Join us this week for an exciting culinary journey on The Great Indian Pizza Adventure! Follow Jasper as he embarks on a delightful exploration of Indian flavors. In this episode, he delves deep into the culinary heritage of Gujarat, partnering with food entrepreneur Mira Jhala to uncover the well-kept secrets of Gujarati cuisine at the iconic Gujarat Samaj. ️ But that's not all! The adventure continues as Jasper collaborates with the talented Chef Shagun Mehra to create mouthwatering pizzas, never seen before, which are then put to the ultimate taste test by the renowned food connoisseur Rocky Mohan. Get ready to savor a slice of India's rich and diverse flavors!
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:14 I'm Jasper.
00:16 Half Irish, half English, and I own pizzeria in India.
00:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:28 I'm crazy about India, and I'm crazy about pizza.
00:32 And we're arranging their marriage.
00:34 Welcome to the Great Indian Pizza Adventure.
00:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:49 Gujarat, home to some of the greatest traders
00:52 the world has ever seen.
00:53 And wherever you go in the world,
00:55 you'll find Gujaratis eating Gujarati food.
00:59 But can we gate crash this closed culinary shop?
01:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:04 I'm going to meet people, do a crash course in the culture
01:08 and the cuisine of Gujarat to create
01:10 some amazing, unique pizza pies.
01:13 Join me on the Great Indian Pizza Adventure.
01:17 And to start the Gujarati journey,
01:20 let's talk to the man himself, culinary historian, author, TV
01:25 host, and legend, Dr. Pushpesh Pant.
01:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:32 Pushpesh Pant, we are so delighted to have you
01:34 on the Great Indian Pizza Adventure.
01:37 I have a mission to make a Gujarati pizza.
01:41 So can you help me to understand the framework
01:44 for Gujarati cuisine?
01:45 When we talk of Gujarat, we are talking
01:47 of a blob of color on the map, which is reorganized
01:52 on linguistic basis, which does great violation
01:55 to the zone of taste concept.
01:58 Gujarat has different regions.
01:59 So you have Katiawad, which touches
02:01 the border of Rajasthan.
02:03 They have lots of commonalities and differentties there.
02:05 There is tribal Gujarat, which has different kind of food.
02:09 You have coastal Gujarat, which obviously eats fish.
02:12 Then you also have interesting places,
02:15 legendary food destinations of Gujarat.
02:17 There is a saying, [SPEAKING HINDI]
02:22 If you have to die, go to Kashi, Benares.
02:25 It will be liberation.
02:26 If you want to have our bliss eating food, go to Surat.
02:29 So Surat, Sopara of past, was a place
02:33 where cosmopolitan influences came.
02:35 And people had money to spend on food.
02:37 So you still go there's the greatest place for street food
02:40 in Gujarat, I think.
02:41 There is something called locha.
02:43 Now, everybody will give you a dhokla or a khaman.
02:45 But locha is something very interesting.
02:47 It is a plasticine kind of a thing, which you can stretch.
02:50 It goes back into a spongy shape.
02:52 And it is a metaphor for somebody
02:56 throwing unintended or intended obstructions.
03:00 I'd like to compare this thing with some pizza day
03:02 to see if we have a competition in elasticity.
03:06 But the locha is that you don't cook it, you eat it.
03:09 I mean, locha is already done.
03:10 When you travel from Baroda to Surat or Ahmedabad to Surat,
03:13 I think you have the greatest street food
03:15 on the dhabas alongside.
03:16 You have udiyo, you have hardwo.
03:18 I would say that that is what the beauty of Gujarat is,
03:21 that it is not only leejat papad.
03:23 It is not only khakras and makharis.
03:26 It is not only the pickles, chundos and so on, gurkevis.
03:30 It is not only what you eat as nashto farshan.
03:34 But then the point is that Gujaratis
03:36 have that as an accompaniment.
03:39 Their basic food is very different.
03:41 It could be a khichdi made of millets.
03:43 It could be a flour nushak, cauliflower thing.
03:46 It could be a potato nushak, potato samji.
03:49 It could be hardwo, it could be udiyo, it could be bhutia.
03:52 Tremendous range, very public.
03:55 It's not hidden in a kitchen.
03:58 It's on the street, right?
04:00 It's a very social thing.
04:02 But help me to understand as well, Pushpesh,
04:04 some structural things like veg, non-veg.
04:08 So the prejudice, I mean, where there's food,
04:10 there's prejudice.
04:12 And the prejudice would be Gujarat 100% vegetarian.
04:15 True or not true?
04:16 I think it's not true at all.
04:17 Gujarat is a very large tribal population,
04:20 which is meat-eating population.
04:21 You have Muslims in Gujarat, which date back centuries,
04:24 with Daudi ghoras, who came from Yemen.
04:27 Or you have Parsis, who came from Iran.
04:29 And then you have the royal families
04:31 from big ghatwad in Baroda.
