Even for Saransh Goila (chef, entrepreneur, TV personality), it was a bit of a challenge. Limited to a videographic on how to recreate dishes from the Grand Trunk road, on the show Grand Trunk Rasoi 2, Goila, like the rest of us, had to contend with his exploration of the myriad cuisines of the subcontinent online.
“I would have loved(!) to be able to visit the places from where the people I spoke to were from, but Covid. As a chef, it made it especially challenging for me to have to recreate the dishes they were showcasing purely through a visual medium, because smells and taste are vital to the process of learning and cooking,” says Goila, admitting he has picked up tricks even over video.
Spiced up with a new segment on kitchen hacks — ‘rasoi ka raaz’ will resolve some of the common woes viewers face and share breezy tips to enhance their cooking. Viewers can look forward to learning the Kabuli method of peeling onions without tearing up, Kolkata-style fish frying to avoid oil splatter and more.
The show starts with Goila connecting with a local chef, food expert or historian from the region (spanning the countries of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) who presents a unique ingredient that is harvested specifically in that time and place. Making the switch from farm to kitchen, Saransh shares the recipe of a regional specialty incorporating that ingredient. The show then takes a turn deep-diving into heritage with visits to local farms and restaurants in the area. And, most importantly, memories, at a time when we’re unable to make new ones.
Coming from a family that left Sindh during the Partition, Goila decided to concentrate on the sweetness of those times, rather than the bitterness. “It was a personal journey for me, because I was revisiting, through food, all the things my grandfather used to talk about when we were growing up,” shares Goila.
“He would talk about Sindhi butter (uskaa swaad), and the taste of the onions there, which were apparently sweeter, and I could see that spark in his eyes, which came most when we were talking about food,” recalls Goila.
And isn’t that the thing about food? “It completely is. We all need to eat to survive, but we also celebrate an occasion with feasts. Food is what connects us, irrespective of who we are, what we believe in, and what we’re willing to fight for. People may battle all day, but they all pause at the same time to eat,” notes Goila.
With a show traversing countries, geographies, cultures and cuisines and climates (whether meteorological or political), Goila hopes to connect the subcontinent.