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 © Off The Fence 2014 1 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. © Off The Fence 2014 2 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.