Koshur Saal– The unique cuisine of Kashmiri Pandits, Hornby’s Pavilion

Kashmiri Pundit cuisine is a unique combination of Indian, Iranian and Afghani cuisines. I had no idea about this kind of food so I couldn’t give this a miss. Hornby’s Pavilion at ITC Grand Central, Parel is hosting a Kashmiri Pundit Food Festival until 26^th of May. The visiting chef, Chef Suman Kaul is a Kashmiri Pundit herself who learnt her way around the kitchen at home. She inherited her skills from the elders in her family and quickly decided to let people know about this rare cuisine.

Kashmiri Pundit Food Festival at Hornby’s Pavilion

From Chef Suman I learnt that Kashmiri Pundit food is all about slow simmering. You don’t flash cook the food. You let the ingredients create magic over several hours or marinating and simmering. They do not use any onions or garlic but use hing instead to flavour the dish. Contrary to what I believed, the gravies are delicate due to the use of milk instead or cream or cashew paste.

Chef Suman Kaul preparing the delicious Kabargah

At the festival you will get to try dishes like Kabargah which is rack of lamb slow cooked in simmering hot milk with saffron and then dipped in curd before deep frying it. Must try the Kashmiri Chicken Pulav delicately flavoured with saffron and cardamom. The trout used here is specially imported from Srinagar. Vegetarians will love this fest too! You will also find Paneer and Potatoes cooked in milk and saffron, Pulav with Chholley and Paneer, Dum Aloo and my favourite Kashmiri Rajma.

Crisp Fried Lotus Stem

Don’t let your meal end without trying the dessert section. Choose from the warm Rice and Saffron Kheer and Shufta which is assorted dry fruits in honey and saffron. All these sound rich but are surprisingly light and very delicately flavoured.

What I love about this cuisine is that each dish has been given several hours to cook. The meat falls off the bone and holds true to its meaty flavour. Unlike other cuisines where the meat stops tasting like meat and starts tasting like the spices used, this one really surprises you. In spite of being a true blue non-vegetarian, I loved the vegetarian dishes. Everything is healthy and fresh.

The food festival is a part of the dinner buffet at Hornby’s Pavilion. Priced at Rs. 1950 plus taxes, this festival is absolutely delectable.

Mamagoto, Bandra (W)

Bombay, please welcome Mamagoto. This fun Asian restaurant has won several awards in Delhi/Gurgaon. After visiting the place, I understood why.  It is not your run-of-the-mill Asian restaurant. The concept behind designing everything from the menu to the space is quirky plus more. It is an innovative interpretation of Asian cuisine.

The word ‘Mamagoto’ literally means ‘to play with food’. It has been inspired by the Japanese experiment of sorts, with the same name, involving infants to use their senses to understand the shapes and textures of food. Mamagoto brings to you a new concept, one of authentic, affordable Asian food while retaining Global flavour. One can see the innovation in their avant-garde decor and menu.

The interiors have been given great importance at Mamagoto. The space has a grungy feel which is accentuated by the unfurnished ceiling and exposed air condition ducts. This became sort of a canvas for the artist Chetna Sharma of I Me Am Design (www.imeamdesign.com). Most of their artwork is sold online and some in-store. Each artwork has been created especially for the restaurant. Chetna has helped tremendously is giving the restaurant its signature look.

Some of the artwork for sale

Now let’s shift focus towards the food. The menu is very impressive. From soups to Robata Grills; everything sounds delicious.

They haven’t started serving alcohol yet, so we settled for some refreshing mocktails. I tried the Lemon Zest + Mint Lemonade and the Horseradish Mary. I absolutely loved the Horseradish Mary. It has a strong briny flavour and a spicy punch; perfect for those dreadful hangovers.

Horseradish Mary (L) and Lemon Zest Mint Lemonade (R)

You must order the Water Chestnut Spring Rolls just for the Chilli Black Bean jam it is served with.  I wish they sold it in jars for us. Sigh.

