Lost Recipes

Beneath its touristy lustre, Goa preserves a deeply traditional culture and a cuisine that has a long-standing Portuguese influence to it. Chef Aditya Bal is out on the lanes of the state with just one purpose in mind - to discover the firsts of all the recipes that were forgotten with time and evolution. What does he discover? Find out in this episode.

A one-street village-town in unlikely southern Gujarat, Udvada belongs in the 19th century. This mecca of the Parsis is decorated with heritage homes and handsome rustic kitchens that preserve the tradition of cooking on wood-fire.In these kitchens, Aditya Bal cooks with the locals and discovers forgotten recipes with techniques and tastes that are a mix of Persian and Gujarati flavours!

A fascinating mix of Portuguese and British influences, Mumbai's two-thousand-year-old East Indian Community's food is a blend of art and history. From rustic recipes that are two millennia-old to the ones that transport us into the 19th-century kitchen, the forgotten recipes of Mumbai's East Indian community, promise to pack a punch and whet the appetite even today.

Lucknow is full of fantastical legends of food, and within these legends lie the secrets of lost and forgotten recipes from the fascinating culinary heritage of this city. This episode of Lost Recipes tries to piece together enthralling old recipes from Lucknow's past that take us beyond the now popular kebabs, niharis, and kormas.

The Romans, the Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English, all have ruled Pondicherry and its cuisine is a curious mix of all of these influences as well as local Tamil ingredients. Add to the pot a pinch of Vietnamese spice, and what you have is an incredible bunch of recipes with incredibly enthralling stories behind them, all linked to Pondicherry's vibrant past.

The city of Hyderabad was founded by the Qutb Shahi dynasty 400 years ago and as tradition demands, Aditya begins his search at the Char Minar. Captivating nuggets of culture mark this journey for the Lost Recipes from the kitchens of the Nizams and throw up some true gems - a 200-year-old recipe for a soup, a melt-in-the-mouth starter, and a dessert so unique that it is called 'Anokhi'.

The episode begins with a tribute to the most famous Kolkatan of all time - Rabindranath Tagore and we cook his favourite mithai. Thereafter medieval-Bengal beckons to us and shows us a flicker of its rich traditional cooking. In Kolkata, one cannot leave aside the influence of the British, Portuguese, French and Armenian, so our episode ends with a recipe from the Anglo-Indian kitchens!

Ancient recipes from the Lepchas, Bhutias, and Nepalese communities are what we showcase in this episode of Lost Recipes along with juicy historical nuggets such as that the Bhutias are ones who first brought Momos to India! Get ready for some never-seen-before traditional tribal cooking techniques such as cooking on stones in a pit and cooking in a bamboo stem! Sounds delicious? It is!

Covered with the layer of salt and sand, Kutch is a remarkable region in the northwestern part of the vibrant state of Gujrat. Kutch packs in culture, topography, and a way of life that is one of its kind. This episode Aditya Bal takes a trip to various small villages in Kutch and explore the lost recipes and techniques of traditional culinary which stuns him with its simplicity.

The capital of Madhya Pradesh - Bhopal - is famous for its modern metropolitan development, historic culture, exquisiteness, and above all, the availability of a large variety of lip-smacking food and cuisines. The episode Aditya Bal will recreate some of the lost recipes right from the kitchen of Nawabs.

Coorg is known to many as the land of tranquil forests and hills, coffee plantations and its symbolic Kodagu culture. One of the most acclaimed districts for its scenic beauty, Coorg is also a heaven for the foodies due to its rich culinary culture from Gowdas and Kodavas.

Just like its picturesque beauty, the food in Kashmir is heavenly. The rich, redolent dishes steeped in traditions have evolved through many generations and are known to be a blend of three different cooking styles - that of Kashmiri Pandits, Muslims and Mughals.

Delhi, the present-day cultural hub of India, was once subservient to the rule of the Parthians, Turks, Afghans, Mughals and Britishers, that had left an indelible impression on the face of the city and gave Delhi its unique status. The episode discusses the rich heritage of Maharajas and dynasties which is well reflected in their food culture as well.