millions of Indian homes, holds deep personal meaning for Kapur.

He described the comforting aroma and taste, evoking memories of his mother’s kitchen and lazy Sunday afternoons. For Kapur, dal chawal represents simplicity and a connection to home, a welcome contrast to the complex dishes he creates professionally. This choice highlights the enduring importance of home-style cooking in Indian culinary culture.

Manish Mehrotra’s Guilty Pleasure: Butter Chicken and Naan

Manish Mehrotra, the innovative chef behind the acclaimed Indian Accent, confessed his guilty pleasure: butter chicken and naan. While butter chicken is a globally popular Indian dish, for a chef of Mehrotra’s caliber to name it as a personal indulgence is noteworthy.

He expressed his love for the rich, creamy gravy and tender chicken, especially when paired with soft, butter-laden naan. Mehrotra’s choice underscores that even chefs at the forefront of culinary innovation often find deep satisfaction in classic, indulgent dishes that evoke childhood joy.

Other Top Chefs’ Favorite Foods and Guilty Pleasures

The confessions didn’t stop with Kapur and Mehrotra. Other leading chefs also shared their beloved foods and guilty pleasures, adding to the delightful revelations.

One chef admitted a fondness for authentic street food, like Mumbai’s chaat and golgappas, relishing the messy, vibrant flavors. Another confessed a weakness for instant noodles, a quick and easy meal often associated with students. Biryani, a fragrant and rich rice dish, was also mentioned as a cherished comfort food.

The instant noodle brand Maggi was a popular confession, resonating with many as a national comfort food. These admissions reveal the personal histories and identities tied to specific dishes, reminding us of the foods that shaped these chefs before their rise to fame.

Why Chefs’ Guilty Pleasures Resonate with Food Lovers

The candid sharing of chefs’ guilty pleasure foods makes them more relatable and human. In an industry that can seem exclusive, these confessions demystify celebrity chefs, showing they too crave comfort and have nostalgic connections to food.

These insights validate the cravings of everyday food lovers, making simple or indulgent choices feel acceptable. The chefs’ preferences also reflect a strong connection to Indian home cooking and street food, proving that these traditions remain central despite the growth of fine dining.

This transparency builds trust and connection between chefs and their audience. It offers a delightful, insider’s perspective, making food stories more engaging and personal for everyone.

A Deeper Connection Through Food

Beyond the awards, the most memorable moments were these heartfelt food confessions. Kunal Kapur’s dal chawal, Manish Mehrotra’s butter chicken, and other simple favorites serve as reminders of our shared human experience with food.

These dishes represent comfort, nostalgia, and a connection to simpler times. They show that even the most acclaimed chefs appreciate food for its pure enjoyment, not just its culinary artistry.

By sharing these personal tastes, chefs forge a deeper connection with their audience, highlighting that the love for food is a universal passion that transcends professional accolades. It emphasizes that great food is often about love and connection, a sentiment everyone can understand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are chefs' guilty pleasure foods?

Chefs' guilty pleasure foods often include simple, comforting dishes they enjoyed before becoming famous. Examples include humble meals like dal chawal, popular restaurant favorites like butter chicken, and quick snacks like instant noodles or street food.

Why do chefs have guilty pleasure foods?

Like everyone else, chefs have personal cravings for foods that bring comfort, evoke nostalgia, or offer simple indulgence. These choices are often a contrast to the complex, innovative dishes they create professionally.

What did Kunal Kapur say was his favorite food?

Chef Kunal Kapur revealed that his ultimate comfort food is dal chawal, the simple Indian dish of lentils and rice. He associates it with home and his mother's cooking.

What guilty pleasure did Manish Mehrotra admit to?

Manish Mehrotra, known for his innovative Indian cuisine, confessed that his guilty pleasure is butter chicken and naan. He enjoys the rich, classic flavors of this popular dish.

How do chefs' guilty pleasures make them relatable?

By sharing their love for simple or indulgent foods, chefs appear more human and less like unattainable culinary artists. It shows they have personal tastes and cravings, just like their audience.

Do chefs prefer complex or simple foods?

While chefs master complex culinary techniques, many find deep satisfaction in simple, comforting foods. These dishes often connect them to their roots, memories, and a sense of pure enjoyment.