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HT City Unwind 2026: Home chefs get their celebrity moment with Chef Tarun Sibal and Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi
At HT City Unwind 2026, chefs Tarun Sibal and Harpal Singh Sokhi entertained the crowd with food and humour at the ultimate carnival at Delhi's JLN Stadium.
From dahi puri to Amritsari macchi and hearty laughs, Day 1 (February 7) of The fifth edition of Autotope presents HT City Unwind - The Ultimate Food & Music Carnival presented by co-presented by Krasa co-powered by Zappfresh.com and Prestige at Delhi's Jawarlal Nehru Stadium was all thing namak shamak and heart food!
Prestige presents HT City Foodies Signature Kitchen powered by Zappfresh.com brought chefs Tarun Sibal and Harpal Singh Sokhi together with home chefs and food lovers at HT City Unwind 2026, blending flavour, humour and hands-on cooking. Both chefs had the Delhi crowd cheering as home chefs joined them on stage to learn, cook, taste and laugh their way through signature dishes.
Tarun Sibal brings Delhi’s favourite flavours
Chef Tarun Sibal, returning to HT City Unwind for the third time, kicked things off with Delhi’s most-loved comfort food, chaat. He began his session with dahi puri, instantly winning over the audience.
Calling the city’s palate “phenomenal”, Sibal invited home chefs on stage, turning the demo into a lively, interactive experience filled with banter, jokes and enthusiastic tasting.
He followed it up with Amritsari macchi in a brown butter reduction, paired with his signature peeli chutney and finished with homemade tomato butter, a winter-friendly dish with unmistakable sarson notes.
He also had the crowd laughing as he shared a family anecdote: “Mera beta meko number deta hai jab bhi main khana batata hun. Mujhe kabhi 8 se zyada nahin mile. Kabhi bahut khush ho gaya toh maybe 8.5!”
Explaining his menu, he said, “Chaat is loved across India, so had to have that. Plus looking at the weather, the machchi in winter with sarson ka swaad had to be an item. HT City Unwind is always a pleasure and the home chefs are so wonderful. They loved it and I loved cooking alongside them.”
Home chefs steal the spotlight
Among those on stage was home chef Vaishali Arora, a homemaker from Paharganj, who enjoyed both dishes despite dietary boundaries at home.
Keeping the mood light, chef Sibal joked about “Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday” vegetarians, adding, “Jo bhi khao khushi se khao.”
To this, Vaishali quipped: “Main toh Tuesday Thursday Saturday bhi nahi khaati lekin ye toh khana banta tha! Waise maine non veg bahut late khana shuru kiya aur ghar wale nahin khate. Lekin main unke liye paneer mein isko banaungi. "
Chef Sokhi turns humour into an ingredient
The energy peaked as Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi took over with his trademark namak shamak style, serving humour alongside food. His menu included Chicken Cordon Bleu and a Chinese-style vegetable stir fry, but it was his crowd work that truly stole the show.
Responding to an audience member who admitted to using oregano sachets that come free with pizza, Sokhi quipped, “Pizza ke saath jo free mein milta hai na oregano. Uske chakkar mein koi pizza company pause nahi kar paayegi. Ye Gen Z, Gen Alpha sabse tez hain. 10 pudiya chilli flakes. Aur phir bologe late ho, free dedo. Kyun botal khareedein?”
The jokes had the crowd giggling as much as the food had them reaching for seconds.
Fans, selfies and foodie love
Influencer Mallika Banati, aka @imtoocheesyforyou, made a special appearance for Chef Sokhi’s session, joining him on stage and posing for selfies, declaring her love for his food.
Another fan, Jasmeet Kaur, 24, a paralegal working with a legal firm in Gurgaon and living in Dwarka Sector 3, summed up the mood: “The food is fab. Chef is so nice. He’s so funny. His coordination with the people, his attraction with the people…. The namak shamak ke saath making people laugh - it was all amazing! Not just food but humour too! He just won my heart."
The food cookout continues on Day 2 (February 8) with chefs Nishant Choubey and Suvir Saran set to take over the kitchen.
Watch this space as HT City Unwind 2026 keeps the flavours and fun coming.
CELEBRATION PARTNER – GRANTS, ASSOCIATE PARTNER – LONE WOLF, LIFESTYLE PARTNER – CANTABIL, INTIMATE WELLNESS PARTNER – MANFORCE EPIC CONDOMS, HEALTH PARTNER – HEALIC HOSPITAL, TRAVEL PARTNER – DPauls Travel & Tours Ltd., EXPERIENCE PARTNER – CHIC MANAGEMENT
For more, follow @htcity.delhijunction and @htcityunwind