04:33 I see, so that's a more recent overlay.
04:36 And then you have the coastal area.
04:38 Yes, well, they must have fish, of course.
04:40 They must have fish.
04:40 I mean, why wouldn't they?
04:41 So why shouldn't they?
04:42 So you take a pizza.
04:44 Using your vast knowledge of Gujarati cuisine, techniques,
04:47 culture, et cetera, what's your thought process
04:50 around the Gujarati pizza?
04:52 What I would like to do is to have a round pizza,
04:55 large size one, with different slices,
04:59 representing different regions of Gujarat.
05:02 I've gone from 0 to 500 miles an hour in a couple of minutes.
05:07 But the proof is in eating the pizza.
05:09 The proof for the pudding's in the pizza.
05:11 You've been absolutely fantastic.
05:13 We're so happy to have you.
05:15 Thank you, sir.
05:15 Thank you so much.
05:17 That was truly an amazing crash course on Gujarati cuisine.
05:24 My next stop, Gujarati Samaj, home away from home
05:28 for Gujaratis in Delhi.
05:30 It has a wonderful cuisine.
05:31 I'm going to taste a whole lot of snacks
05:33 here and meet some amazing people from the community.
05:36 I'm super excited.
05:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:41 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
05:46 Alok, Rana, Meena, Kem--
05:51 Kem--
05:51 Kemcho.
05:52 Kemcho.
05:53 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
05:55 Thank you for having me.
05:56 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
05:57 Thank you, sir.
05:57 Thank you.
05:58 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
05:59 Thank you.
06:00 And thank you so very much for having me.
06:02 This looks absolutely wonderful.
06:03 Now, let's-- can I try a few things?
06:06 Because I have to learn about Gujarati culture.
06:08 I have to learn about the cooking.
06:11 Where shall I start?
06:12 Where do you begin with this beautiful feast?
06:14 I'd like to welcome our guests with some sweet.
06:18 OK.
06:19 Try the jalebi.
06:20 Try-- so straight-- no messing around.
06:22 Straight in with the jalebi.
06:25 I know a little bit about Gujarat food.
06:27 And of course, I think everybody knows that Gujaratis
06:30 have a very sweet tooth.
06:32 I think it's slightly--
06:33 it's more like a misconception.
06:35 It's just the view of Gujarati food
06:37 being so sweet, which has become a world view, which
06:41 is really not true.
06:42 It's sort of a prejudice.
06:43 Yeah, because of so many popular foods in Gujarat,
06:47 a Kathiawad food is the hottest, spiciest, oiliest food
06:52 I've ever had, with no element or figment of sweet at all.
06:55 And of course, Alok, like every state in India,
06:59 there isn't one Gujarati cuisine.
07:01 There's multiple Gujarati cuisines.
07:02 So we have different reasons.
07:04 There is a Gujarat reason, then there is a Sauras reason.
07:07 So two distinct styles of cooking.
07:10 OK.
07:11 Different-- there are two different sides.
07:12 And with each district, there are some variations.
07:17 Very interesting.
07:18 Now, so can I try a bit of this just to start to--
07:22 You must start with the tafda.
07:24 Tafda.
07:24 This is the most popular street.
07:26 Most popular.
07:26 I saw this being made.
07:28 So we've got to go for the combination.
07:32 That is a dip.
07:32 Dip in this.
07:34 Yeah.
07:35 Yes.
07:37 And actually, this is like a mini pizza too, right?
07:40 The most famous snack in India--
07:42 Yeah, yeah.
07:42 --in Gujarat.
07:43 All of Gujarat.
07:44 Oh, that's a big bite.
07:45 It's not hot, I'm sure.
07:46 This is a very satisfying combination.
07:53 Maybe I'll make a pizza just with these three things.
07:56 OK, what's next?
07:57 Dhokla, this.
07:58 So I have an extra one.
08:00 This fellow.
08:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:04 We're in the final innings.
08:07 I've got two more overs.
08:09 I'm swinging my bat.
08:11 What should I try?
08:12 Would you like to have pizza, dosa pizza?
08:15 I think I've got to have the dosa pizza, sir.
08:17 I've got to hand over that dosa pizza.
08:19 Let's have a look.
08:21 So this is an innovation that we have, dosa pizza with curry.
08:25 Dosa pizza with curry.
08:27 Imagine that.
08:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:31 I think if I came from Naples and I saw this--
08:37 Drop dead?
08:38 I would either drop dead.
08:39 I would definitely faint.
08:41 You'll faint.
08:41 I would be so shocked.
08:43 I'd be calling up my Neapolitan mama.
08:46 Mama mia.
08:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:50 It has a certain something.
08:53 It definitely has a certain something.
08:56 And I like the cooling effect of this.
08:57 Yeah.
08:58 I want to be a Gujarati with apologies to my Irish mother.
09:02 Thank you.
09:03 So that's a wrap on this.
09:05 Brilliant.
09:07 Dosa pizza, anyone?
