Wrestling Bats, Exotic Locales, Adventurous Palates: No Kitchen Required Challenges All The Senses
7 photos
Chef Psilakis revealed he wanted to respect the boar he killed by fulling utilizing it: "I remember thinking, how can I do everything I possibly can with this animal? And after the three hours were up, I had made 11 dishes. I couldnât believe Iâd done so much, outside, with just an open flame and a chef knife."Chef Raymond fondly remembered "these incredible bits of produce that we found in the jungleâwild bananas, they had huge black rock-hard seeds in the middle and the flesh was white and creamy, like nothing youâve ever had before. It was like most amazing banana youâve ever eaten, times a thousand."And Chef Cowan had an unpleasant run-in with some bats, when one bit him ("It feels like your doctor has taken three to four needles and taped them together and jabbed you very quickly"). As for cooking the bat, "I tried to stick to the traditions of the hill people in Chang Mai. They pretty much mince it with the bone... 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 itâs a bit more appealing."And, tonight, the chefs are in New Zealand, where they must summon their inner warrior as they prepare a feast for the Maori people. Watch a trailer here:And if you're hungry for more, tune in to BBC Americaâs "No Kitchen Required,â new food travel adventure series where chefs cook in the most remote and exotic locations with little more than a knife, fire and a pan. Watch new episodes of No Kitchen Required every Tuesday at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook.
In New York City, we're lucky enough to get close and personal with authentic interpretations of various world cuisines. Among our picks for the ten best places to buy and eat exotic foods, are the off-menu cuy, or Ecuadorian guinea pig, at El Pequeño Coffee Shop in Jackson Heights, Queens; balut, a fertilized duck embryo thatâs a popular street snack in the Phillipines, at Maharlika in the East Village; and the many varieties of beef offal (exquisitely cut, carefully sourced cow stomach, intestine, cheek, tongue, and more) at Takashi in Tribeca. Click here for more locations, plus a map.And here's a clip of the No Kitchen Required chefs trying grubs:And if you're hungry for more, tune in to BBC Americaâs "No Kitchen Required,â new food travel adventure series where chefs cook in the most remote and exotic locations with little more than a knife, fire and a pan. Watch new episodes of No Kitchen Required every Tuesday at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook.
Madison Cowan in Belize ©Tim Calver for BBC AMERICA
"Wildman" Steve Brill has been helping New Yorkers get a little closer to nature with his foraging tours of Central Park, Prospect Park, and more for three decades. He revealed how he got inspired to forage the wilds of the Big Apple, "I was exploring ethnic stores in Queens, where I lived, and as I was riding my bike through the neighborhood, I saw these Greek women picking something. It turned out they were collecting grape leaves in a park."Here's how the No Kitchen Required chefs foraged in Dominica:And if you're hungry for more, tune in to BBC Americaâs "No Kitchen Required,â new food travel adventure series where chefs cook in the most remote and exotic locations with little more than a knife, fire and a pan. Watch new episodes of No Kitchen Required every Tuesday at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook.
Chef Raymond raved about the surprising tastiness of the gibnut, "I was so surprised about the flavorâyou think rodent, whatâs it gonna beâ¦but the belly, the inside, had so much fat, it was almost like pork. The flavor was incredibleâI rendered the fat, made masa and tamales, and the flavor was delicious." He also caught crayfish in another episode:And if you're hungry for more, tune in to BBC Americaâs "No Kitchen Required,â new food travel adventure series where chefs cook in the most remote and exotic locations with little more than a knife, fire and a pan. Watch new episodes of No Kitchen Required every Tuesday at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook.
You may have complained about your tiny apartment kitchenâbut think about Jehangir Mehta who feeds a hundred hungry people every night at Graffiti, his wildly inventive, globally-inspired, and undeniably teensy restaurant in the East Village. His kitchen is just 30-square-feet, with hotplates and mini fridges and he still manages to turn out dishes like duck portobello gratinee with mustard onion confit and hazelnut chocolate caviar cupcakes night after night. In order to make it work, Mehta explained to us, "The main thing it just being organized. Every kitchen requires organization, but in some places, you have more space to do it. Here, you have no choice. So you just have to make sure everything is in the right spotâif you put your hand in the right side of the fridge, you WILL find your mesclun, if you go a little to the left, you WILL find your fish. Weâve been open about five years, and we havenât changed a single container that weâve put whatever ingredient in. The fish is always in a square box, if somethingâs in a round container, itâs always in that round container."And if you're hungry for more, tune in to BBC Americaâs "No Kitchen Required,â new food travel adventure series where chefs cook in the most remote and exotic locations with little more than a knife, fire and a pan. Watch new episodes of No Kitchen Required every Tuesday at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central only on BBC America. For more updates on the series, be sure to like No Kitchen Required on Facebook.
Michael Psilakis at work ©Tim Calver for BBC AMERICA