Chef Ajay Chopra’s cookbook is to coax men to cook

Chef Ajay Chopra feels it is important for men to start cooking meals for the family

Chef Ajay Chopra’s first cookbook The Big Daddy Chef is all about making daddies take over the kitchen and letting the children and the wife enjoy the time and food. Going with the current trend of Do-it-Yourself (DIY), to satisfy the cravings of children, Chef Ajay’s book lists a range of curated quick-fix recipes with well-decoded recipes of complicated dishes such as dal makhani, chicken butter masala, masala chaap and a lot more. Says Ajay, “It is a compilation of restaurant-style recipes that are eclectic yet healthy. My book is to inspire men, especially fathers, to experiment with their culinary skills. Customarily, in Indian society, women have been expected to take charge of the kitchen. I want to promote a culture wherein men take the onus from women to prepare meals for the family, at least occasionally.” 

Chopra is a chef, food creator and restaurant consultant. He was one the first Indian chefs to host Master Chef India (seasons 1 and 2). Chopra also presents and explains recipes from across India through his channel and website. His USP is the authenticity he brings to his food. Ajay has transformed the recipes into easy processes with creative presentation. He boasts of using simple ingredients that led him to be on the list of best chefs in India.

In 2018, Chopra started a channel on YouTube, The Big Daddy Chef, featuring a collection of recipe videos which encouraged men to cook, help the ladies, and have fun with their children. His book is an extension of the series. He wants to initiate a paradigm shift where hungry faces don’t always turn to the woman of the house, but instead turn to the man/father. He adds, “Whether a woman is stepping out to go to work or is taking care of the house, she is forever working in some way or the other. This constant of the woman being expected to work all the time needs to be broken. There is another constant,  ‘I don’t know how to cook’ by the man, that needs to be thrown out.” 

As a chef Chopra says he designed recipes according to ingredients that are easily available at home. What if the children want spring rolls instead of restaurant-style chicken butter masala. “In that case daddy will have to use a quick delivery service or plan for another day. The man has to learn to plan and understand how the woman deals with sudden food requests. I have of course mentioned alternatives to many ingredients. The whole idea is to make life simple and easy and develop a love for cooking. However, I wouldn’t support fresh tomatoes being replaced by canned tomato puree. I am against using puree in Indian curries and dals.”

Did he also mention a chapter on cleaning and tidying the kitchen after the cooking is done. “Oops totally missed on this one. I am a chef and considering how annoyed my wife gets after I enter the kitchen, I should include it in my e-book.”