Vikas Khanna on battling racism in Western kitchens, redefining Indian cuisine and why Priyanka Chopra hasn’t peaked yet

Dubai: “When I was working on my documentary, somebody said you’ll always be 10 times less than me,” says Michelin-starred chef, filmmaker, and cookbook writer Vikas Khanna.

“And I’m like, I don’t want to be equal. I want to be 11 times better than you."

When asked if the person he was referring to was a 'white guy', Khanna who has cooked for celebrities and world leaders like Barack Obama and Dalai Lama, nods.

The line reflects a journey that runs from Amritsar to New York, where he now runs his restaurant Bungalow in NYC and Kinara at JA Hotel in Dubai. Khanna is a Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and filmmaker whose career spans India and the United States.

He has cooked for heads of state and built a global presence for Indian cuisine, and was recently named in 2026 TIME 100 list, which described him as “a man of extraordinary heart” who uses food to build bridges and foster understanding.

But his battles are far from over, he tells Gulf News as he cooks up a storm with his signature dishes made from hung yoghurt, date sauce, and more.

“The biggest battle being the battle of identity,” he says.

“How do we tell our kids that we are enough? How do you tell them what businesses have we created, or what legacies have we left? We don’t have to be white to achieve in this world.”

In the latest episode of Dine With The Stars with Manjusha Radhakrishnan, he links that directly to his experience of working in Western kitchens.

“Sometimes, to be one of the first in the world, it takes not just great craftsmanship. It’s a game of guts as an immigrant, to leave everything behind, to start from scratch.”

He also adds that kitchen spaces are high-stress environments that thrive on issues like 'invisibility, identity issues, hierarchy and egos'.

But the important thing is to just turn up and e consistent. But he was not always this clear about his goals. Early on in his culinary career, success was tied to validation.

“I wanted to achieve that ultimate awards and everything for validation,” he says.

“But once I had everything, I said, ‘No, this is time. I’ve learned all the alphabets. I’ve learned how to put the words together. Now I should write my own story.’”

The proof is in the proverbial pudding too. We are at his Kinara restaurant in Dubai and he's serving us a string of Indian delicacies that aren't bastardised to suit Western palettes. He claims he's done diluting himself, just to fit into that 'box stencil of the US market'.

“We do Indian food the way it is eaten,” he says. “When you close your eyes, it tastes like it’s taking you home, but when you look at it, it looks so different.”

And true to his word, his delectable mushroom gulati, beets and cucumber finished with cumin oil, and a yoghurt-based dish were the heroes of our afternoon. He even cooked us a dish with a dash of Emirati influence in them.

"This dish that you are having now is made with strained yoghurt, dates and ginger. It's my tribute to Emirati culture."

And his biggest challenge? To shatter the notion that Indian dishes are heavy in calories, oil, carbs and cream.

“I was particular that my dishes are not oily… sometimes this becomes too grease-based, too much ghee or fat and I want to avoid that.”

Interestingly, our conversation segues into Priyanka Chopra Jonas, India's biggest cultural exports. Like Vikas Khanna, she's someone who's made a mark in Hollywood along with Bollywood.

“But she hasn’t reached her peak,” he says. “There is still a peak for Priyanka Chopra. Very soon, I feel she’s going to lift not just herself but her entire nation.”

Just like him, she's all about discipline, consistency and broader ambitions.

"I dream of a world where my movie like Varanasi [on Indian widows in Benaras, a holy city in India] will have six Oscar nominations and we will all be sitting at the head of the table at the Oscars. That’s my dream.”

He recalls an incident from early in his career.

“I was doing a cooking demo in 2005, and the guy with me [white], he took my knife and he threw it, and I couldn’t find my knife,” he says. It was sabotage but he remembered his grandmother's words.

"She used to always tell me that opportunities are very rare for people of colour. When you get it, you just love it, grab it, and run with it."

But he's always aware of a grim reality of being an immigrant in Western kitchens.

“Sometimes, to be one of the first in the world, it takes not just great craftsmanship ... It’s a game of guts as an immigrant, to leave everything behind, to start from scratch.”

But Indians are rising on the global stage, he believes.

“Earlier, you never saw Indians on the stage ... This is the new rise for us and this is our new identity.”

He returns to how people respond to those experiences.

“I feel that some of the kindest people I’ve met are the humblest people too, from extremely modest backdrops,” he says.

“Being kind is one thing which is a gift.” He talks about Middle Eastern dates.

“When you see the dates — how much they burn in the sun without water, and turn out to be the sweetest fruit,” he says, “I feel people have gone through extreme humiliation, extreme darkness… something triggers in them.”

“I have a choice to be like the people who did this to me, or I have the choice to be something totally different,” he says.

“I chose to be something totally different.”

His upcoming film, starring Shabana Azmi, draws on similar themes.

“It talks about the pain of being immigrants in search of identity in New York City,” he says.

“There’s a beauty when your actors just merge into the crowds… and they’re living their life in that crowded city without any identity, with so much pain.”

“I talk about a lot of things about my own life in the movie.”

“I wanted her to command more respect… I felt that how people just took it for granted as a woman serving them.”

He credits his grandmother for shaping his path.

“I’m breathing on the stage just because of somebody fought for me,” he says.

“When my father said… if you’re going to choose cooking… you will just be a slave,” he recalls. “And my grandmother said, ‘tathastu’… may you cook for American presidents.” And his parting words to Gulf News?

“I don’t want to be equal. I want to be 11 times better than that guy who told me I can never be him."