British-born chef Madison Cowan has lead an adventurous life already: having been homeless two times before realizing his dream of becoming a chef, he’s since cooked his way across London, Jamaica, New York, France and Japan, among other far-flung locales. Still, the first-ever winner of the cooking competition show “Chopped” had to learn a thing or two about how to survive in the wilderness. He tells us about facing down angry bats, spearhunting, and names the one tool he’d bring to a desert island.
And if you like what you read below, tune in to BBC America’s "No Kitchen Required,” a new food travel adventure series that takes chefs and viewers to some of the most remote, exotic locations across the globe. Premieres Tuesday, April 3rd at 10pm Eastern / 9pm central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook. (Continue reading to watch an exclusive trailer.)
What attracted you to "No Kitchen Required?" Why did you sign on for this adventure? I first heard about it shortly after I won “Chopped.” I didn’t know much beyond the plan to go around the world and connect with different cultures that not too many people knew about. It sounded really exciting. I didn’t really want to do another competition, but it was an opportunity.
Did you feel prepared? What were you expecting before you left? The word ‘badass’ kept being bandied about. It’s funny to me when I hear that, it seems like schoolyard talk. I focused on connecting with different cultures. I knew there would be a competitive element, but my focus was two things: an opportunity, and connecting with people.
Have you ever hunted or foraged for your own food before? I’ve hunted, but not much. You could say I foraged my own food I nicked food when I was hungry and homeless. I used to forage food from shops all the time! [Laughs]. But nothing along the lines of having to survive by hunting and foraging in wildlands.
What new ingredients or foods did you encounter that you’ve never worked with before? Definitely bat. That’s at the top for me. To me, a bat has never been anything but a rat with wings. It’s not something I find pleasant or appetizing.
How did you cook the bat? As fast as possible. I didn’t want to look at it. Ha, no, I tried to stick to the traditions of the hill people in Chang Mai. They pretty much mince it with the bone. There was lots of bone in the bat I tried. So I tried to mince it even more, to somewhat take the bone out of it even more. Then I sautéed it at high heat with tomato and onion and garlic and finished it with soy sauce and herbs. It came out like a hot pate, almost. You look at it like that, and it’s a bit more appealing.
What was your favorite thing you cooked? The goat in Fiji. I buried the goat in the ground, an authentic way, indigenous way. It cooks in less than two hours. We’d hunted with spears and machetes, and I was determined to make it a very quick and clean kill, because you don’t want the animal to suffer. So after that, you dig a hole, then fill it with hot rocks. You build fire with wood, add your stones to the fire to get them white hot, then remove the wood and the ash. You take the meat, the goat, and wrap it in a banana leaf. You put it on the rocks, cover it with more leaves, then a wet burlap sack, and cover it to create steam. You pile dirt and earth on top of sack and leave it there to cook.
Without giving too much away, what was the craziest thing that happened? Being bitten by a bat. It feels like your doctor has taken three to four needles and taped them together and jabbed you very quickly. The whole thing happened so fast—we were chasing the bats, smoking them out of this cave with lighted torches. We set up a massive net in the opening of the cave, so we smoked them out, then pick them off the net. But this one bat wasn’t willing to give it up so quickly. I had him by one wing, and he turned around and bit my hand. I kind of threw it down, swore, stomped it in one motion. I was like, ‘how dare you bite me?!’
What's the one kitchen tool (apart from knife?) you'd take on a desert island?
Something I could make fire with, definitely. You don’t even really need a knife to be honest, but you need fire and water. What goes on in the jungle stays in the jungle.
What will you be bringing back to your own kitchen from this experience? Even more diversity. Not a particular item or recipe, but overall, just more I fancy myself open minded, and my personal world is very diverse. But you never stop learning. There are things I’ve done on this adventure that I’ve never done before. I’d like to think I’m an old hand, you’ve done it, you’ve lived without having to talk about it. But what I will bring back is the diversity and the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained by being out here, dealing with people who look like me and who don’t look like me, who speak my language and those who don’t. I bring back a certain connection I’ve made. I speak for the other lads in saying—it was a very interesting, very thought provoking, wonderful time had by the whole lot of us. I don’t think there’s anything on telly like this. I’m pleased as punch to be a part of it.
Like what you've read here? Tune in to BBC America’s "No Kitchen Required,” a new food travel adventure series that takes chefs and viewers to some of the most remote, exotic locations across the globe. Premieres Tuesday, April 3rd at 10pm Eastern / 9pm central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook. And to address more squirm-inducing cuisine, Madison Cowan discusses the most misunderstood British dish at Anglophenia.
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