Did you know that the bright red in the classic tandoori chicken was traditionally derived from the spicy Kashmiri chillies? “When these chillies became prohibitively expensive, city restaurants started using regular chillies for the spice and added red colour. Unfortunately, this practice is prevalent till today,” rues acclaimed chef Atul Kochhar, who vowed to do away with artificial colouring, over 15 years ago, while working in London. “For a long time, my tandoori chicken was served white and when customers enquired, I simply said, ‘It’s because I don’t want to kill you’,” he recalls.

At Worli’s Ellipsis Bakery, beetroot extract helps add a blush red colour to Woopie Pie. Pics/Onkar Devlekar