If cooking isn’t something you love doing, it’s not something you should be doing. There’s a reason it’s called culinary art. But for this one Pakistani adventure cook, this art has become larger than life. Plus, he wants to share this one-of-a-kind experience with others.
Meet Ahsan Arshad, a ‘self-taught adventure cook’ from Islamabad.
Ahsan has become somewhat of a social media celeb, thanks to his adventurous videos and pictures that depict him with his culinary creations in all kinds of caves, hills, mountains, beaches and whatnot.
So what is this guy’s story? How does he combine his love for adventure with his affection for good food? Read on to find out.
Where It All Started
It all started with his love for cooking, particularly the lack of options.
“Like in every desi household, it’s often the case that whatever’s for dinner or lunch, you take it or leave it. Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to eat a variety of different things which I enjoyed so I started trying out new dishes. It started with small items like eggs and sandwiches.”
So yes, just like that Ahsan took up cooking. His mother encouraged him and was his first mentor in the kitchen.
Ahsan then moved on to discovered more contemporary recipes and try new things. Lets just say he wanted to keep things challenging.
In this quest to keep things interesting (spice just won’t do it), Ahsan came across Al Meezan’s YouTube cooking channel featuring traveling accounts in the wild as they cook different cuisines.
That’s when Ahsan Arshad started his own Youtube vlog to cover his culinary travels. He also documented his experiences on Instagram.
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Despite having a degree in computer science, Ahsan Arshad took on a more fulfilling endeavor
“Why not make my passion my profession so then I got more serious about adventure cooking; it has made all the difference and made me content.”
He explained how therapeutic his experiences are:
“You feel closer to nature, your human instincts, survival instincts, how they evolved and that self-reflection is a great feeling. Humans have two basic needs according to me: food and travel. It’s almost therapeutic; depressed people are often advised to spend time in nature. And with good food, the effect is doubled.”
He’s now working out how to share his experience with others. He’s now got his own travel service and is taking people on an adventure with good food.
That’s not all. Arshad says he plans to open his own restaurant later on.
My current goal is to take tourists and thrill-seekers with me on these adventures. I’m in the process of starting my travel service, hiking to different places and cooking in the wild, I don’t think anyone does that here in Pakistan. This way, people can come with and enjoy these beautiful landscapes and nature along with live cooking.
Price and Charges
If you fancy a day with this budding adventure cook, here’s what its going to cost you:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzK8niVhR5S/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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What’s On The Menu?
If Ahsan Arshad is to open a restaurant he must have a specialized menu right? His mean onion ring burger is pretty famous.
This adventure cook is really stepping up the game, bringing tastes from the urban jungle to the real jungle.
“I’m mostly known for my burgers. I have a customized grill that I have to carry with me in order to make those.The time duration to make these is lesser than that of other food items, even though it has it’s own challenges when you make it in the wild. In general, I like to focus more on fast food as it gets ready quickly. Mac and cheese burgers, classic beef burger, mushroom sauce burger and grilled chicken — you name it, I’ve made it.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrPgRJEnbwf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
He does experiment with other cuisines too including Italian and Chinese.
He also does desi delights like Balochi raan roast, chicken ham roast, and ‘dumpukht’ (pit roasted whole animal stuffed with rice; a dish from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
“That takes a lot of time; it’s a slow cook which takes around 3-4 hours. Even though I try different things, chicken ham roast has to be the hardest thing I have made in the wild.”
Despite many weekends of practice, accidents do happen. Even with this guy. But we guess that’s part and parcel of adventure.
So if you fancy yourself an adventurer, or just want to shake up your mundane routine, consider giving this guy a call.
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