Rhodes Across India

Episode Two: Coastal

Gary is joined by Chef Ananda Solomon – an expert in coastal cuisine. Ananda takes a trip around Ferry Wharf market where the atmosphere is incredible and the fish are still flapping. Bushra meets a Goan master chef, Scott takes a market trip for some vegetables he’s never seen before and Kalwant meets Meldan for a lesson is buying fresh fish!

Gary tackles a local speciality, pork vindaloo, confessing he would never eat it at home as it blows your head off – but will he be tempted by the real thing?

Episode Three: Punjabi

Gary’s latest challenge is to discover the fundamentals behind Punjabi cooking. Top chef Manjit Gill is on hand to lead Gary and his team through the different spices and cooking techniques. Also in this episode, Bushra meets truck stop chef Sweety Singh, Kalwant visits a Sikh temple and Scott dines out at Moti Mahal – famous for its Punjabi feasts. Gary tries his hand at a familiar classic – Paneer Tikka, but how will it differ to the local curry house on a Friday night?

Earthy, wholesome and full-flavoured, Punjabi cooking celebrates everyday cooking with Indian flatbreads, slow-cooked lentils, and fried onion, ginger and garlic masalas. Many people believe murgh makhani (arguably Punjab’s favourite dish) is the forerunner to Britain’s love affair with chicken tikka masala.

Episode Four: Mughali

Gary’s next culinary challenge focuses on the Mughal cuisine, and food historian Salma Husain is certainly the best person to talk him through. Together they cook a familiar favourite – lamb qorma, but how does it compare to the creamy coconut concoction we know and love in the UK? The sous chefs are off exploring – Scott visits Karim’s restaurant – nearly 100 years old and famous for offering Moghul food at its most basic; Bushra is invited to a lavish dinner party and Kalwant meets a biryani masterchef!

Episode Five: Bengali

Gary and the team experience Bengali food for the first time! Jayanti Bhattacharyya gives Gary the lowdown on Bengali cuisine. The sous chefs are once again out on the road - Scott dines at Oh! Calcutta, where they serve the most succulent prawns cooked inside a coconut, and Bushra tries some traditional dishes at Bijoli Grill. Best of all Kalwant is invited to celebrate Bengali New Year at a family home.

Indian Bengalis exhibit great pride in their cooking – especially the fish and seafood preparations. Expect dishes to have an astringent flavour, and to be emboldened by frequent forays with turmeric spice rubs, pounded mustard seed masalas, and smoky mustard oil. Sweetmeats from this region are renowned and are usually milk-based offerings, often drenched in rose-scented syrup.

Episode Six: Gujarati

Gary tackles a few of the many dishes that contribute to a Gujarati thali. A pure vegetarian cuisine, Gujaratis make use of every vegetable – lady fingers and patra leaves are strong favourites, as Kalwant discovers when she visits a fast food joint. Scott experiences one of Mumbai’s most impressive enterprises, the tiffinwalla journey, by which thousands of office workers receive hot home-made lunches every day through an intricate delivery system including bike and train. Finally Bushra eats at a restaurant with a difference – it’s silent! The waiter’s at Rajdhani all communicate through sign language, but will she get her order?

Gujarat is home to some of the finest vegetarian cooking styles. Almost 70% of Gujaratis are vegetarian and dishes are typified by sweet and sour flavours. Lentils and savoury dishes are usually sweetened with jaggery (unrefined sugar cane) and often flecked with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and tamarind. Meals are served on large thalis – round steel platters with smaller bowls filled with veggie side dishes around the edge.

Episode Seven: Parsee

Farzana Contractor guides Gary and his team as they explore Parsi cooking and culture – beginning at Crawford market where meat, fish and veggies are readily available. Gary then learns to steam pomfret fillets in banana leaves. Meanwhile, sous chef Kalwant meets the doyenne of Parsi cooking, Mrs Bhicoo Manekshaw, and Scott and Bushra are in for a very special treat, a Parsi wedding where the catering is the whole reason for the celebration!

After fleeing Persia in the 10th century the majority of Parsees made their home in western India where they continued to practice their Zoroastrian faith. Parsees are big meat eaters and have a fondness for eggs, curries sweetened with dried fruit, and tangy flavour combinations.

Episode Eight: Marwari

Gunjan Goela is Gary’s mentor in Marwari cuisine, another vegetarian cuisine which is surrounded by ritual and religion in the kitchen. Gary has to come to terms with a style of cooking which includes no onions or garlic! The sous chefs are out exploring local food, Gunjan takes Kalwant to a temple where hundreds of people are fed every day! Bushra dines out at a lavish dinner party and Gary and Scott go on a tour with a bit of a kick.

All Marwari dishes are vegetarian and prepared without onion and garlic, which are believed to promote lusty thoughts! Their style of cooking is a triumph over the Rajasthan desert’s often meagre resources and is notable for its minimal use of tomatoes and abundance of yogurt or buttermilk instead of water (often in short supply).

Episode Nine: Street Food

Street food is famous all over India and Marut Sikka leads Gary Rhodes through this Indian equivalent to fast food, though it’s certainly not junk! Bushra explores what Delhi has to offer on the streets, while Kalwant meets a stall owner who’s been feeding the masses in Old Delhi for 75 years. Scott ventures over the beach for a twilight stroll in Mumbai to check out the best places to eat, helped by an insider who knows all the best spots.

From puffed rice snacks to smoky kebabs, creamy kulfis to chilled fruit salads – India is a nation of munchers and tea breaks of samosas and piping hot chai are commonplace. Pavement stalls provide staples too – from dhal (spiced lentils) served with a stack of rotis to regal biryanis – there’s a dish for everyone.

Episode Ten: The Banquet

In the final programme, Gary and his team put their skills to the ultimate test. Atul Kochhar has given Gary full use of his restaurant, Benares, where Gary is putting everything on the line as he cooks for a banquet to celebrate 60 years of Indian Independence.

Will the dishes come up to scratch? Will his surprise guests be impressed? Or will the chilli prove too hot for the kitchen?