‘I made Biryani’ reads the Instagram caption of a reel that showcases a chef slicing and browning onions, roasting masalas, and layering the vegetable mix with rice and saffron. While this might seem like just another reel out of an Indian kitchen, it is in fact being recorded by UK-based chef and food blogger Jake Dryan at his London home. Since last year, he has dedicated his time to exploring Indian cuisine and has been covering the country’s varied culinary repertoire one State at a time. “I started my Instagram page in 2018 and cooked a wide variety of dishes, including many Indian ones that were well-received. In July 2022 I decided to use a whole week for a particular cuisine, and started with South Indian Week,” says Jake, adding how it did well, and also had his 1.4 million Instagram followers remind him that “India is made up of different states and not just north and south”. Thus began his journey of showcasing lesser-known and popular dishes from every part of India.
Having covered over 13 States including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and West Bengal so far, Jake explains his love affair with Indian food began when he was 12. “I was in a rock band at school with two Gujarati boys. I would go to their houses for practice and it was my first experience of authentic Indian home cooking. I loved it, especially the dhokla,” says Jake, whose Italian grandfather was a chef. “I grew up around good food and always loved to cook. I used to watch a lot of cooking shows on TV where chefs like Rick Stein would go to different countries and cook with the locals which influenced my love for cooking.”
At 16, Jake went to culinary school at London’s Westminster Kingsway College and spent the next decade working at The Hilton in London. “A lot of my colleagues were from India and I would always talk to them about food, and even cook for them to see if they liked my Indian cooking,” he says, adding how his knowledge came from research and practice. “I love other cuisines but Indian food quickly became the cuisine I was most experienced at.”
Circling back to his weekly challenges, Jake explains how he starts off by asking his followers for the top five veggie dishes from a specific State. After exploring Sindhi cuisine, “which was highly requested”, he followed it by Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar. “Next week, I will start the Chhattisgarh series and cook traditional delicacies such as faraa, aamat, and chila.
After gathering requests, comes further research on YouTube/Google and watching videos in the native language of the specific dish. “I often check with a friend or a follower if I have any questions. I don’t mind if I make a mistake because my followers will correct me. I’m really enjoying this journey of learning,” says Jake, who loved the Karnataka week series as a part of which he made chitrana and girmit, among other dishes. Having said that, a few dishes have been tough to recreate. “When I did Odisha week, I tried to make chhena poda. I tried about three times and gave up!”
As for his all time favourite Indian dishes, the dhokla and idli-sambar feature on his list. But for comfort food, he returns to his Italian roots. “It is my grandfather’s minestrone soup. It has pasta and chickpeas in it, it’s delicious.”
With his decades-long love for Indian fare, it is surprising that Jake is yet to visit the country. He now plans to come down early next year. “I’m going to do three to four southern states first — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, etc. I’m open to suggestions and advice!” he concludes.
For suggestions and videos of the weekly series, visit @plantfuture on Instagram.
