Essence of India

In India, street food is a highly developed cuisine all on its own, going back hundreds of years. Samira has her take on the shammi kabab, turning them into mini burgers, before traipsing all over New Delhi in her Essence of India auto rickshaw.

In India, a wedding may just hold the secret to the essence of India. This is where it all comes together — the family, the traditions, the food, the culture, the festivities and the love. In this episode, there are sumptuous wedding dishes, a trip to India’s top wedding couturier, a revealing run-in with a fortune teller, and our dramatic gate crashing of one of Delhi’s top society weddings.

Interspersed with some of India's budding art museums, we seek out outstanding chefs who emphasize new techniques in Indian cuisine, bringing in a touch of the Japanese, French, and all around experimental styles of presenting food - to the point that it becomes difficult to know where the art ends and the food begins.