Gaurav Taneja Defends Gauri Khan's Restaurant Torii In Fake Paneer Row; Here's What He Said

Gauri Khan's restaurant Torii in Mumbai was recently accused of using bad-quality paneer by influencer Sarthak Sachdeva. He shared a video testing paneer from different celebrity restaurants. The video got over five million views before it was removed. Torii said the claims were not true. After that, many others started doing similar tests. But YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, who also owns a dairy company, said the test used in the video isn't a reliable way to check paneer.

Gaurav Taneja Defends Gauri Khan In Fake Paneer Row:

He said the iodine test isn't a good way to check if paneer is pure. It only shows if there's starch, and most fake paneer doesn't have starch, so it can still pass the test. “99% of fake paneer can pass the iodine test. A recent report cited safety officials as saying that the number one most adulterated product in the market is paneer. You must've noticed that every influencer nowadays is carrying iodine with them wherever they go. But the truth is that you can't test the purity of paneer with iodine. I've worked in this industry, that's not how things are done," he said.

Gaurav added, "You take milk, you separate the fat from the milk. You make cream and ghee from that fat. You're left with milk with no fat. So then, they are forced to reintroduce fat into the milk, either by adding vegetable oil or palm oil. That milk is sold in the market, and that's the milk with which paneer is made. There is no starch in this milk, because all the fat in it comes from vegetable oil or palm oil. You can put all the iodine in the world on it, but you won't be able to catch it. It won't blacken, for the simple reason that it has no starch. Now you decide for yourself, what kind of paneer you're eating, and what kind of paneer is being sold in the market."

Photo Credit: Instagram 

The Controversy Around Fake Paneer At Gauri Khan's Torii:

A YouTuber recently went on a spree to find out if the poshest of the eateries in Mumbai, especially the celebrity-owned joints, offer quality paneer. During his journey, the content creator apparently found out ‘fake paneer' at Gauri Khan's Mumbai restaurant Torii.

YouTuber Sarthak Sachdeva took to Instagram and posted an elaborate video where he could be first seen ordering a paneer dish at these eating joints. Soon after the dishes arrived, he removed the fried coating from the paneer, washed it in a bowl of water and put iodine drops on it. Sarthak started off with Virat Kohli's One8 Commune, next he visited Shilpa Shetty's Bastian, followed by Bobby Deol's Someplace Else with a vial of iodine tincture. All these restaurants passed his iodine test.

Torii's Statement:

The restaurant issued an official statement that read, “We are utterly surprised at the news of ‘fake paneer' being served at Torii. The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. For all dishes that contain soy-based ingredients (a staple in Asian food) this reaction is expected. From sourcing our produce to the food being served on the plate to our patrons, there are quality checks at every step of the way. Our commitment to excellence in the food we serve remains unwavered."