Chef Vikas Khanna REACTS to ‘Fake Paneer’ Allegations Against SRK’s Wife Gauri Khan’s Restaurant

Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna has spoken out in support of Gauri Khan’s restaurant, Torii, after an influencer claimed they were serving “fake paneer.” Vikas, who is close to Shah Rukh Khan and his family, shared his thoughts on social media, calling the whole situation “scary” and “misleading.”

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Vikas Khanna Reacts to Viral Claim

Recently, Vikas Khanna took to Instagram Stories to respond to a viral video in which a YouTuber accused Torii of serving paneer with added starch. Vikas said people are spreading wrong information without knowing the facts.

He wrote:

“I’ve been cooking and studying food science for decades, and I’ve never seen such misinformation. Iodine can change color when it comes in contact with ingredients like potatoes, rice, bread, flour, or even unripe bananas. These ingredients—or even cross-contamination—can cause a reaction. It’s worrying that unqualified people are being trusted.”

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What Happened?

The controversy began when influencer Sarthak Sachdeva, who has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube, uploaded a video where he tested paneer from Torii using an iodine tincture. The paneer turned black and blue, which usually indicates the presence of starch. He then claimed the paneer was fake and said:

“Shah Rukh Khan’s restaurant is serving fake paneer. I was shocked!”

Sarthak is running a video series where he visits celebrity-owned restaurants to test their paneer. He also tested paneer from restaurants owned by Virat Kohli, Shilpa Shetty, and Bobby Deol—none of which, according to him, showed signs of starch.

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Torii Responds to the Accusation

Torii quickly released a public statement after the video went viral. They explained that the iodine test only shows if starch is present—not whether the paneer is real or fake. Their statement read:

“The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. Since our dish includes soy-based ingredients, this kind of reaction is expected. We stand by the quality of our paneer and ingredients.”

The Video Has Been Taken Down

Following the backlash and responses from experts like Vikas Khanna, the influencer’s video has now been removed from both YouTube and Instagram.

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