A splash, and a grab! Whether in a narrow stream in the countryside or on a seashore, the sight of catching fish with bare hands is common in India. Chef Kiran Jethwa, however, was quite intrigued by the sight. “The way fishermen catch fish in Kochi was an interesting discovery—the way they dive into the water without any diving equipment, no goggles, nothing else, and to see them catching fish with bare hands—was crazy, yet fascinating,” said the third generation Kenyan restaurateur-chef born in Nairobi to an Indian origin father and an English mother.
Jethwa was talking about his discoveries in India for his upcoming show, Spirited Traveller, on Fox Life. There have been quite a few! “Fox Life wanted to come up with a new show that explores the most authentic and exotic beverages and cuisines from across India. When they asked me to get involved, I thought it’s a fantastic idea,” said Jethwa, who loves coastal recipes; seafood to be precise. “Seafood is my biggest passion. The coastal regions that we covered really well were Goa and Kochi. Kolkata is also very close to coastal with a variety of fish but it’s not coastal,” said Jethwa matter-of-factly. Though he was surprised with the fish he discovered at all these places, especially in Goa. “I went to the fish market in Goa and I was the happiest man in the world. The way Goans prepare their fish is a real highlight for me,” said Jethwa, who has always been interested in telling stories from around the world through food.
Food, beverage and culture go together for Jethwa. “They are entwined. One can’t be separated from another. And together, they make a wonderful story,” he said. The show, he said, was a slightly different approach to understand the Indian culture. “The whole shoot for me was a journey of discovery. It was the first time for me to go around India. I went to a lot of places for the first time and when you do that it’s an interesting experience. The whole of India is a fascinating place, full of incredible people, colourful stories and a lot more,” said Jethwa.
For Jethwa, to get to the stories of food in India through the Indians was not just fascinating, but also important to understand his lineage. “My father’s side of the family is from India and to come to a country to which I belong, from where my heritage is, and explore it, is of course fascinating,” said Jethwa, “Indian food has been a massive part of my life since the time I was very young. My father ate only Indian food at home. Before my mother married him, she learned to cook all the Indian cuisines, particularly Gujarati. She also learned the language. It’s been a part of me for a long time and I love it.”
By now, you know that Jethwa’s family has been really into food, but establishing it further, he said, “I come from a house where food was everything.” Like most Indians, Jethwa’s father, too, had a rule—whoever came to the house had to be fed properly. No one left hungry, ever! “My mother was always cooking and I was always around the kitchen helping. From a very young age, I had a love for food, love for eating particularly,” said Jethwa before pausing to add that he was a fat child. You wouldn’t want to believe him with the fit physique he maintains now. The numerous food shows on TV do not bother Jethwa. “There are some very good food shows and then there are some bad ones. But if you continuously uncover content that is interesting and with a novel idea, it keeps going,” said Jethwa. “I don’t think people are going to get bored with watching food ever. Food is a part of our life, or rather food is life. It’s a challenge to look at it from different angles and present interestingly,” said Jethwa. Besides being busy with his shows and running restaurants, he has also collaborated with World Food Programme to look at how more school children in Kenya can be fed.
