Tried & tasted

Manpriya Singh 

Twenty-five states and 60 cities is more than an impressive statistic. So much more! It's an experience that only India can offer; comprising dusty roads, diverse cuisine, but above all good company and great food. 

With 20,000 km spread over 100 days, India literally lay on his platter. "After I won a reality show on Channel Food Food, I got to host Roti, Rasta Aur India. That's where all these travels happened and the brief diary and mental notes finally led to the book," shares Chef Saransh Goila, all of 28, while in Chandigarh, on what led to his debut work India On My Platter. 

Recipe Book? Nah! Travelogue is more like it. "I'd say this book is a travelogue which happens to have recipes in it," shares Chef Saransh Goila, of the book. A book that is, "First, a personal journey, secondly, a food journey." 

Thrown into the first person account is a fair share of what essentially constitutes India. "It talks about culture, art, music, people, as much as cuisine. It's a combination of travel stories, recipes and food tales," adds the Limca Book of Record Holder for, "the longest journey by a chef," who's also popular for his show The Spice Traveller. 

Towards kitchen 

It's a journey that started with the decision to become a chef, when suggested by the grandfather. A degree at IHM Aurangabad followed. "I also wanted to be an actor. I wanted to combine media, journalism and food. After working for a year at Leela in Bangalore, I realised hotel kitchens are not for me. I came to Mumbai, studied acting. That's when the gamble to star in a reality show paid off." The hotel kitchens gave way to open rural kitchens and India happened. 

Savouring India  

A fun ride across the country would be an understatement. "It was an experience that changed my outlook and perception towards life and people of this country." He adds, "Because honestly I'm a city guy, brought up in Delhi and currently living in Mumbai. This travel opportunity was what made me realise what small towns of India actually mean." All this through experiences that he loves to narrate, again and again. "Hyderabad and Lucknow are celebrated food destinations in the country, but places like Surat were the real surprise and hidden packages of India. There is a lot of character in the food and it is an interesting destination," he shares of a particularly interesting experience at the place. "There is a shop called Bhai Bhai Omelette Centre in a street that connects on one side primarily Muslim area and on the other Hindu area. You'll find a hundred dishes all made of egg, right from starters." 

Moving on, "In Kullu and Manali, there is this family of 20 people comprising six women, where they prepared a meal for us on slow fire, using cow dung. When I say, they prepared a meal for us, that was not just for me, but for the entire crew comprising eight people. They refused to take a penny and instead gave us two crates of apple." Not to forget, the meal was as amazing as the touching gesture. "I would recommend a road trip to everyone in India at least once in life." Till then there's the book to derive substitute pleasure out of. 

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