A Cook Abroad episode 2 – Tony Singh’s India: Scottish chef Tony Singh travels to India, the country of his ancestors, to trace his family roots and discover whether his mum’s Punjabi cooking is the real deal. He begins his journey in Amritsar, which is draped in lights for the festival of Diwali, before braving the treacherous Grand Trunk Road to Delhi, a place Tony has only ever visited twice.
Along the way, he fulfils a boyhood dream to meet the Nihang, nomadic Sikh warriors whose cooking techniques are legendary. He receives an exclusive invite to eat and cook with a Maharaja and, as his waistline tightens thanks to the rich Punjabi diet, he burns off the calories at Bollysweat, the fitness phenomenon taking Delhi by storm.
As Tony gets under the skin of Punjabi ways, he discovers how the Sikh religion and the region’s troubled past have created a food and culture like no other. He ends his epic adventure at the ancestral home in Delhi, where his 93-year-old uncle Ameer opens a window on his family history he will never forget.
A Cook Abroad episode 2 – Tony Singh’s India
Rajinder Tony Singh Kusbia is a Scottish celebrity chef and restaurateur. He is best known for combining Scottish produce with an arty, eclectic and accessible style of cooking.
Born and raised in Leith, Edinburgh, Singh comes from a second-generation Scottish Sikh family. He studied at Telford College and completed a Youth Training Scheme in Professional Cookery before beginning his career in the restaurant industry. The year he completed his formal training, Singh started working in fine dining restaurants in Britain, including the Balmoral Hotel in 1990, Gravetye Manor in 1992, and The Royal Scotsman train in 1994. Afterwards Singh worked in the Greywalls Hotel, aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, and at Skibo Castle, before opening his own restaurant in 2001.
His menus have featured seasonal and local Scottish ingredients with influences and additions from around the world. He holds the title of Master Chef of Great Britain, is a member of the Academy of Culinary Arts and Craft Guild of Chefs, and was honoured by the Queen in her 2017 New Year Honours List being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the Food and Drink Industry.
