3 weeks Ago By Mashable India
Chef and Masterchef India judge Vikas Khanna came out in support of Gauri Khan’s restaurant, Torii, in Mumbai, shortly after an influencer alleged that the establishment served ‘fake’ paneer. For those unaware, influencer Sarthak Sachdeva shared a video performing an iodine tincture test, commonly used to identify starch adulteration, on a piece of paneer from Torii. When the iodine was applied, the paneer turned blue-black, leading Sarthak to label it ‘fake.
’ He also conducted similar tests on paneer from other celebrity-owned restaurants, such as those owned by Bobby Deol, Shilpa Shetty, and cricketer Virat Kohli. In those instances, the paneer showed no color change, indicating no starch presence. On Friday (18 April 2025), Vikas Khanna used his Instagram story to rebuke the influencer.
He stated, “I’ve been cooking & working with the science of food for the past several decades. I’ve never seen such terrible misinformation like the YouTuber who claims to be a food scientist.” The chef further explained, “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.” Following the viral spread of the influencer’s video a few days earlier, Torii’s official Instagram account issued a clarification, stating, “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.” Testing of Paneer in Celebrities' restaurants.
Gauri Khan's restaurant , Torii, in Mumbai failed the test and it is FAKE paneer. pic.twitter.
com/p8aIRss9kT — Farrago Abdullah Parody (@abdullah_0mar) April 17, 2025 While Torii responded to the controversy with a detailed explanation, Gauri Khan, the prominent figure behind the upscale restaurant, has not yet personally addressed the allegations. It should be noted that the influencer has since removed the video from his Instagram account. Torii, situated in Pali Hill, Bandra, is an 82-seater pan-Asian restaurant launched by Gauri in February 2024.
See Also: YouTuber Claims Gauri Khan’s Torii Sells ‘Fake Paneer’? Here’s What The Restaurant Has To Say.
