How this British Instagrammer is trying to change Western views about Indian food

Vendakkai Poriyal; Vada Pav; Dal, baati, churma

His pantry boasts more desi ingredients than ours (yes, he has four masala dabbas), and he can whip up sattu paratha, aloo matar, and Sindhi curry with a skill that rivals some of the best home cooks. In fact, it was his engaging video from Bihar Week that piqued our interest in sattu flour. Meet Jake Dryan, a 32-year-old from London who grew up surrounded by South Asian immigrants and blessed with easy access to desi ingredients. And now - Dryan is on a mission to change the Western perception of Indian cuisine on his Instagram handle @plantfuture.

On his first trip to India a few weeks ago, Dryan was overjoyed to indulge in the iconic vada pav, pav bhaji, and thalipeeth - dishes he had previously made in the UK. "There's nothing like eating a dish where it had originated," he shares excitedly.

Sukkha bhel

He was invited to the Two Brothers Farm recently, where he connected with local farmers and shared a meal on their land in Aurangabad, deepening his understanding of ingredients and culture. Together, they made thecha, thalipeeth and a spread of Maharashtrian food using produce straight off the farm. Dryan's approach transcends mere recipes; he delves into the rich traditions, techniques, and regional identities that shape Indian cooking. He often shares resources and information he learns during his research - thus offering a fresh perspective on age-old cuisine and a vibrant story told through culinary practices. Like when he posted about the lesser-known Maddur vade from Karnataka - he mentioned the back story on how these were made at Maddur station, and that's how it got its name or when he made pannakam on Ram Navami and shared the story of Lord Rama.

His fascination with Indian cuisine was further nurtured while working as a young chef under the mentorship of a Indian chef at the Hilton in the UK where he worked from 2012 to 2020. "I was driven to understand the how and why behind each dish," Dryan recalls. He would quiz his mentor about his mother's aloo gobi, eager to learn whether she used white or red onions and how the dish differed between families. This insatiable curiosity became his unique learning style - questioning every detail, exploring regional techniques, and analysing each step as an art form and a science.

Jake Dryan

Dryan has spent countless hours observing the tadka process to master the timing and sequence of each ingredient. "Many cooks outside India tend to add everything at once, but each component has its moment in the process." The mustard always goes before the cumin, and the curry leaves go in the end because each one has different cooking times.

His first video - an aloo matar - filmed in February 2018 slowly sparked curiosity - what was a Brit doing making simple homemade khana? but one of Dryan's most notable projects is the State Week series, launched in 2022, where he dedicates an entire week to the cuisine of a specific Indian state.

This initiative emerged from his recognition that Indian food is oversimplified and misrepresented to the West, and reduced to generic categories such as ‘curry' or ‘spicy'. "The Western view of Indian food is so narrow," he says, "People think it's just butter chicken and naan, but it encompasses so many more layers, stories, and traditions in every dish. Even I thought I knew a lot about Indian food," he admits, "but as I began exploring,
I realised I had barely scratched the surface."

Dryan is not unfamiliar with culinary nuances that change slightly with region but transform a dish completely. "My granddad is from Italy where each region has its own unique cuisine, and I even have this book on regional Italian cooking, with no photos but packed with recipes," he says. "It's got one version of Minestrone [soup] from Naples and another from Piedmont - same dish, but with subtle differences. So when I heard India has so many distinct states, each with its own culinary identity, I thought, wow, it's just like Italy!

The series - where he has covered 21 states so far - involves extensive preparation. Dryan engages in thorough research, often collaborating with his online community and watching cooking videos from home chefs across India. His followers might recommend five vegetarian dishes from a state, prompting Dryan to delve into mastering their preparation. While he has developed an intuitive grasp of Indian cooking, every new dish offers a chance for further learning. "Even if I've never seen the recipe before, my years of cooking have equipped me with a foundational understanding."

This method has garnered Dryan a devoted following among Indian and international audiences. For Indians, he represents a figure who respects and comprehends their culinary heritage. Comments that say how they love watching him make certain dishes that are close to their heart or that they grew up eating and miss it now warms his heart. There are fun ones that call him to be more desi than the desis in India or that he cooks better than their spouse. Some even fight in the comments on which region's version of a particular dish is better, A defining characteristic is his receptiveness to feedback. He invites viewers to point out any mistakes and embraces these comments as opportunities for growth, like how he remade bajra khichdi after he was told the previous version wasn't correct.

For global viewers, he offers an approachable gateway into a cuisine often perceived as intimidating. He unpacks techniques and illustrates commonalities across regions, like common dishes with subtle variants during Indian festivals like Ugadi.

"Even if I weren't active on social media, I would still be cooking Indian food," he reflects. "It's my means of learning and exploring something I love. I don't
envision myself stopping anytime soon. There will always be so much left to explore."

Looking ahead, Dryan has ambitious plans: He envisions hosting pop-ups, supper clubs, and community events, inviting people to experience authentic Indian cuisine together and work on accessible resources, such as guides, workshops, and videos.

"Cooking isn't just about following a recipe," he notes. "It's about feeling the rhythm of the ingredients, understanding the history behind them, and honouring the people who created these dishes."