Water Chestnut Spring Roll

The Rock Shrimp Tempura rocked because it is so good! The Chilli Mayo complemented the crispy and piping hot prawns perfectly.  I could have eaten two more portions, easily.

Rock Shrimp Tempura

The Spicy Calamari is served simply with a lime wedge and that’s all it really needs. Make sure you eat it quickly because it’s best eaten hot. Just add a good squeeze of lime and enjoy with your drink.

Spicy Fried Calamari

Next up, I ordered the Gomai Salad. I found it too rich for my palette. It was screaming for something to cut that creaminess. Lime, crispy noodles, chilli, ANYTHING!

Gomai Salad

Robata Grill section must not be missed. All the chefs are well trained at it. I highly recommend the Pork Spare Ribs and the Grilled Fish with South East Asian Dressing. The ribs have a smoky sweet flavour with a hint of chilli. The meat is cooked extremely well and falls off the bone. The crunchy nuts add a nice contrast to it too. The fish, again, is perfectly cooked and served with a simple sweet chilli dressing.

Pork Spare Ribs

Grilled Fish with South East Asian Dressing

Vegetarians, don’t miss the Coal Fired Eggplant. I packed some home later and it tasted even better after a few hours. The flavours intensified and the fleshy vegetable soaked up all the flavours.

Coal Fired Eggplant

After all that food, I barely had any room for the Mamagoto Signature one bowl meals. I promise to try some next time I visit and I will update it here.

I couldn’t leave without trying something from their dessert section. It was a great decision. Here I ate one of the best Banoffee Pies I’ve eaten in my life. The crunchy cookie base is so delicious! I’m sure they have a secret ingredient. Any dessert fan must go to Mamagoto to try this dish.

Banoffee Pie

My experience at Mamagoto was fantastic. The food is delicious and the decor keeps you engaged while you wait for your food to arrive. Two things I’m definitely going to do:

1. Buy some of their artwork from the Mama Shop
2. Eat everything on their menu

Address:

Mamagoto

Gazebo House, Ground Floor, 133 Hill Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai.

Call: 022 – 26552600

AND

T-34, Third Floor, R-City mall, Ghatkopar (W), Mumbai 

Call: 022 – 66401860

Indian Pot Pie

Julia Child always said that butter is better. Julia Child always said that butter is better. Yes, it is better but not necessarily healthy. Let me guarantee you this first that I do not talk about healthy eating or low calorie food. Diet food is just not my thing. Yes, if it is delicious I will eat it or make it.

So a few days ago I was at home working and suddenly I felt like having chicken pot pie. I just wanted to dig into the pastry layer and the velvety chicken filling inside. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any chicken at home. So I decided to make silky gravy using whatever I found in the pantry and covered it with a lovely shortcrust pastry.

After using butter in the pastry I decided to use some olive oil to crisp up the crust and lightly brown it. The new olive oil I used was OLEEV – Olive Pomace Oil.

OLEEV – Olive Pomace Oil

I am familiar with extra virgin olive oil and olive oil, but I was rather confused with the term olive pomace oil. I did a little research and found out about the varieties of olive oil. Here they are:

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil –  It’s the highest grade of olive oil with amazing aroma and distinct flavour. This is taken from the first cold pressing of the olive fruit with 24 hours of harvesting. The oil is denser and more viscous thus lending a stronger flavour.
2. Olive Oil – This is the intermediate variety of oil available. The flavour is milder and less viscous than extra virgin.
3. Olive Pomace Oil – This is light oil with a neutral taste, almost like a vegetable oil. This grade especially suitable to use in Indian cuisine and does not hamper the taste of any preparations.

Now that my doubts were cleared, I tried making an Indian flavoured gravy using mushrooms, peas and tomatoes. Let’s get started with the recipe.

