“It’s bloody delicious”: Gordon Ramsay Was So Impressed With India’s Red-Hot Ant Chutney He Added it To His International Menu
Gordon Ramsay traveled across parts of India for his documentary. The chef has made a 12-minute film on Indian food and has visited various parts of the country for the same. He with his team selected two items that made it into his menu. The international chef visited India, which is famous for its cuisine and spices.
As suggested by his assistant Sarah, the TV personality visited Bastar, a village in the Chhattisgarh district. There he was on a motorcycle as he traveled through Naxal-prone districts of Darba’s Manjhipal and stayed there for three days and two nights. He selected two dishes Chapda chutney and Dona Pudga for his international menu.
Gordon Ramsay’s new favorite chutney is from India
The British chef visited India in 2010 to make a documentary on the country’s food. He and his 16-member crew visited Bastar in Chhattisgarh and tried their unique dish. He had a three-day stay in the village and traveled on a motorcycle. There he tasted Chapda chutney and gained knowledge about ants. When he combined Chapda chutney with the regional alcoholic beverage Mahua, he was utterly taken aback.
The people of the Bastar district take the chutney to another level. They referred to it as “Chaprah.” Chaprah means basket of leaves in the original language. The special part of the chutney is it is served in a leaf basket.
While his visit to the village Rajnish Panikar, a well-known Manjhipal tour guide, organized the chef’s stay. Panikar claims that Ramsay became addicted to these delicacies after his wife, Urmila Nag Panikar, a native of Bastar, served them to him. Another dish that was made on his menu was Dona Pudga. The dish is chicken seasoned with common spices, wrapped in a leaf, and cooked over an open flame. Cooking doesn’t include any oil.
Gordon Ramsay’s favorite chutney is made of red ant
The Chapda chutney made to the international menu of the chef has a secret ingredient named red ants. The spicy red chutney tasted by Ramsay in Chhattisgarh is an Odisha cuisine. It is made from red ants and their eggs. It is one of the famous dishes of the country. Red ants are widespread, and because of this regional food, tribal youngsters now consider collecting red ants to be one of their favorite pastimes.
The chutney is made by crushing the ants in large numbers and forming a dry paste. Then they add salt sweeteners, some ginger, and coriander. The ants and their eggs have some kind of anti-bacterial properties that provides immunity against some bacterial infections.
Source: Gordan Ramsay’s Youtube