09:09 Go for it.
09:10 That was some really fun information.
09:13 And who knows?
09:14 As long as it's the true spirit of Gujarat,
09:17 maybe we'll give it a go.
09:18 Part two of my Gujarati culinary crash course.
09:24 I'm here to meet Mira Jala, who's built not one, not two,
09:28 but three amazing food businesses.
09:31 She's also an incredible Gujarati home cook,
09:34 understands the culture, the food, the ingredients,
09:38 the ethos.
09:40 And we're going to have lunch together.
09:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
09:48 Mira, this looks absolutely amazing and a whole lot better
10:00 than my usual Monday fare.
10:03 So this, Jasper, is a celebration meal
10:06 in any Gujarati home.
10:07 And Gujarati meals largely are very well-balanced.
10:10 Even being vegetarian, they have a good amount of protein.
10:14 And look at the amazing colors.
10:15 And this-- so, I mean, I'm aware, Mira,
10:18 that there's all kinds of culinary and geographic
10:22 diversity in Gujarat.
10:24 Where can we geographically locate this food?
10:29 So Gujarat, you can divide it in largely four brackets
10:33 in terms of food.
10:34 And each region has very distinct flavors.
10:37 There's kathiawar that has less vegetation.
10:40 And spicier and curd-based food, there
10:44 is kach, which has a lot-- it's a desert.
10:48 So again, it has a lot of flavors, heat,
10:52 a lot of yogurt-based dishes.
10:54 There's surti food, which again, has a very distinct flavor.
10:59 This meal largely is from Ahmedabad.
11:02 OK.
11:03 And most Gujarati homes, which are Jains or Vaishnav,
11:11 consume these meals.
11:13 It's amazing.
11:14 And look at these incredible pickles and condiments.
11:16 So where should we start on this?
11:18 So we can start with the kachori.
11:22 Every meal in Gujarat has farsan, which are snacks.
11:27 So there's always a steamed snack and then a fried snack.
11:32 So here we have two steamed snacks.
11:35 One is dhokla, which is made from rice flour.
11:38 And there's handvo.
11:40 Handvo is made from rice and lentils together.
11:43 And we have a khasta kachori, which
11:46 is a stuffed kachori with dahi and mint sauce and tamarind
11:50 sauce.
11:51 Brilliant.
11:52 So should we start here?
11:54 Yes, let's start with that.
11:55 That's a spoon thing.
11:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]
11:59 I wonder, do you think you can make a pizza out of this?
12:05 I wonder how.
12:06 I think you could try.
12:09 This could be an interesting-- maybe the stuffing.
12:13 Mm.
12:13 Which is sweet and spicy.
12:16 You could use that as a topping.
12:19 OK, that's absolutely delicious.
12:22 Now where are we going from here on this odyssey?
12:25 Let's try the dhokla.
12:27 One of these fellows?
12:27 Yes, the white one, the white dhokla.
12:31 So rice-- god, it's nice as a feather.
12:37 You've got a very sure touch.
12:39 Isn't that delicious?
12:41 OK, so we're into our curries and our dal.
12:43 And this sweet curry is very interesting.
12:48 Yes, it's the sweet kadhi.
12:51 So kadhi is popular across different regions in India.
12:55 Punjab makes a very good kadhi.
12:56 But the Gujarati kadhi is sweet and tangy.
13:01 It's my favorite.
13:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:05 Let me take you in another direction.
13:07 What about a dessert pizza?
13:09 Yeah, sweet pizza.
13:10 Sweet pizza with mango.
13:13 I think that's not a bad idea at all.
13:15 And we haven't done that.
13:16 We haven't done that.
13:18 If there's one region that could use dessert mango
13:23 pizza, Gujarat it is.
13:24 Well, actually, if you think about it, we'll get to this.
13:29 I've been eyeing this guy up.
13:33 That kind of thing with mascarpone and chili again.
13:37 Yes.
13:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:41 I'm recovering from what I thought I was being married off.
13:53 No better way to recover than this.
13:56 It's absolutely delicious and divine.
13:58 And you were saying that sometimes,
14:00 given you have a family from around and about,
14:04 sometimes they don't want this Gujarati cooking.
14:08 Do you know what I say to that?
14:10 Tell me.
14:11 They're crazy.
14:12 I agree.
14:13 They're absolutely--
14:14 100%.
14:14 --they're absolutely crazy, Meera.
14:16 I would change your locks.
14:18 Don't let them back in until they beg you to cook this food.
14:20 Thank you so much.
14:21 This is absolutely crackerjack.
14:24 Fantastic.
14:25 Thank you.
14:25 It's been a pleasure, Jasper.
14:27 Great conversation.
14:28 I'm glad I found somebody who appreciates the Gujarati food.
14:31 Can I come back every single lunch?
14:34 Let's keep it once a week at best.
14:38 Thank you, Meera.
14:40 Brilliant.
14:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
14:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]