Michelin-starred chef Gaggan Anand reveals his favourite Singaporean dish - and 6 other things you might not know about him

Gaggan Anand. Chef extraordinaire. Rock-star owner of Gaggan Anand restaurant in Bangkok.

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Decked out in a faded Nirvana t-shirt, the bad boy of modern Indian cuisine was recently in town to open the first overseas outpost of his casual Indian-Mexican restaurant Ms Maria & Mr Singh.

AsiaOne managed to spend some time with the larger-than-life Gaggan as he mused about food, life and everything in between.

ALSO READ: Missed Gaggan’s $447 ‘omakase’ in Bangkok? Get a taste of his dishes from $18 at this new restaurant 

While you might not be familiar with the man, you will most definitely be acquainted with his signature dishes – Yogurt Explosion, Gaggan's Crab Curry and Mango Yuzu Snowball. The latter is sure to ring a bell to any MasterChef Singapore fans out there.

In addition, local foodies might remember Gaggan from his recently concluded fine-dining pop-up with the Mandala Club. 

Described as "organised chaos" by his own restaurant crew, Gaggan is a maverick in the culinary scene. 

Hailing from Kolkata, the 44-year-old is heavily influenced by music, having been a drummer before embarking on the road to being a chef.

Gaggan, who has appeared on programmes such as Chef's Table and Somebody Feed Phil, is the first Indian chef to have interned with the legendary chef Ferran Adria at El Biulli. And the imaginative Spanish chef's molecular gastronomy approach has rubbed off on Gaggan, as seen from his out-of-the-box culinary creations.

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Based out of Bangkok, the Michelin-starred chef's restaurant Gaggan Anand — opened in 2019 — was ranked fifth in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants last year and clinched the Highest New Entry Award. Gaggan currently has five restaurants under his wing.

So what did the decorated chef share with us? Without further ado, here are seven things you might not have known about him. 

1. Music + sex + madness = inspiration

Never one to shy away from his influences, Gaggan Anand wears them like a badge of honour. 

The former drummer, who couldn't stop gushing about his Seattle musical pilgrimage to visit the tombs of Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, took some time off recently to recharge his creative batteries by attending the recent Foo Fighters tribute concert to Taylor Hawkins at Wembley.

When asked what inspires him, the rebel chef simply said, "100 per cent music, 200 per cent sex, 300 per cent madness".

2. He travels 'like a dog'

Famed writer and food host Anthony Bourdain once implored people to travel as far and wide as possible to experience how others live, cook and eat, and Gaggan is a strong believer.

He shared that he was in Japan mere days before hitting up Singapore, and that he constantly moves around to discover new ideas and ingredients.

"I'm like a dog… hunting for truffles. Dogs are the best sniffers and I stay around for good food with flavours. Culture attracts me and that’s why I can't stay. I was depressed during Covid-19 [lockdown] because I couldn't eat the food that I eat all over the world."

3. Mee goreng is his kryptonite

If there is one food item that Gaggan cannot resist, it has to be noodles. 

He listed soba noodle as his favourite in Japan, while settling for a plate of hor fun as his go-to for Hong Kong.

But when in Singapore though, Gaggan is partial to a proper plate of mee goreng. Guess we can probably catch him and F1 driver Sebastian Vettel at the mamak the next time they are in town.

4. His home cooking is simple and spontaneous

For a man with enough culinary tricks to fill a book, you wouldn't expect Gaggan to describe his home cooking as "basic".

But, that is the case with the father of two. He explained that he usually doesn't plan his home menu ahead of time, and that it's dependent on his mood and what's left in his refrigerator.

Since he is also cooking for his kids, he takes special care not to use any dairy products and uses "a lot of natural soups". 

5. He's a mummy's boy for his last meal

For a chef that has tasted the world twice over, Gaggan returns to his roots when push comes to shove.

When quizzed about his choice of last meal, he replied without hesitation, "My mum's food – rice and dhal."

And he plans to eat it the traditional way – with his hands!

Even though there are 25 different types of dhal out there, Gaggan explained that his mum's is his top pick as he "grew up on that memory". 

6. He believes in love

Deep inside, Gaggan might be a hopeless romantic. The chef, who believes in love at first sight, shares that he's the type to go all out in a relationship.

Despite being divorced twice, he believes that it has made him a better lover and person. "I learnt, I'm a human and make mistakes. We are not meant to be together, but doesn’t mean that I do not love the next person [sic].

"To love again, to give a chance to a person again in life is very important."

7. Happiness is the main ingredient in his restaurant

If there is one thing that Gaggan is adamant on, it's that his staff are vital parts of his culinary machine.

Thus, he believes in providing a positive work environment: "I want people to work with [us] because we are a good team to work with where they feel happy." 

Gaggan stated that he doesn't want staff who are motivated by money and that it "cannot buy you happiness".

He added, "Real happiness is a good place to work". 

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timothywee@asiaone.com