Twist of Taste (Series 2)

Twist Of Taste (Series 2)

26 x half hours EPISODIC BREAKDOWN

1. Darjeeling A delight for the palate, Darjeeling, the queen of the hills, has something for everyone. Vineet has his taster’s palate put to the test by Anil Bansal, Director plantation of the Happy Valley tea estate. Will Vineet live up to the challenge? Inspired by the champagne of teas Vineet creates the perfect blend of Darjeeling’s British heritage and its most famous produce. Vineet then meets Jamling Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay. Jamling takes him to the Elgin Hotel for a luxurious high tea and Indian petit fours. Will this taste of home be Vineet’s next inspiration?

2. Ahmedabad Vineet’s first stop in Ahmedabad is the Sabarmati Ashram. He then visits Chandravilas , where the Gujarati thali is said to have originated. Chandravilas is a local favorite for fafdas and curry served with raw papaya salad. This is where Vineet meets his culinary guide Aseem who takes him to Agashiye restuarant to try an authentic Gujarati thali. Is this where Vineet will find inspiration for his next culinary creation? Vineet doesn’t forget the omnipresent naashta which every Gujarati thrives on. And Aseem and he make their way to the very famous and very special Das Khaman, known for its variety of naashta or snack options. No culinary journey through Ahmedabad can be complete without trying the khakras at Indu Ben Khakra Wala. Will Vineet find inspiration for his next gastronomical creation from the humble but delicious khakra?

3. Varanasi Benaras is home to some of the most sublime food of the North. From lightly-cooked Saatvik food, spicy snacks of kachoris and sweets and of course the renowned Benarasi paan. Vineet’s first stop on his food pilgrimage is a traditional breakfast in Benaras. But will the spicy kachori breakfast be enough to titillate his culinary genius? But there’s much more to savour in Benaras than just spicy snacks. And his guide, Jai takes Vineet along to sample some of Benaras’s best creations. He has sweet lassi and the Banarasi paan. Will this burst of flavours manage to jog Vineet’s creativity? You can never stay away from the ghats or riverfront in Benaras. Vineet attends the Das Aswamdeh aarti. And finished his culinary journey through Benras with some delicious and healthy Saatvik cuisine.

4. Srinagar

Alongside its beauty, Srinagar is also renowned for its sumptuous cuisine. Vineet’s friend, Deepak Bhadwar is his food guide on this trip. Vineet is invited for a wazwan, the lavish and elaborate ceremonial feast with over 30 courses. The recipes of which are secret and are passed down through the waza’s family. Will Vineet work his charm and manage to convince the wazas to share their recipes with him? After this meal fit for a king, it’s not surprising that Vineet has been inspired enough to cook his own ode to his favourite dish in the wazwan. Vineet also visits the Dal Lake and its floating markets.

5. Pune Pune is truly a celebration of the taste bud. Vineet’s food guide through his culinary travels in Pune is Sujata Patil. Teacher, foodie, wine connoisseur. Not that Vineet needs a guide since he’s discovered Pune’s favourite dessert drink – a milkshake topped with icecream, called the Mastani – all on his own. The Maharashtrian thali at Shabree is the first on Vineet’s gourmet sojourn. Vineet discovers the wonder that is the goda masala. From the sweet Mastani to the delicious thali, Vineet’s taste-buds must be all abuzz. What can we expect from his kitchen? Some of India’s best wines come from Pune’s vineyards and hot breakfast in his tummy, Vineet ventures off for a walk through the vineyards. And not surprisingly, Vineet uses wine from the local vineyard to cook up a feast – but with a Maharashtrian twist.

6. Bikaner Vineet Bhatia is in the Rajasthani city of Bikaner, known for it’s red sandstone forts and savoury or namkeen snacks like the bhujiya. He starts his culinary journey at the picturesque Lalgarh Palace and experiences first hand a champi maalish or head massage with oil and gets a traditional Rajasthani turban tied. He gets all dressed up to meet Abhimanyu Shekhawat, who invites Vineet to his haveli for a sumptuous dinner of lal and safed maas and a dish of jungle maas cooked by Abhimanyu’s father. The night ends with a fire dance for Vineet’s entertainment. The safed maas his inspired Vineet to give his own twist to this Rajasthani favourite. How can you leave Bikaner without sampling the bhujiya? At the Bikaner bhujiya factory Vineet discovers that Bikaner makes more rusgullas than even Kolkata!