Indian Pot Pie

 

For the filling:

Oleev Olive  Pomace Oil – 2 tbsp

Onion – 1, finely chopped

Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed

Tomatoes – 3, chopped

Mushrooms – 2 cups, sliced

Green chilli – 2, slit

Frozen peas – ½ cup

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Vegetable stock cube – 1

Water

Salt to taste

For the shortcrust pastry:

Cold Butter – 40 g, cubed

Flour – 1 cup

Salt to taste

Cold water poured over ice – for kneading

Method:

In a bowl, mix the cold cubed butter and flour. Dip you fingers in ice water and make them really cold. To make this pastry, all the ingredients need to be cold. Using only the tips of your fingers, crumble the butter into the flour until it resembles wet sand. Sprinkle some salt and add the ice cold water little by little until it binds properly. Take it out of the bowl and work it on a clean surface. Don’t overwork it. Once it comes together in a ball, wrap it in cling film and chill it in the fridge.

While that is cooling, preheat your oven to 175 degrees. In a hot pan, add the olive pomace oil and then cumin, garlic and onions. Fry them together and until they tun soft. Add the slit green chillies and let them blister in the hot oil. Add the mushrooms at this point and cook until done. Add the peas and tomatoes and the vegetable stock cube. Add some water if it looks too dry. Check seasoning. Finally add the garam masala and stir it. When it looks done, take it off the heat and let it cool.

Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and place it between two sheets of baking paper. Press it down gently and roll it to the size of your dish. I like mine very thin and crispy, you can make it to the thickness of your liking.

Pour out the gravy into the baking dish.

Cover it with the pastry carefully like this.

Make a slit so that it does not fluff up. Drizzle some olive pomace oil over it and bake in the oven until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Mangiamo, Bandra West

A few nights ago, I visited Mangiamo in Bandra. I had seen this place plenty of times while travelling around Bandra but never managed to go there. With so many dining options stone’s throw away from each other in Bandra, Mangiamo is located rather oddly near Notan Heights.

The restaurant is quite beautiful with really nice interiors and plush seating. The warm ambient lights enhance the interiors and make it a nice place to go with a loved one. Romantic dinner for two, anyone?

Cocktails

We quickly found our table and ordered some cocktails to start with. I ordered the Whiskey Sour which was served in a tall glass with cherry and lime. I haven’t seen this anywhere before but the bartender said that that’s the way they serve it there. It tasted little more like a whiskey based Mojito to me. The second drink was really refreshing. It’s a nice twist to the Old Fashioned and I definitely recommend it. The orange peel and sugar cube taste amazing with the whiskey. Must try.

Cajun Batter Fried Zuchini and Onion Rings

For appetizers we ordered the batter fried zucchini and onion rings served with tartar sauce. The light and crunchy batter could have been seasoned a little more and maybe some herb could have been a nice touch. I was very happy with the portion and with the cocktails it tasted really good. Just one advice – don’t let it get cold!

Asparagus wrapped in Parma Ham

Next dish was another appetizer of grilled asparagus wrapped in Parma ham and topped with melted cheese. This was my favourite. The asparagus was fresh and perfectly grilled and the Parma ham was just delicious.

Fusilli Di Mare

Next up, Fusilli Di Mare which was a seafood pasta in tomato sauce. The sauce tasted great but the calamari was overcooked.

Risotto Cantadoni

The Risotto Cantadoni was a let down. The rice was overcooked and even the Italian sausage couldn’t salvage the dish.

Something that everybody raved about was the pizza at Mangiamo. Unfortunately, compared to all the great pizza places that are there in Bombay now, this one does not lead the pack. The sauce is bland and the toppings just don’t shine. The only flavour is because of the wood fire oven. I do not recommend this place if you’re looking for a great pizza.

Honey Grilled Salmon

The honey grilled salmon with asparagus, mashed potatoes and fennel sauce was a disaster. When I read the description, I really wanted to order it. I absolutely love salmon. However, we couldn’t muster up the courage to eat more than two bites because the fish just wasn’t fresh. The fishy taste was a big turn off.

