Desi flavours down under

As zealous followers of the cookery show Masterchef Australia it was a moment of pride seeing two Indians being mentored by the lsquoholy trinityrsquo This yearrsquos edition hosted by Chefs Gary Mehigan George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston is tinted by spices curries and oodles more 35yearold public servant Rishi Desai and Neha Sen a 31yearold IT professional make quite an impression on our telly screens as they pour out their hearts and souls on porcelain plates with baby herbs to top Neha Sen Kolhapuri import to Canberra Suave and composed Rishi Desai summarises his experience on the show as ldquofantasticrdquo Looking at the trajectory he has traversed he shares ldquoYou donrsquot realise how much you learn on the show until you actually go on the showrdquo The boy from Kolhapur who still craves for Sukka Mutton and Tambada Rassa every time he sees his mother also talks of how learning was all he gleaned be it from his contestants the judges or even the equipment Looking back on his epiphany he relays ldquoMy mother tells me that when I was five years old the first time I entered the kitchen I cooked up something and since then I have never looked back Irsquove always been in the kitchen Irsquove always wanted to be in the kitchenrdquo Rishi Desai Desai further opines ldquoMy philosophy is essentially what Heston Blumenthalrsquos ideology is You eat food with all your senses you touch food you use your sense of smell hearing your sight and your tastebuds so all your five senses have to be activated for you to enjoy food and I agree on thatrdquo He relates how he has gone on to play around with one of the most traditional recipes the famous Butter Chicken in the most unusual way ldquoItrsquos Butter Quail My food doesnrsquot look the same but when you taste it all the flavours are in thererdquo admits the budding chef As Desai goes places he recounts all that he has already on roster in a single breath ldquoI will be doing a series of popups at the Burbury Hotel Canberra I have also got myself a book deal which will be coming out by early next yearrdquo The army girl power An effervescent voice reaches our ears as we speak to Neha Sen a woman of many worlds Married to a Britishborn Aussie Sen comes from an Army background and has had a host of states Jammu and Kashmir Kerala Odisha Delhi Maharashtra twirled on her fork Nudging for her favourite dish while anticipating a Bengali bite she throws us off hand as she utters Coconut Rice and Mutton Curry Agape she traces her genealogical roots to Kerala while a grandmother lends the Russian genes ldquoThe show has been a rollercoaster ride with the highest of highs and lowest of lowsrdquo she says Quite relatable to most urban Indian youth in her dilemma Sen did not know how to cook till the age of 23 ldquoWhen I shifted to Australia I was burning rice and dal lentils But I couldnrsquot afford to eat at an Indian restaurant anymore so I was in sheer desperation It was then that I decided I needed to do thisrdquo A devout adherent of fusion cooking Bollywood Bolognese is one of her most remarkable dishes Quiz her for details and she says ldquoI chuck in stuff like cinnamon cardamom and cumin powder making it Indian in flavourrdquo Much like her meacutelange of a dish Sen feels that she is a true Indian citizen as she hails from all over and wants to embark on a TV documentary on Indian cuisine Her next favourite is Vietnamese cuisine due to its zesty and chilli characteristics signs off the cheerful chef ldquoWe have lots of Indian applicants this year This means that there is some bravery coming out that Indians are going lsquoYou know what I might put my hand up todayrsquo So is the case with Rishi and Neha especially Rishi Rishi is an amazing cook who is a very clever man and very creative So we expect him to do very well in the series Irsquom looking for something different in the contestants And I think Rishi is going to do something special a very multitalented individual as he wants to take Indian food in a slightly different direction So is Neha Yet Rishi has a slightly different approach than Neha so wait and see what happensrdquou00a0