Varun Arora

He loves experimenting and Anyday dishware are his new mojo that are helping him explore the magic of microwaving

The last two years have been a testing time for everyone, including our tastebuds. The pandemic has sabotaged all our dine-out plans as we take refuge in the safe sanctuary of our homes. The refreshing restaurant drinks are replaced by bitter “kadhas” and bland home-made food substitute the regular fancy restaurant treats. However, there’s one chef who has taken this change as a challenge and an opportunity to help people realise the bliss, beauty and brilliance of home-cooking.

Meet the millennial chef Varun Arora who doesn’t adhere to the old-school guidelines. He believes in experimenting with different ingredients like broccoli and spinach, or trying unique combinations such as maple and orange in doughnuts (really?), and giving new twists to regular recipes like replacing rice in khichadi with vermicelli or tweaking the flavour of classic kadhi with the inclusion of mango and so on.

“My objective is to keep the essence intact and bring a fresh addition to uplift the overall flavour and presentation,” says the chef.

How did his culinary journey begin?

“Kitchen was my mother’s favourite place. As a child I could always see her bent over her dishware creating exhilarating dishes. She believed wholesome food holds the power to improve our health, happiness and mood. She instilled the same belief in me along with her quest for experimentation. She is my true inspiration who helped me to kickstart my culinary journey in every possible way.”

The fitting combination of fitness and flavour

Chef Arora is also adept at making low calorie fare taste heavenly.  He has created an array of under 500 cal dishes, healthy fast snacks, Keto recipes, paleo recipes and more that will help anyone attain their fitness goals easily. “I believe that holistic living starts at home with the food we prepare and feed our body! We are perpetually in hurry and cook food that  not only lacks nourishment but taste too. Through these recipes, I want to tell you that cooking healthy and hearty dishes is not an arduous or time-consuming task. In fact, with the use of a microwave and Anyday dishware can help you prepare delectable treats in a fraction of minutes.” Not surprisingly, he has a penchant for creating easy, breezy but extremely delicious microwave recipes that can be rustled up in just a few minutes. From microwave dhokla to fruit jam steamed cake, the assorted recipes are designed to please all palates.

On using microwave and Anyday dishes

“Microwaving is the fastest way of cooking. It is perfect for everyone who wants to eat healthy, home-made food. You don’t have to spend a lot of time or put much efforts. It’s a really easy and healthy cooking process that conserves food nutrients as well as the natural flavour,” he explains about microwave cooking.

He also has special mention for Anyday dishes. “I can confidently say that these dishware will be a central part of every home chef’s repertoire and reintroduce the ease and effectiveness of microwaving.” He is also impressed by the resplendence of these dishware. “The containers with frosted glass slides and vented glass lids are gorgeous to look and they seamlessly transfer from microwave to table,” he says.

So, which is his favourite Anyday dish?

All of them, he quickly confirms.