Gordon James Ramsay, a renowned British chef, restaurateur, writer and television personality, embarks upon an exploration spree into the world of India’s culinary culture.
He bit into a juicy pineapple slice soaked in chilies. And yes, his insides were on fire, and his face red! Fortunately, it was not due to a kitchen faux pas but the piquant Indian spice that Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay tasted on his latest adventure in India. The master chef tweeted, “Cars, spice and everything nice,” as he traveled through Kannur and Coorg even saying that “this was his favourite of the season.” Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted 2, the Indian culinary expedition series premieres on National Geographic on August 16, 2020 (Sunday) at 8 pm and it follows the chef on a delectable journey.
That OBE Gordon Ramsay is insatiable in common parlance, be it food, exploration, or straight talk, and in the premiere, the master chef had Bengaluru visual arts company Felis Creations help Ramsay on his travails across the hinterland of South India’s lesser-known gems from its spice-filled repertoire. Felis Creations’ team helmed by producer Adarsh NC, also had a bevy of other experts who helped in Gordon’s epicurean sojourn early this year.
Ramsay followed his instincts and food urgings to the T at a robust shoot that saw 28 foreign crew and 12 of the Felis team traipse the lush Coorg and Kannur countryside.
“He met food historian Chef Shri Bala at Ayikkara fish market in Kannur and went fishing on Thottada Beach. He tried out Mapilah snacks too,” says Adarsh. Privy to the indefatigable appetite of Gordon, Adarsh recalls, “Kannur is famous for mussels, so GR jumped out to taste some roadside mussels fry too, much to the chagrin of his team.”
The six days saw the director of Unchartered 2 Jon Kroll guiding the crew through the intricacies of Indian cuisine, local fare, and lesser-known secrets.
“The most surprising thing we learned on this trip to India was, hidden in the mountains of Coorg, is a style of Indian food unlike any we’ve ever tasted in America. The black pepper-infused Pandi Curry we were introduced to still haunts our dreams,” says director Jon Kroll who produced The Amazing Race for which he was awarded the 2004 Primetime Emmy Award, apart from shows for CBS, NatGeo Wild, etc.
Adarsh shares, “Felis Creations helmed the complete logistics and creative support. We took Ramsay coffee picking with rallyist Amrith Thimmaiah where he tasted coffee liqueur made by his mother, the amazing Aunty Fancy at their coffee estate The Bungalow 1934 which has been painstakingly restored over four years. He picked cardamom and pepper. Incidentally, Fancy runs The Coorg Cluster where she has gotten together 150 women from Coorg to sell indigenous products like cardamom, banana wine, coffee liqueur, all local produce. During the pandemic, many households have been saved thanks to the cluster. Gordon also tasted Chigli (weaver ant) chutney that Mudigere resident Pavithra is a mean hand at.”
The crew did three exhaustive recces before Ramsay landed. “We helped them build a script, and identified people. Every line was whetted and screened. Uncharted is not just a cooking show, it is an exploration. Gordon learned about pepper trade, its origins, and India’s spice route. He also met Ashwin HP, a naturalist, as he was interested in the human-animal conflict,” Adarsh adds.
Adarsh and Felis Creations are known for their acclaimed documentaries Wild Cats of India Pt. 1 & 2, Planet Earth II, India Nature’s Wonderland, etc, and famed wildlife photographer and documentary filmmaker Sandesh Kadur (the only National Geographic Fellow in India) is a part of the core team. Kroll adds, “The most interesting experience we had was discovering that the spicy food found in Southwest India helped cool us down on hot days! This was a lesson learned by Gordon on the show, and the crew used this information to stay cool on hot days!”
Speaking of the master chef’s alacrity and purposefulness, Adarsh says, “He is an extremely busy guy. So fast-paced, Gordon goes from one thing to another with such immense speed, it is hard to keep up.”
The Michelin-starred chef even swam in the rough seas, and the crew had an emergency when some equipment was lost to choppy waters.
As Kannur and Coorg got a taste of Ramsay rousing, it was only apt that the Michelin-starred chef takes to the kitchen to prepare a delectable meal. “Chef Ramsay prepared an entire meal for about seven Kodava women. He made this new favourite recipe – an Indian egg bhurji. As a chef, he loves involving young people in his cooking journey. Harish Nair, an assistant chef from Kerala accompanied Ramsay to the local market to source ingredients.”
Of the meal, Amrith, his mother, and the other Coorg ladies were impressed. “It was a wonderful experience. It is great to represent Coorg and India. He is super chilled out, unlike what people know of Gordon. As I rally, I took him on a drive through the estate. He cooked what he learned in Kerala and here at the final cookout – Pandi curry, fish, a coffee liqueur dessert, and his famed scrambled eggs, and they were delicious,” says Amrith. As foodie journeys go, this one packs quite a pepper punch, in a friendly Gordon Ramsay way!