Page 76 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 3 | February - March 2024
P. 76
Manav Khanna is the senior sous chef at Gaa, a renowned
Indian restaurant in Thong Lo with two Michelin stars. While
he has been part of the team at Gaa for over six years now,
Chef Manav’s cooking experience extends all the way back
to his childhood.
In our conversation, he recalls first learning how to cook via
YouTube videos and TLC, as well as helping his mother
and his aunt in the kitchen. In 2012, at the age of 18, Manav
applied to the STEP program offered by Oberoi Hotels &
Resorts at The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, a luxury hotel in
Rajasthan. After finishing the program, he relocated to another
5-star hotel - the Trident BKC in Mumbai - before eventually
leaving to join a restaurant in Delhi called Lavaash by Saby.
Chef Manav admits to me that joining this restaurant was
eye-opening. They made Bengali-Armenian cuisine in a
bohemian style setting, and he worked here for nine months,
truly finding his groove as a professional cook. From this point
on, he knew he wanted to work in a restaurant and be part of
a team that had a clear vision. He was no longer content just
making good food, and wanted to offer diners a true culinary
experience. As it would happen, in 2017, a friend of his working
at Gaggan brings him whispers of a new Indian restaurant in
Bangkok called Gaa looking for interns. And the rest is history.
Even after appearing as a guest chef on Masterchef India,
being interviewed for the Times of India, and becoming a
member of Chef Garima’s legendary culinary cohort, Chef
Chef Manav Khanna gives us Manav is someone who is down to earth and very personable.
two simple recipes injected He tells me some of his favourite foods to eat are still the
basics: rajma chawal or kari chawal with a side of onions and
with his signature culinary flair. chillies. In keeping with that theme, I asked Chef Manav to
give our readers two basic recipes that anyone can make at
B Y AYU SH MADAN
home. One is a simple oven-roasted appetizer, while the other
is a rich and buttery curry.
76 | MASALA MAGAZINE FEB-MAR 2024
