In the age of viral food reviews and social media trends, a controversy involving Mumbai-based restaurant Torii, co-owned by Gauri Khan, has ignited a storm online — drawing celebrity chef Vikas Khanna into the conversation.
YouTuber’s allegation
The controversy began when YouTuber Sarthak Sachdeva shared a video claiming the paneer served at Torii was “fake.” In his post, he demonstrated an iodine test, showing a colour change on the paneer, which he interpreted as evidence of added starch — a sign, he suggested, of synthetic paneer. The video spread rapidly, sparking alarm and heated debate on social media. However, Sachdeva has since taken the video down from Instagram.
Torii issues a clarification
Responding swiftly, Torii Mumbai refuted the allegations. In a statement under the original video, the restaurant clarified that the iodine reaction was due to starch naturally present in several ingredients of the dish, especially soy-based ones, which can cause such reactions. “We stand by the purity of our paneer and the integrity of our ingredients at Torii,” the restaurant asserted.
What chef Vikas Khanna said?
Renowned chef Vikas Khanna also addressed the controversy via Instagram, calling out the spread of misinformation. “I’ve never seen such terrible misinformation like a YouTuber claiming to be a food scientist,” he wrote. Khanna explained that iodine turns blue-black in the presence of starch, a common component in kitchen staples like potatoes, bread, and flour.
He also highlighted that cross-contamination or soy-based ingredients could cause similar reactions, cautioning against taking unverified claims seriously.