Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's infamous eatery Torii is under fire - why? Because of allegedly fake paneer (cottage cheese).
The posh hangout is a go-to celebrity spot in Mumbai. However, the restaurant is now facing backlash over concerns about authenticity after a youtuber conducted a viral iodine test to check for fake paneer.
Gauri Khan's famous restaurant selling fake paneer?
On Wednesday, a video of a influencer and YouTuber Sarthak Sachdeva started circulating on social media handle. The clip showed Sachdeva performing a paneer quality check at several celebrity-owned restaurants, such as cricketer Virat Kohli's One8 Commune, Shilpa Shetty's Bastian, Bobby Deol's Someplace Else, and finally, Gauri Khan's Torii.
While all the eateries passed the test with flying colors, it was Gauri's restaurant that allegedly failed, as the paneer turned dark during the iodine test.
How is authenticity of the paneer tested?
In a video, Sarthak is performing a viral iodine test on a piece of paneer served at the restaurants to check the presence. As shown in the video, every other restaurant's paneer passed the test. But at Gauri's eatery, the paneer changed color, raising doubts.
After the conducting the test, Sarthak says, “Shah Rukh Khan ke restaurant mein paneer nakli tha. Ye dekh ke mere toh hosh udd gaye the."(Shah Rukh Khan's restaurant is selling fake paneer. I completely lost my mind on seeing this)!.”
Netizens reactions:
The video quickly went viral, and netizens began reacting. While some believed the test, others were quick to question the test credibility.
One user wrote, ''Appreciate your honesty. Not everyone has courage to do this.''
Other user commented, ''Dude restaurant gauri k ka h to srk beech me kese aya aur its not like gauri k goes for grocery shopping for her restaurant.''
Restaurant rubbishes the claims
Soon after the video went viral, the restaurant reacted to claim, stating that the iodine test detects the presence of starch - not the authenticity of the paneer.
They commented in the video,''The iodine test reflects the presence of starch, not the authenticity of the paneer. As the dish contains soy-based ingredients, this reaction is expected. We stand by the purity of our paneer and the integrity of our ingredients at Torii.''
What is the iodine tincture test?
The iodine tincture test, currently trending on the internet, is used to detect the presence of starch. Notably, real paneer is made from milk and should not contain starch.
How does the iodine test work?
To perform the test, take a piece of paneer and wash it properly. Using a dropper, place a few drops of iodine on it. If it turns blue or dark, it indicates the presence of starch in the paneer.