Jugaad Sisters Inc. announced today that their four-part docu-series Not Your Butter Chicken directed by Priyanka Desai (House Special) will be available to stream for free on CBC Gem starting Thursday, May 1st, 2025 as part of the Asian Heritage Month collection. The series celebrates the recipes, untold stories and life lessons of South Asians in Canada through the eyes of celebrated Vancouver culinary mind, Shiva Reddy.
Over the course of four episodes, Not Your Butter Chicken takes us from Vancouver to Kamloops and Kelowna, BC, and Lethbridge and Fort McMurray, Alberta, while host Shiva Reddy explores her culture with other South Asians to fill in the gaps that come with being a second-generation Canadian. Once a competitive hockey player, Reddy grew up to be one of the first South Asian women to make it in the world of wine and fine dining in Canada. Now, grappling with her mother’s battle with dementia, Reddy is on a journey to piece together the story of her Indian heritage through food and community.
“Everyone knows Butter Chicken, but not the culture that created it. The title is a playful invitation to discover all the ways Indian culture is more than this go-to dish,” says Reddy, who is also a sommelier at Michelin star restaurant Burdock & Co. in Vancouver. “Because my mom is my connection to my Indian heritage, her dementia meant we were slowly forgetting our stories and recipes. For me, this show was a way to make new memories even as my mother was losing hers. For our viewers, I hope this show inspires you to collect the stories that mean the most to you.”