Tenderloin with Buttered Vegetables

I almost always order a steak at a restaurant because it reflects the chef’s knowledge about how to treat red meat properly. The grilled tenderloin with buttered vegetables was absolutely delicious and cooked medium rare (more towards the medium side). Another interesting beef dish is the Cacciatore Di Manzo which is basically hunter style cooked tenderloin that is slow cooked in a tomato sauce with wild mushrooms. I didn’t try it but it does look interesting.

Tiramisumangiamo

After all this food, we ordered the tiramisu for dessert. Three words – OH. MY. GOD. Definitely try this dessert. One portion may be too little.

Would I recommend this place? Yes and no. It’s a nice place to grab a few drinks and nibble on the appetizers. Stay away from the pizza though. And the tiramisu is just brilliant.

Prawn Tom Yum Soup with Rice Noodles

Nature’s Basket is one of my favourite places to shop at. I can spend hours just checking out exotic vegetables, fruits, ingredients and conjure up recipes in my head. Sometimes I end up with a good recipe while sometimes I get absolutely confused with so many options. A few months ago, I signed up for the Coup Card by brown paper bag because of its amazing benefits. Click here to read all about it. One of the benefits is that I am entitled to 12.5% discount at Nature’s Basket. So last week, I went there equipped with my Coup Card, all set to buy a whole bunch of things. As I walked down the aisle I came across the Asian section. Although I love eating it, I’ve never been comfortable cooking noodles or playing with South East Asian flavours; that part is still alien to me.

I browsed through the noodle section and picked up Rice Noodle which I know when you cook taste absolutely delicious. Then I found this bottle of Tom Yum Soup Paste, Massaman Curry Paste and a Lemongrass Wok Sauce. These pastes allow me to make about 10 to 15 different dishes. I’ve already made three of them!

Today I will share my recipe for a light, fresh and piquant soup called Tom Yum Soup. Traditionally, it is made by using stock, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce and chilli. Then you can add any vegetable of meat of your choice. I tweaked the recipe a bit and made it a complete meal instead of just a soup.

You need just a few ingredients to make this and I’m pretty sure you might want make it for dinner tonight. Before we move on to the recipe, I’d like to tell you about some of my favourite and new ingredients that I have used in cooking this dish. They deserve a moment to be acknowledged for their sheer brilliance.

First you need the tom yum paste. Real Thai makes these amazing pastes which makes our lives so much simpler. Yes, making it fresh at home is great, but when you have this option, might as well take it.

I suggest tasting a bit of the uncooked paste to understand its flavour and adjust it with other ingredients while you cook.

The next flavouring agent in this dish is kaffir lime leaves. A few leaves go a long way in flavouring this soup or any other dish. It has a lemony and sweet fragrance which is absolutely divine. I’m obsessed with its aroma nowadays and it might stick around for long.

Another ingredient that I absolutely love now is baby pak choy. I love how they make every dish so fresh and crunchy and you don’t even need to chop them. Just tear it up and you’re ready to go! My friend’s mom loves char grilling it with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Another friend likes to stir fry it with burnt garlic.

Last but not the least; baby radish. They look like cherries at first but look closer and they are white inside. Slice and add them to salads or use it in stir fries or soups like I did.

Let’s start with the recipe…

Prawn Tom Yum Soup with Rice Noodles

Ingredients:

Real Thai Tom Yum Soup Paste – 5 tsps

Chicken stock cubes – 2

Kaffir lime leaves – 3 leaves, thinly sliced

Baby pak choy – 5 to 6

Baby radish – 5

Mushrooms  – 2 cups, sliced

Prawns – 200 g

Water – 700 ml + more for cooking noodles

Oil – 2 tbsp

Rice noodles – 250g

Soy sauce and crushed chillies for seasoning

Coriander to garnish

Method:

In a wok, heat up some oil and fry up the tom Yum Soup Paste. The rich flavour needs a little heat to get started.

