How Jiggs Kalra, the 'Czar' of Indian cuisine, inspired India's top chefs

Tuesday, June 4 was a sad day for the world of Indian cuisine. After a long, 22-day struggle in a hospital’s intensive care unit, the “Czar” of Indian cuisine, as he was affectionately known, Jiggs Kalra breathed his last. An enterprising journalist, who pioneered food writing in the country and made it his life’s mission to promote India’s vast and rich cuisines, Kalra almost singlehandedly elevated them and ensured they are afforded the respect they deserve. And though Kalra was never a chef himself, his work motivated generations of Indian chefs. He showed them that their profession didn’t necessarily mean they would be confined to the kitchen — he encouraged them to dream big and become the larger-than-life personalities they are today. 

Jiggs Kalra’s Prashad was a seminal read for most chefs aspiring to master Indian cooking

The outpouring of grief on Kalra’s passing is far from ebbing, I spoke to some of India’s most successful chefs about Kalra’s legacy. Many of them now live abroad and have achieved great things — some have Michelin stars and most are celebrities in their own right. Many of them were too young to have met him personally. But all of them share common ground: their admiration for Kalra. They recognise that without his tireless work, many of their achievements would have not been possible. 

If there ever was a Hall of Fame for Indian chefs, Jiggs Kalra would be its permanent chairman.

Manish Mehrotra
Indian Accent (New Delhi, London, New York), India’s highest rated restaurant on Asia’s 50 Best List
 
We've lost a legend! Jiggs Sir was a mentor to all of us. He led a great life and has left a legacy behind for all of us. We in our generation now have the task of taking it further. Documentation of Indian cuisine was one of the most neglected areas in our history and he is the one who started doing it, getting secret recipes from an ustad. Prashad was the first Indian cookbook I bought after joining IHM Bombay. He will always remain in our hearts.
 

Rohit Ghai
Former chef of Michelin-starred Jamavar (London); and Chef/Owner of Kutir (London)
 
I had met the legendary Jiggs Kalra a long time ago, when I was working with the Oberoi Group in India. I have his book Prashad; it’s always been my favourite. It is like a Bible with such deep knowledge and classic Indian recipes. He is the first person to have taken Indian food to an international level. There will be no one like him. Our industry will miss him always.
 

Vikas Khanna
Chef of Michelin-starred Junoon (New York); and Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations
 
Watching Jiggs Kalra on TV decades ago had a very strong impact. He was the pollinator of the lesser known in the familiar Indian kitchen. When he hosted big events, books etc it was a benchmark. We often talk about a ‘chef’s legacy’ and its permanence beyond restaurants and companies. Jiggs Kalra’s name will carry on as India’s equivalent of James Beard.
 

Floyd Cardoz

Chef/Owner, The Bombay Bread Bar (New York); and Bombay Canteen and O Pedro (Mumbai)
 
I met Jiggs way back in 1987 before I left for the US. He had just released his book Prashad: Cooking with Indian Masters. I have a first edition copy, a treasure. I was working for Oberoi at that time. I was amazed at his passion and love for Indian food. His excitement was infectious and I will never forget how jazzed I felt after meeting him. I was the sous chef at the Moghul Room and Kandahar. He sparked my interest in Indian food by his passion for it. He also introduced me to Nasser, a young cook from Hyderabad who worked in my kitchen. Jiggs had a way of finding these amazing cooks. Every time I enjoy a biryani I think of Jiggs as I learnt to make my biryani from Nasser who is in that book.
 

Vineet Bhatia

India’s first chef to win a Michelin star, London
 
Jiggs Kalra has influenced so many chefs in India. His book Prashad was the go-to book training as a chef and I certainly have benefited from that. His food columns have opened the minds of many chefs. He is the one person who started a movement of getting Indians acquainted with their own food, recording as well as reviving age-old delicacies. Truly a czar of Indian cuisine.
 

Garima Arora

Chef/Owner of Michelin-starred Gaa, Bangkok, rated as Asia’s best female chef 2019 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
 
Jiggs Kalra with his amazing achievements and his life’s work gave us younger cooks tools and resources to explore Indian cuisine. His book Prashad was one of the first cookbooks I ever read. I didn’t ever get to meet him in person or cook for him but the legacy he leaves behind is something we all aspire to keep alive.
 

Srijith Gopinathan

Chef of two Michelin-starred Campton Place (San Francisco)
 
As a budding culinary professional in the pre-Google and pre-Wikipedia era, Jiggs Kalra’s Prashad was my go-to for Indian food. Larousse, Hering’s  and Prashad were books I had under my pillow. Jiggs Kalra is
someone we all looked up to with respect then and now.