Vikas Khanna’s childhood Lohri memories: The kitchen would smell of jaggery, peanuts, gajak

Mumbai, Jan 13 (IANS) Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna has fondly recalled his childhood Lohri celebrations in Amritsar, saying harvest festivals in his growing-up years were not just occasions but an atmosphere that shaped his relationship with food.

Asked if he has a childhood memory associated with a harvest festival meal that still inspires him even today, pat came the reply from Vikas: “Yes, very strongly.”

“Growing up in Amritsar, harvest festivals were not events — they were an atmosphere,” the celebrity chef told IANS.

Sharing how deeply those memories continue to inspire him, Vikas said Lohri evenings were filled with the warmth of bonfires, the sound of folk songs and the sight of his mother preparing festive treats with devotion.

“I still remember Lohri evenings — the warmth of the bonfire, the sound of folk songs, and my mother preparing food with such devotion. The kitchen would smell of jaggery, peanuts, rewri, gajak, and that fragrance still lives inside me.”

The chef added that beyond the food, what left a lasting impression was the quiet sense of prayer that preceded every meal.

“But the memory that inspires me the most is this: Before we ate, there was always a sense of prayer, not spoken loudly, but felt deeply. Because in our homes, harvest meant one thing, never take food for granted. Even today, I carry that childhood lesson into everything I do, including MasterChef India, where food is always connected to story, culture, and soul.”

Sharing his favourite festival delicacy, he said: “For me, it will always be the food of Punjab during harvest season — sarson da saag and makki di roti. It’s not just a dish, it is a feeling.”

Vikas said that it carries the fragrance of the fields, the warmth of winter sun, and the sound of families sitting together.

“The first spoon of saag with ghee is like a reminder that India’s greatest strength has always been its land and its people. I also love how harvest food across India — til-gud, pongal, pitha, payasam — may look different, but the emotion is the same: gratitude. That is the soul of the Harvest Special — celebrating India through the language of its harvest.”

Harvest festivals are deeply rooted in India’s agrarian culture. Vikas shared that these celebrations influence the food traditions and cooking philosophy.

He said that the harvest festivals reminds us that food is not born in a kitchen, it is born in the soil.

“India’s cooking philosophy has always been deeply seasonal, deeply respectful, and deeply grateful. When we celebrate the harvest, we are celebrating the hands that work on the land, the rhythm of nature, and the sacredness of grain.”

“That’s why every harvest festival, Pongal, Lohri, Baisakhi, Makar Sankranti, Bihu, Onam, is not just about feasting, it is about honouring the ingredients at their purest: new rice, jaggery, sesame, lentils, fresh coconut, sugarcane.”

For Vikas, harvest cuisine teaches the most important lesson: “simplicity is the greatest luxury.”

Vikas agrees that harvest cuisine is the most honest form of food storytelling, both in India and globally.

“I truly believe harvest cuisine is the most honest form of food storytelling — because it has no pretence. It is food that comes from need, nature, and nourishment. Harvest cuisine is about what the land gives you, and how you transform it with wisdom passed down through generations. It is not about trends — it is about truth.”

“And globally too, the greatest cuisines are built on harvest — rice cultures, bread cultures, corn cultures. The world may have different ingredients, but the emotion is universal: celebrating abundance and respecting scarcity.”

Chef Vikas Khanna is currently seen on MasterChef India, which airs on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony Liv.

--IANS

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