A taste for adventure

Indian chef Saransh Goila’s culinary expedition across the country

Renowned chef and television host Saransh Goila’s new book India on My Platter (IOMP) is a whirlwind travelogue, combining his culinary adventures with recipes he has written on his travels.

The book is a daily compendium of his journey across the entirety of India for the FoodFood Channel show Roti, Rasta Aur India. Spanning 100 days, 25 states and 20,000 kilometers in a car nicknamed Tamatar, IOMP serves up an in-depth look at diverse Indian food by the winner of the 2011 FoodFood Maha Challenge. Saransh writes the book in a simple manner — it is a food diary in which he carefully plots out each day’s culinary encounter and a recipe he either learned or created. A born socialiser, Goila’s vignettes of the various characters he meets along his journey are simultaneously charming and inspiring.



Perhaps the most striking element to the culinary tales is the sheer diversity which he is greeted with from locale to locale. The foods he cooks up and the chefs and restaurateurs he meets along the way range from the very traditional to Western. For instance, in Manali, he spends one day enjoying the city’s renowned Italian cuisine and the next, seeking out the traditional in a Kullu Manali trout dish. In this sense, Saransh demonstrates his willingness to go beyond the stereotypical by digging deep into the soul of the places he visits.

Shortly after visiting Manali, Saransh finds himself in Indian Kashmir, writing from the city of Leh. Particularly amusing are the sun-dried tomatoes the region is popular for. Perhaps, in an effort to counterbalance those areas of India which are laden with Western tourists, Saransh appears to make a concerted attempt to dig deep into places which would otherwise be considered tourist traps. He does, however, sample chocolate cookies from an American restaurateur and shares a delicious recipe for Indian-style deviled eggs which includes raw mango, green chilies and fresh coriander.

IOMP is not strictly about exotic recipes and dining, though. Throughout the book, Saransh shares his thoughts and insights of the journey.  He even allows himself to get emotional at times, which is refreshing. “The beauty of travelling by road, without an itinerary, never knowing what’s going to happen on the next curve or who you are going to meet, especially in India where water, food and people change every 100 km, enforces a change in the way one perceives life,” writes Saransh when in Surat. “This incredible journey has taught me to overcome all my fears. There comes a moment when you start living in the present as you relish and truly feel the air you breathe in, feel the wind chasing you.” For him, these are the signs of a “true traveler” — a label that the author certainly proves himself of.

Carol Khan is a subeditor and coordinator of The Express Tribune in Peshawar. She tweets @carolkhan

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, August 16^th, 2015.