COOKERY
Tell us something about MasterChef India Season 5?
This season of Master Chef India was just amazing. I think we grew together along with our viewers. The markets, the information, the cookbooks, the chef’s influence and the mind of home cooks have also evolved with time. There is so much more global influence and yet much deeper cuisines and regional research on the show. Sometimes we bring something new in the challenge and sometimes a very ancient cooking technique or dish becomes our inspiration. We also had contestants from Dubai, New Jersey, San Fransisco, London and lot of Indian cities. I am glad the last season changed the way cooking is perceived in our society.
How has your relation with your co-judges been like?
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor will always be my mentor and guide. Any time I need information or research or clarity I pick up my phone and call him. He is my lifeline in so many ways. Kunal is like my younger brother,. We have both grown on the show together and appreciate the influence of the platform mutually. He has a heart of gold. I have been inspired by Mr. Jiggs Kalra all my life and Zorawar is not only continuing the legacy, but taken it forward in the most sophisticated and honorable way. I think standing with Kunal and Zorawar every day was an honor in itself. We all thought, breathed and lived food and on this stage we all decided everything together, mutually and equally.
In what way were the contestants different in the last season?
They worked with amazing chefs, challenges and most importantly new techniques in a foreign land.In the last season, viewers got a peek into the favorite kitchen of the country, revealing ‘glocal’ recipes, ‘exotic’ destinations, ‘royal’ delicacies and whopping stories of the Chefs. Each episode tougher than another, reiterated that cooking is not just a hobby! Glocal means that there will be a global influence on local way of kitchens and also local flavors will be applied to global cuisines. The auditions were done all over the world. I hope many more would be coming in next season.
How do you feel being associated with a brand like MCI?
It was my fourth season of MasterChef. I also hosted Junior MasterChef which was extremely gratifying. I was so nervous to host the show in season 2, that I booked my tickets and went to the Mumbai international airport to go back to New York. I was never made for TV in any way. Being in the kitchen is safe-healing- meditative and TV is very infinite. I have seen the nation change, its kitchens change, the way the young kids’ talk so proudly of becoming a chef has changed. Markets have begun to change, almost everything is available. I think the show has evolved tremendously. When I look at MasterChef India, I am so proud like a parent of a child who is creating legacy.
How did it all begin for you?
I come from a very humble background and during my initial schooling I used to hawk peas and peanuts and later we took a small area near my school and started a shop and the shop started doing very well and then I completed my HSC and then came to Delhi where I studied at a catering school and then I did many odd jobs right from a waiter in five hotels like The Taj, The Oberoi etc but then at that time there was not much awareness of a career as a chef but I took up various jobs as a chef and gained quite a popularity and then I went to US for my higher studies and started a hotel there which I still run and is very popular with the Americans .
What do you think is the reason for the popularity of cookery shows on television?
It is the wonderful stress free visuals of food being cooked which makes you happy and is totally tension free viewing.You get to learn new recipes and dishes and that I think is the reason for the success of these cookery shows.
What are your favorite dishes?
I like the Andhra biryani dish very much and especially like The Bhutanese, Tibetan and Nepalese dishes. I also like Indian food generally.
What are your future plans?
I want to diversify my hotel business, write more books, and host more international cookery shows. I already have more offers other than Master Chef-5 which I hosted and am surprised at the talented contestants who come on the show. Everyone wants to be a chef now which is a new trend.
Tell us something about your personal life? Why are you still a staunch bachelor till date?
I am a staunch bachelor because i am still searching for a compatible partner who can adjust to my busy schedules all day and night 24/7 . I am still waiting for her. Till then I prefer to continue to be a bachelor who is single but ready to mingle.
Anaari Baigan
Serves 4
2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
6 curry leaves.
1 tablespoon mustard seeds.
1 whole red chile.
1 medium white onion, finely chopped.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1/4 cup peanuts, ground to a powder.
1 cup (15 ounce can) coconut milk.
8 baby eggplants, scored and fried.
3 tablespoons pomegrenate molasses.
Salt to taste.
1/4 cup fresh pomegrenate seeds.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, red chile and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the onion, garlic and cook until the onions begin to sweat, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the ground peanuts and cook, stirring continiously until darker in color and become very fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, eggplants, pomegrenate molasses, salt and cook, until all the flavors are well combined and the flavours are well blended.
Garnish with pomegrenate seeds and serve hot with fresh bread.
Lamb Biryani with Fennel and Ginger
(Hydrabadi Gosht Biryani)
Serves 4
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 pounds very lean lamb, cut into 2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons freshly chopped ginger
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 large ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
5 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cloves
salt to taste
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1. Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water up to 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until
they are golden brown—about 5 minutes. Add the lamb, ginger, cayenne
pepper, hot spices, tomato, fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves, and salt.
Cook over medium heat until the lamb pieces are brown and almost done.
3. Add the rice, 1 1/4 water, and the milk and bring it to boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan, and let it simmer until the
rice is tender and cooked—about 12 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the ground fennel seeds on top and serve