To this, add the chicken stock cubes and water. If you have fresh chicken stock, then feel free to use it. Sprinkle in the kaffir lime leaves.

Now the flavours are really bubbling. Add the mushrooms and cook them for a couple of minutes.

At this point, I slice up the baby radishes and keep them aside. Just look at how beautiful they are with that blush in the middle.

When the mushrooms look cooked, it’s time to flavour it with some crushed chilli flakes.

Clean the baby pak choy by just cutting off the ends.

They look like rose buds, don’t they?

Tear the leaves and add it to the simmering soup. Don’t worry if it looks chunky. It’ll all just shrink up.

Just when you think it’s ready, tip in the prawns; they barely need a couple of minutes to cook. Also add the radish at this point. Let the soup simmer for another 2 minutes and take it off the heat.

Simultaneously, in a large pan heat up some water. Just when it starts to simmer, add the rice noodles and cook it for 3 to 5 minutes. Keep separating it with a fork like this .

Drain and keep aside.

Assemble the dish in a bowl first with some noodles and drizzle it with soya sauce. Then pour the soup over it making sure you add the vegetables and prawns too. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Strawberry Tart with Balsamic Vinegar

A few weeks ago, I was at a friend’s place cooking David Rocco’s Lamb in Red Wine Sauce. The dish was a rich, stew which was mopped up with some fresh garlic bread from Birdy’s. After dinner we all craved for something sweet. A bar of candy just couldn’t cut it so I decided to make a strawberry tart. That’s when my friend Roycin and I took off on his scooter to Worli and picked up some fresh strawberries and ice cream. We hurried back home and started making this tart from scratch. It was so much fun. Everyone went mad!

Just before the went into the oven to bake

A scoop of ice cream and strawberry sauce later

The above images were clicked in really bad light yet I got a lot of requests for the recipes. So here it is today. I have made a step by step guide to making this strawberry tart.

And as a special edition, I have used my brand new Inalsa Fiesta Food Processor. Cannot tell you how easy it is to use!

Inalsa Fiesta

Strawberry Tart

Ingredients:

Flour – 1½ cups

Butter – 100g

Cold Water – to knead

Fresh strawberries – 2 whole boxes

Balsamic vinegar – 4 tbsp

Sugar – 4 tbsp

Method:

For this recipe you need to make the pastry crust first. I took my Inalsa Fiesta Food Processor and attached the blunt blade.

Measure out 1½ cups of maida.

Cube the butter into small pieces. Remember, the butter has to be really cold for this.

These are the three things you need to make this pastry – flour, cold butter and ice water.

Add the flour and butter to the food processor and pulse it till the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this using your fingers. Just dip your fingers in ice cold water first and then use only the tips of your fingers to crumble the butter into the flour. If you fingers get warm again, dip them in cold water again and continue.

Once the mixture looks like wet sand, add the ice water little by little to make dough. Immediately wrap the dough in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to chill.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

You will need a tart tin like this one to make the tart. This is a 9-inch tart tin with a pop out base. Last time I made it in a muffin tray so I had to cut out small circles of the pastry and fill them individually in the tray.

Take the dough out and place it between two sheets of baking paper. Roll the dough out to the size of the tart tin plus a few inches more to fill up the rims.

Pull out the top layer of baking paper and check for any holes.

Now carefully lift the bottom baking paper and flip it on the tart tin. Peel off the paper and fill the tart tin with the pastry covering every corner properly. Cut off the excess. If you find any holes (like I did) use the excess dough to patch it up.

Make some holes using a fork and place it again in the refrigerator to chill for a 15 minutes.

Let’s bring out the star ingredient now.

Wash and clean the strawberries and slice them.

Take out the chilled tart base and place it in the preheated (200 degrees Celsius) oven for 15 minutes. The base will look nice and brown. When the base turns brown, take it out and add half the amount of sliced strawberries to it. Spread them out evenly.