7. Bhopal Vineet is in the City of Lakes, Bhopal. He begins at the Taj-ul-Masjid mosque, designed in the style of the Jama Masjid of Delhi where he meets his food guide Sikander Malik. Sikander takes Vineet to get a sweet start to culinary journey at Nerbada Sweet shop where he samples some Bhopali delights like kalakand, coconut barfi and the kala jamun, a favourite in the Nawabi city. These are his inspirations for his first dish. Vineet continues his search for inspiration learning about the rich history of Bhopal and it’s unique mixture of both Mughal and Hindu influences in the cuisine. Sikander then takes Vineet to Nadeem Road, names after a famous newspaper in the 1930s. Here he sees the eclectic range of products – from trinkets and jewellery to cloth sold by weight and even wooden rolling pins! Here Vineet tries a popular snack of Bhopal, the Sabudana ki Kichdi, which Vineet finds very interesting and flavourful. A brief lesson in the traditions of the Nawab Begums of Bhopal, brings Vineet and Sikander to home of Tasneem and her family. Here they are served a traditional lunch of Khada Masala Ghosht and Chicken Rezala, cooked in the same way for generations. The Rezala is the inspiration for Vineet’s final creation.

8. Indore Vineet is in the heart of the nation in the city of Indore. Besides its beautiful architecture and monuments, Indore is known for its delicate Malwa cuisine – influenced by the flavours of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Vineet begins his journey here at ‘Chappan Dukaan’ or 56 Shops, where he tries some savoury snacks while waiting for his food guide through the city Bhalu Munde. Bhalu takes Vineet to the erstwhile capital of the Holkars, Maheshwar a temple town on the banks of the Narmada. Here his host for lunch is Richard Holkar, a descendent of the famed Rani Ahilyabai. Richard treats Vineet to a delicious river fish lunch, which inspires Vineetto cook an ode to the cuisine of the region, a Pohe –Limbu-Surmai.

9. Calicut Vineet’s first stop in Calicut is Kappad Beach where Vasco Da Gama landed in 1498 looking for spices and now Vineet comes to these famous shores to explore flavors. He makes his way to Thallasery that used to be ground zero of spice trade. Accompanied by his local guide Moosa, who runs a beautiful heritage home in Thallasery, Vineet buys some fish and spices from the local market and heads to Ayesha Manzil, where Moosa’s wife, Faiza, cooks up a flavorful fish curry for Vineet. What culinary secrets will Vineet be able to steal from her?

10. Coorg Coorg’s beauty is matched by the uniqueness of its food and its flavours. His journey begins in a beautiful coffee and vanilla plantation. Vineet is in no doubt that he wants to work with both coffee and Vanilla in one dish. He meets his local guide on the hockey filed. Hockey is Coorgs favorite game and Vineet himself was a keen hockey player. Vineet build up an appetite tacking Ricky and then head to Ricky’s home for a grand spread of some of Coorgs classic dishes. There are wild mushrooms, bamboo shoots, Mange Curry made with wild mangoes and a fiery chicken dish along with Kadambuttu or Rice Dumplings and rice flour rotis. There are home made wines and pickles and even chocolates. What will strike his fancy here?

11. Bengaluru Vineet starts his culinary journey in Bangaluru with a cup of coffee at Vidyarthi Bhawan where he meets his food guide Nandita Iyer. Nandita is a food blogger and wants to share with Vineet her favorite places in Bangalore. She takes him to New Krishna Bhawan to taste the unique Ragi and Jowar dosas and button idlies made with a spinach sauce. Vineet is fascinated by the button idlies and wants to give a twist to the humble but delicious steamed rice cake idli.

12. Madurai Vineet is in the temple town of Madurai. And his auspicious start has to be at the famed Meenakshi Temple. A light snack and Vineet has whetted his appetite for the Chettinad offerings of Madurai. But not before he meets his guide, Mukunthan and has a refreshing Jigarthanda drink to beat the Madurai heat. Mukunthan takes Vineet to Kumar Mess, where he tries some spicy Chettinad favourites, which inspire him to use the rasam masala to make a Chicken Rasam Podi.

13. Puducherry © Off The Fence 2014 3

Vineet is in India’s little France, Puducherry. His guide for the day Ashok takes him on a tour of the French Quarters on a very French mode of transportation – a bicycle! His first stop is the Cluny’s Embroidery Center, previously owned by the French East India Company, which today it is a vocational training center for local women. All the bicycling makes Vineet hungry for an authentic French start to the day at the De L’Orient Hotel. And eggs for breakfast inspire him to create a fluffy Meringue Sandwich. But Vineet’s trip to Puducherry will not be complete without a taste of the harmonic combination of Tamil – French cuisine. He dines at the Le Dupleix, a French colonial villa lovingly restored by his hostess Jacqueline. Their scrumptious meal inspires Vineet to cook a fish-en-papillote or fish in a bag.

