Johannesburg - Caramelised pig’s tongue with edamame beans, battered tofu with bacon relish, beer-battered calamari with aioli, and Malaysian curry sauce with roti tissue.
These are just some of the tasty dishes that MasterChef winner Kamini Pather tucked into during her travels around the world while shooting her new reality travel, food and lifestyle show: Girl Eat World.
The gastronomical guru returns to television screens on May 15 to take food lovers on a journey to 10 cities, where insiders will lead her to dining delights few tourists know about.
Her expedition starts in Joburg, where she discovers how food is changing the way people think about their home town.
Then on to cities such as Berlin, Dubai, Philadelphia, Tokyo and Sydney, where she documents her food experiences with some of her favourite food bloggers.
She explores hidden gems, bustling markets, swinging night spots, breweries, pop-up diners, cocktail bars and street stalls. In addition to tantalising her taste buds with exotic flavours, Pather tries adventurous sports and even gets a tattoo.
“I visited Joburg, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney, Lima, Philadelphia, Berlin, Milan, Copenhagen and Dubai and met bloggers who introduced me to their city through food and adventure,” Pather said.
“Some of the episodes have a cookery lesson. For example, in Milan I was taught how to make a Risotto à la Milanese by a third-generation chef. “He didn’t speak English, I didn’t speak Italian – but we were cracking jokes and having a blast because we connected through the language of food.”
Other episodes included adventure segments, according to Pather.
“I was thrown from various heights. I bungee jumped off the Soweto cooling towers in Joburg and did a base fly in Berlin – both were 100m. I wasn’t afraid of heights before the show as I had bungee jumped from the 216m high Bloukrans Bridge as well as done sky diving. But somehow doing it with a GoPro attached to you ups the ante.
“I also don’t seem to make that high-pitched girlie noise one would expect, but rather a birthing-a-dinosaur sound.”
Pather, who was crowned the winner of Masterchef season two, says her new show will inspire people to book their next trip or get off the couch and into the kitchen.
“Whichever one it is, the energy of this show is palpable.
“It’s unique because it is in that sweet spot between food, travel and digital.
“The animations in the show include Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pop-ups – which really bring the show to life in a way we haven’t seen yet.”
Pather says it was difficult to pick a favourite country among those she visited for the show.
“Each city was so different that it feels wrong to pick just one. One of my favourites was Sydney because the Aussies understand our southern hemisphere seasonality, and their food is so richly influenced by Asian cuisine.”
Pather also tucks into some delightful delicacies around the world.
“I have a few favourites dishes. One of them is a Peruvian dish, called anticuchos – thick slices of beef heart cooked on an open flame.
“In Sydney I tasted a caramelised pig’s tongue with bright green edamame beans. Risotto à la Milanese is a simple rice dish flavoured with saffron, butter and parmesan, which is just exquisite.
“I ate some of the world’s freshest new-style ceviche with blackened squid tentacles in Lima. I could really go on and on. Each city was really special and had such different cuisines and inspiration to offer.”
Pather also managed to bring some international flavours home from her travels.
“In Copenhagen I bought an oil that is flavoured with wild grass, grey natural salt, as well as carnaroli rice for risotto from Milan.”
“I got the world’s most intoxicating saffron from Dubai and some pomegranate syrup. From Philadelphia I brought some of the hottest sauces I have tasted.”
Pather’s first episode will air at 8pm on May 15 on the Food Network, channel 175.
Saturday Star