Sprinkle some sugar.

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar.

 

Pop it back in the oven and let it bake for another 20 minutes. The strawberry will release its juices and mix with the sugar and balsamic. It’s the perfect combination.

With the remaining strawberries, add some balsamic and sugar and mix it well. Keep it in the refrigerator to cool.

After 20 minutes, take the tart out of the oven and let it cool completely before placing it in the refrigerator to cool. Look at that!

Just before serving, take it carefully out of the tin and serve with some vanilla ice cream and the extra strawberries that we mixed with balsamic and sugar.

 

Anisha’s Take Home Chef

Cooking can be fun; even every day. All you need is a well stocked pantry and a creative mind. If you don’t know where to start, I can help you sort it out. Today I am introducing a new service. It is called Anisha’s Take Home Chef. I am offering you to let me into your home so that I can teach you how to make your everyday meals interesting.

I am a self taught cook and observed my way through this culinary journey. TV shows, cook books, interacting with chefs, and watching my mom and grandmother cook has helped me build my culinary knowledge. Later, in college I brushed up my food science skills and learnt about the basics of cooking. Hence, I believe that anyone can cook.

Just with some tips and tricks and a mind full of creative ideas, you can whip up an amazing dish every.  All you have to do is call me and we can fix up a morning, an afternoon or an evening to do this.

What exactly will we do?

1. For starters, you will have to tell me what kind of food you want to learn. I do not restrict myself to any particular cuisine. I try almost everything.
2. We will fix up the date and time.
3. I will meet you and take you ingredient shopping where you will learn not only about the things we pick up, but also about other ingredients that you can use in the future.
4. We will head back to your place and start cooking.
5. You eat what we cook.

Sounds fun, right? I want this to be very personal so it will have to be a one-on-one session. If you want, you can squeeze in an additional person into the session; that’s it.

What will you learn?

Salads, soups, 30 minute meals, baking, breakfast, lunch box ideas, curries, stews, desserts etc.

How many hours?

Ingredient shopping time + three to four hours in the kitchen

What will this cost you?

You pay for the things we buy + Rs.1500 for the session where I’ll teach you four dishes.

 

If interested, you can get in touch with me on +91 9819577787 or anishabangera87@gmail.com.

Cool Japan Festival, High Street Phoenix

Last night I visited the biggest Japanese event of India called Cool Japan Festival. This bustling festival will be on today and tomorrow at The Courtyard, High Street Phoenix. The Cool Japanese Festival is an interesting amalgamation of over 25 Japanese companies coming together to provide the Indian audience a taste of their unique culture. You can buy authentic Japanese products and learn so much about them.

During the event, you will witness cultural performances like Wadaiko Drums (performed by a group named Tenka), Enka which is traditional Japanese songs sung by the famous Mr. Chadha, who is Japan’s first non-Japanese Enka singer, Anime fashion show, music and cosplay. Although I didn’t get a chance to watch Enka, I did catch a thrilling performance by Tenka.

I also got a glimpse of the Anime Fashion Show.

Sounds fun, right?

Organizers break the beer/sake barrel to mark the opening of the festival

And out comes Kirin Beer

In addition to all this fun, they also have Washoku 5 – where you can try some great food too. Sushi & more has been roped in to serve a Japanese spread of sushi, yakitori and so much more.

What’s exciting is that all the traditional Japanese delicacies are sold for as cheap as Rs.100 per portion. This is a fantastic offer! The festival is on until tomorrow so head to Phoenix Mills and sample some great food.

Banana Nutella Crepes

A few days ago, I watched an episode of David Rocco’s Dolce Vita. He was given the task of taking care of a friend’s restaurant for a night and basically takeover the kitchen. He and his beautiful wife Nina (who took over the bar) were entertaining a few friends before the restaurant opened its doors to patrons. That’s when I saw this beautiful recipe. More than the recipe, it’s the combination of flavours than fascinated me. David confessed his love for the gooey deliciousness, also known as Nutella, on the show and went ahead with this remarkably simple yet indulgent dish.