14. Darjeeling 2 In the beautiful hill town of Darjeeling the streets are alive with throngs of tourists and some of India's most unique street food. Vineet is on the trail of a unique cheese made from Yak and cow milk. The Tibetan community makes Churpi, as it’s locally called. Vineet is also searching for unique Nepalese bread called Sel Roti. He finds both, albeit with some difficulty. Sel Roti turns out to be like a doughnut and even stets like one and the Churpi is a hard, dense cheese that the people of the region like to suck on for hours. Vineet is inspired by what he sees in the street and decides to make caterpillar bread with sausage and churpi. The beautiful tea gardens and the aroma of tea also strike him. Vineet celebrates the British legacy of high tea with tea cookies.

15. Ahmedabad 2 People of Ahmedabad are not timid or apologetic about innovating with food. Vineet's guide Aseem is keen to have him experience this facet of this throbbing–with–life–city. And the fun begins soon after sundown. The stretch of road outside the Law Gardens is converted into a food street. A favourite of most who visit this place is Jasuben's sweet pizzas. Vineet remembers his favourite dish when he was a student in the city – Chinese Bhel. The next stop for them is the must-visit Maneck Chowk food market. Set up outside shops of jewellers the stalls purvey everything form Ragada Paticce to chocolate sandwich with a generous spread of salted butter on top. Or if you prefer, pineapple sandwich. Inspired, Vineet creates a dessert to match the Gujarati's love for playing games with their palate - Malai Jaggery.

16. Varanasi 2 Vineet and his guide Jai walk down the atmospheric alleyways of this ancient city the origins of which are lost in time. Fortunately the food is alive and omnipresent. The alleys are teeming with food delights. On his tour he bumps into a man making aloo tikkis on the street. The tourist in Vineet is pushed aside and the chef in him takes over. He steps to the hawker and quickly rolls a tikki. Jai pulls him along to the next stop a famous paan shop. Located outside a police station that has been there since the times of the British there is an interesting story that Vineet discovers of the role the Pan shop played in India's independence. The streets of Varanasi have a surprise at virtually every corner, every turn. Jai introduces Vineet to a sweet make from the humble vegetable Parmal. Finally the tour takes Vineet to a lassi shop that serves the classic sweet lassi but also has lassi with a twist for the more adventurous-blue berry lassi, pomegranate lassi and many other fruity flavours. Inspired Vineet decides to create Banarsi Malai and a Satvik Gujiya.

17. Srinagar 2

There is a surreal beauty about Srinagar that is difficult to pin down. An early morning shikara ride to the unique vegetable market on the Dal lake Vineet and his local guide Deepak head to a bakery by the lakeside. Vineet sees the tandoor and cannot hold himself from learning the art of making the Kashmiri bread. Soon he is slapping bread into the mouth of the raging tandoor. Vineet and Deepak pick up some bread from the bakery and head to the worship of local master craftsmen making silk and woollen carpets. Deepak introduces Vineet to the luxury of a pashmina wool carpet. Vineet trees his hand at knotting carpets. He is a quick learner and the cart man offers him sweet phirni as a congratulatory gesture. Perfectly set and delicately flavoured with cardamom and almonds Vineet is inspired to create the Badami Seb Phirni. Vineet also indulges himself in tasting and learning about walnut at a coal shop and decided to make an Akhrooti (walnut) Chicken.

18. Bikaner 2 Vineet loves the fact that Bikaner wakes up to the smell of frying Kachoris and phapdas. He starts his day in the Chai Patti area of the city where groups of men gather to sip sweet song chai from clay cups and nibble on kacoris and phapdas. A chance meeting at a Rabri shop with Aditya, a trained pilot, visiting his home town opens another key to Bikaner's love for everything sweet. Aditya introduces him the unique sherbets-a local cooling drink made from fruit and flowers and spice. The flavours are unique and intense. The sherbets are famed for their purity and absence of artificial colours and preservatives. Inspired, Vineet takes the Bikaneri's love for fried food and sweet and creates two dishes with his twist – Urad Dal Tikki and the Bikaneri Cake.

19. Bhopal 2 Vineet begins his journey in Bhopal at the Taj-ul-Masajid mosque, an iconic landmark of the city. Here he meets his food guide through the city of Begums, Sikander Malik. Sikander takes Vineet to a very special place to get a true taste of Bhopal – his house! Vineet meets Sikander’s amma who cooks for him the most scrumptious breakfast of Pasandas, Keema and paranthas which inspire him to cook up his own take on the Bhopali breakfast, the Varki Shaan. Vineet then continues exploring the city of Bhopal, its teeming markets and delicious streetfood. But how can he resist taking a bite out of sweet Nawabi delights of Kalakand and Kala Jamun, which are his inspirations for the Nawabi Mishtaan.

