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Cooking shows in India owe a lot to the charismatic chefs and hosts that took the genre outside its stuffy prescriptive formula, transforming it from a domestic chore to an industry that was suddenly glamorous. It’s beginnings were, of course, on Doordarshan.
Cooking shows in India owe a lot to the charismatic chefs and hosts that took the genre outside its stuffy prescriptive formula, transforming it from a domestic chore to an industry that was suddenly glamorous. It’s beginnings were, of course, on Doordarshan.
The first was Dawat, aired in 1991. It was hosted by Jiggs Kalra, a restaurant critic and food journalist. He would bring on a unique chef and guest for each of the 32 episodes. A full year of research went into the show. A Reddit user remembers Kapil Dev being a guest, in tears
due to a dish with whole red chillies in it.
Tarla Dalal, famous from her bestselling vegetarian cookbooks, cooked for 'Cook it up with Tarla Dala' on Sony. Dalal's lack of hosting pizzazz was made up by the co-host, the humourous actor Sudhanshu Pandey,
Tarla Dalal, famous from her bestselling vegetarian cookbooks, cooked for 'Cook it up with Tarla Dala' on Sony. Dalal's lack of hosting pizzazz was made up by the co-host, the humourous actor Sudhanshu Pandey,
and the show was filmed in front of a live audience.
Then, chefs started getting charismatic. Khana Khazana began in 1993 on Zee TV, first hosted by Harpal Singh Sokhi. Soon Sanjeev Kapoor came on, by that time an established restaurant chef. The show exploded.
Then, chefs started getting charismatic. Khana Khazana began in 1993 on Zee TV, first hosted by Harpal Singh Sokhi. Soon Sanjeev Kapoor came on, by that time an established restaurant chef. The show exploded.
Kapoor’s manner and exotic ingredients quickly becoming a cultural favorite. It ran for 17 years, making it the longest running cooking show in Asia.
Jiggs Kalra started Zaike Ka Safar in 1996, with combined travelling and lifestyle content along with the food.
Jiggs Kalra started Zaike Ka Safar in 1996, with combined travelling and lifestyle content along with the food.
2002 saw Star Plus air Mirch Masala, with themed episodes and celebrity guests, hosted by Chef Rakesh Sethi. It encouraged viewer participation, asking tips and recipes to be sent in to win prizes.
Sanjeev Kapoor then geared up to start a whole TV channel devoted 24x7 to food
Sanjeev Kapoor then geared up to start a whole TV channel devoted 24x7 to food
called FOOD FOOD, the first of its kind in 2001. The first host of Khana Khaza, whose show Harpal Ki Rasoi didn’t quite take off, hosted Turban Tadka. Amrita Raichand, the model and actress, hosted Mummy Ka Magic.
With an audience for the genre established, many shows for niche audiences started cropping up; in languages - Rannaghar in Bengali, Rasoi Show in Gujrati; different cuisines - Taste of Kerala, Lost Recipes; mixed with travel - Desh da Swaad, Khata Rahe Mera Dil, to name a few.
Then came Masterchef India, continuing its celebrity dalliance with Akshay Kumar as one of the judges. Today, plenty of Indian celebrity chefs - Aditya Bal, Ranveer Brar, Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapoor - feature on TV, but most have expanded onto YouTube.
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