Author:
Saransh Goila
Publisher:
Om Books International
Genre:
Cuisine
Pages:
336
Backpacking
through the country, young chef Saransh Goila sets off on a culinary trail
through India, where in he discovers the various nuances of local cuisine. From
rural villages to barren deserts to freezing mountains, he unfolds the flavour
of his destination by meeting local villagers or erstwhile royalty, picking up
a tip or two to use in his kitchen. Wherever he goes, he makes sure to visit
the famous eateries of that place. Through him, the reader can vividly smell
the spices and taste the dishes that are described. The recipes given also
present ways on using locally found ingredients. From having steaming Murthal
ke paranthes to savouring tasty street food in home town Delhi, from cooking on
a boat in Varanasi to cooking dishes using a bamboo hollow in Assam, Goila does
it all and presents his adventures in a lucid, flowing narrative peppered with
humorous anecdotes.
Excerpt:
So, I’ll be frank. This is not only a recipe
book; it is a lot more than that. There are about 50 recipes from 25 states,
but then, it is a book written by a chef, hence, recipes are important. But, it
is about India—the beautiful landscapes, the deserted roads, the changing
colour of the skies and the food memories that I built while sitting on the
corner of the road, on the highway, in an old age home, in the middle of the
Ganges and more unique places. It is also the story of a shy and an introvert
12-year-old boy, who later went on to living his dream at the age of 25. This
is the story of that chef who is independent now, travels like there is no
tomorrow and hopes that he can bring the best of Indian cuisine to the
world.
If you are a person who loves food—whether it
is a hobby to cook, a love for eating or tasteful appetite—being a chef today
has a lot of glamour. I was a chubby kid for whom food was the meaning of life.
I cooked and I ate, and that’s about all I did. My father wanted me to be an
engineer; my mother wanted me to be a biotechnologist. My grandfather was the
only one who wanted me to join the hospitality industry. And I wanted to be an
actor. I come from a household where being a chef is not really on the cards,
that is, if you really want to achieve something in life. today, writing a book
about my love for food, travelling through India to eat and experience the
culture and history around cooking.
Has my dream come true? Yes… More than that! Life
has brought me to a point where I live and breathe food and I couldn’t be
happier.
A cuisine I’d
never even heard of blew me away, it proved that no amount of learning is
enough; there is always room to explore and learn more as you travel. It also
made me think that there had to be someone responsible to make such
near-extinct cuisines popular all across India
Udaipur Trip
My contribution to
this grand meal was the Chocolate-Cashew Laddu. Mewari cuisine
uses a lot of dry fruits in their And here I am dessert and so does this laddu (Indian
sweet made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and shortening, which is shaped into
a ball). It was my chance to experiment and cook on the roof top of this
gorgeous fort overlooking the city. This meal marked the end of my journey in
Rajasthan. Whether it was gulabo mirchi or gulab ki kheer, Rajasthan
was truly multi-coloured in every sense of the term.
If you are foodie, how
could you skip this delicious? Must Savour!
Links
lead you to Author:
Follow Him on Facebook : Chef.saransh