20. Indore 2 In Indore, Vineet discovers the magnificence of the street food of the capital of the former Holkar rulers. Starting his journey from the heart of the city, the Rajwada, Vineet and his guide Bhalu Munde take a trip down the Sarafa Market, home to the unique corn snack - bhutte ki kees and the scrumptious malpua, rabri and the biggest jalebis ever seen. These sugary inspirations stir up Vineet’s culinary creativity and he creates a Malpua Pizza topped with Rabri and a variety of other Indore inspired delights. But VIneet’s trip isn’t over yet! Not until he enjoys a traditional Indori dinner served on silver thalis at his friend Dr. Baheti’s house. The variations in the use of corn in the meal inspire Vineet to create a Corny Platter, which includes corn dogs, corn sandwiches and corn vadas.

21. Calicut 2

Vineet is in Calicut, the Malabari costal town known for it’s landscapes, fresh seafood and of course the most sought after spices in the country. He begins his journey, not tasting some costal cuisines but taking a lesson in Kallaripayatu, a 3000-year martial art form popular in Kerala. After testing his knife skills Vineet takes a refreshing break with a taste of a very unique sherbet make of Sarsepilla plant full of digestive and blood purifying properties. Vineet then tries the famous Calicut Halwa and it’s many flavours of which the banana halwa tickles his tastebuds and the popular Calicut dessert Chattipatri both of which inspire him to give his own take to banana dessert. The banana remains a popular ingredient in Vineet’s trip to Calicut. A bag full of crisp, light banana chips in hand he heads over to his friend Abida Rashid’s house for a true Malabari lunch including the famed fish curry and prawns.

22. Coorg 2 Vineet is in the land of the coffee bean and vanilla pod – Coorg. Walks through unending plantations with its wafting aromas find Vineet tucking into a scrumptious Coorgi breakfast resplendent with flavours that are locally grown. The fragrances of the coffee and vanilla are Vineet’s muses for his culinary creation, a coffee and vanilla glazed rice cake. After a hearty breakfast, Vineet meets his guide through the town Ricky Monappa to see the coffee roasting process at the Ganesh Coffee shop, one of the oldest in Coorg. Here along with another Coorgi companion, Bopanna they head to Capitol Village for a traditional Coorgi lunch which includes the famed Coorgi pork or Pandi Curry. Taste buds alight; Vineet creates his version of the Pandi Curry.

23. Bengaluru 2 Bengaluru, India’s IT capital where old world and new school come together in perfect harmony. Vineet is here to get a taste of a little of both. He begins his journey at a Bengaluru institution, Vidyarthi Bhavan where students flock for the masala dosa and where Vineet will meet his culinary guide Nandita Iyer. After a quick coffee, they make their way down the tree lined avenues to VB Bakery, one of the oldest Iynegar Brahmin bakeries in the city to try some of their unique dessert delicacies like the dumroot and honey cakes. This is Vineet’s sweet inspiration for his next culinary creation, a Vermicelli Cake. But Bengaluru is a city that comes alive at night. So Vineet and Nandita sample some pub food and micro-brewed beers at the Biere Club. Vineet is inspired to use the fermented drink in his batter for Pub Prawns, his own take on an old favourite.

24. Madurai 2 The temple town has a lot to offer along with some holy blessings - a range of cuisine, which has earned it the title of the food capital of Tamilnadu. Vineet meets his food guide through the city Mukunthan, who first takes him to a street-side porontha shop where Vineet tries his hand at making the flaky fried bread. A few attempts later Vineet has built up an appetite for a Madurai essential – the dosa but with a twist! A Kari or mutton dosa inspired him to create his own ode to this beloved South Indian dish.

25. Pune 2 No better city represents the amalgamation of old and new as much as Pune. Vineet is in this old Maratha bastion, taking in flavours, which were favourites of the erstwhile Peshwa rulers like the interestingly named Mastani drink, which he shares with his food guide, Sujata Patil. Pune’s love for dairy is Vineet’s muse to create lip-smacking Buttermilk Fried Chicken. After trying some old its

© Off The Fence 2014 6 time for something new and Sujata takes Vineet to a popular college hangout Manohar where he tries a popular Marathi dessert Sheera. He creates the treasured Semolina Cake but with a twist of his own.

26. Puducherry 2 Vineet is in Puducherry with its cobbled streets, French street signs and of course delectable cuisine. A combination of Tamil and French food makes this a particularly delightful visit. He makes a trip to the Promenade Hotel to try just this amalgamation of flavours. The entrée, the very French, French Onion Soup followed by the main course of chicken in a wine sauce. The perfect meal in India’s Little France. The soup serves as the perfect muse for Vineet’s culinary ode to Puducherry.