Sanjeev Kapoor

🇮🇳 India · Indian cuisine · b. 1964

The most-watched chef in Asia and the public face of Indian home cooking.

Biography

Sanjeev Kapoor is one of the most recognised chefs in Asia. His TV show 'Khana Khazana,' which ran on Zee TV from 1993 until 2010, is the longest-running and most-watched cookery programme in Indian television history, with an audience estimated at over 500 million viewers across South Asia, the Middle East and the Indian diaspora.

Trained at the Institute of Hotel Management in Mumbai, he runs the FoodFood TV channel, the Wonderchef cookware brand and a global restaurant group with restaurants in Dubai, Toronto, Singapore and elsewhere. His cookbooks — over 150 titles to date — and his streamlined, broadcast-friendly style of teaching have shaped how a generation of urban Indian home cooks approaches their own cuisine.

His style emphasises classical Indian techniques (tempering, slow-simmered curries, tandoor cooking) explained step-by-step for a domestic audience.

Cooking Philosophy

Indian home cooking deserves the same television presence as any other cuisine. Kapoor's career has been about taking the techniques and recipes of urban Indian middle-class kitchens — dal, sabzi, biryani, paneer dishes, regional snacks — and presenting them with the same patience and clarity that Western TV chefs apply to French or Italian food.

Restaurants

Yellow Chilli
Multiple cities — India / UAE / Canada / Singapore
Pan-Indian restaurant chain.
Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor
Dubai / Doha
Premium Indian fine dining.

Awards & Recognition

Padma Shri (2017) — India's fourth-highest civilian honour
Mercury Gold Award (American Academy of Hospitality Sciences)
Best Chef in India (multiple)

Iconic Dishes

Butter chickenDal makhaniPaneer tikka masalaBiryani

Cookbooks

Khana Khazana (multiple volumes)
Indian Cooking Without Fuss
The Yellow Chilli Cookbook

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Signature Recipes Inspired by Sanjeev

Original recipes we created as homages to Sanjeev's cooking style and signature dishes. Not direct reproductions of any copyrighted material — these are our interpretations of the traditionsSanjeev has worked with throughout their career.

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Dal Makhani — Sanjeev Kapoor-Inspired

Black urad lentils slow-cooked with kidney beans, cream, butter and tomato — North India's most beloved restaurant dish.

20m prep · 240m cook · ⭐ 4.9

Recipes in Sanjeev's Style

These recipes from our database reflect the indian cooking tradition that Sanjeev works in. They are not direct reproductions of Sanjeev's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.

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Authentic Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

30 prep · 45 cook · ⭐ 4.9

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Authentic Chicken Biryani Recipe

40 prep · 60 cook · ⭐ 4.9

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Palak Paneer

15 prep · 25 cook · ⭐ 4.5

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Chole Bhature

20 prep · 40 cook · ⭐ 4.7

Frequently Asked Questions about Sanjeev Kapoor

What is Khana Khazana?

Khana Khazana is the long-running Indian cookery TV show hosted by Sanjeev Kapoor, which aired on Zee TV from 1993 to 2010. It is the longest-running and most-watched cookery programme in Indian TV history, with an estimated cumulative audience of over 500 million.

How many cookbooks has Sanjeev Kapoor written?

Kapoor has written more than 150 cookbooks across his career, covering everything from regional Indian cuisine to bachelor cooking, microwave recipes and diabetes-friendly Indian food.