Here’s presenting Banana Nutella Crepes!

Out of the three words in the title, you have to make just one of them. How difficult can it be?

First you need some sliced bananas. Next we have the star ingredient that adds 80% of the flavour, NUTELLA!

 

The final bit is the crepe which is made by using just 5 ingredients. So let’s get started.

Banana Nutella Crepes

Ingredients:

Plain flour – 1 cup

Milk -  ¾ cup

Water – ½ cup

Eggs – 2 nos

Salt – a pinch

Bananas – sliced

Nutella

Method:

In a big bowl, add the eggs, milk and water. Whisk until well combined. Then add the flour and beat it to a smooth, runny batter. The batter needs to be thinner than a pancake batter. Add more milk if needed. Just adjust the consistency. Finish it off with a pinch of salt; it balances out the flavour.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and add a drop of oil just to grease it lightly. Pour 2 or more ladles of the batter and swirl the pan around to cover the base of the pan completely. I use 2½ ladles but you might need to adjust how much is needed to cover your pan. Once it is evenly spread, cook it only on one side for 2-3 minutes. The base should be lightly brown. Slowly lift the crepe with a flat spoon and lay it on a plate.

Now it’s time to assemble.

Spread a generous amount of Nutella on one half of the crepe (I went a little crazy on mine), spread out the banana slices, and fold it in half. Serve them while they’re hot.

Cooking up reality – Indian Style

A few years ago, I got hooked to a popular Australian show that fuelled the dreams of aspiring home chefs. The judges and the contestants became a topic of discussion at home and among friends. It was and still is a great show.

Two years ago, I started my food blog and all my friends asked me to apply for the Indian counterpart of the same international show. Honestly, I hadn’t watched a single episode of it. Here’s why:

1. An actor was the judge/host: While he makes a living by taking up roles that cracks up not necessarily everyone, he was here on this show to convince me that he was knowledgeable about food. Okay.

2. Drama: How much drama can you stuff into a show? Well, looks like these guys have got it down to the tee. If you’ve got a sob story and bucket loads of tears to go with it, you will make it on the show. Knowing how to cook decently helps glorify the resume.

3. Contestants: These people are getting an opportunity to change their lives. They have been given a chance to do what they supposedly love and what do they end up doing? Nothing. I haven’t heard any of these contestants doing something great.

Despite all these issues I went ahead and enrolled for the show. I thought that maybe I can change my perception and actually see that it’s not a bad show after all. Just maybe I was wrong all this while and going behind the scenes might change the way I thought. So, on November 20th, 2012, I sent my entry and got my audition call for December 24th, 2012.  I was pleasantly surprised for being a part of this. I thought that my talent might get recognized.

For my audition, I made a Rich Orange Chocolate Tart with an Almond base. I carefully packed the tart and took it to the audition centre in Marol. I filled up an entry form which was basically a five page form that asked me about my culinary journey. It had questions like ‘how did I learn to cook’, ‘who taught me’, what are my fears in the kitchen’ etc. I took almost fifteen minutes to complete my form and submitted it at their office reception.

Later, I was escorted to the “audition room” which was basically a small room with a table, a video camera and their so-called judge. I placed my dish on the table and started talking about myself and my kitchen story. After my bit was done, the “judge” wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a tight fitting yellow t-shirt (yes, he was the judge) walked up to me and tried a piece of the tart. He liked it and said “it was the best tart he has tasted in his entire life”. After this audition the crew literally hijacked my 9-inch tart. I didn’t want to be rude so I let them keep it and left. I saw them attack the tart like wolves and quietly walked out.

After a month I got a call and the person over the phone said that “I had moved on to the second round of auditions”. Remember, ‘second round’. This meant I had to prepare another dish and present to another set of judges. In order to drift away from the ‘dessert maker’ tag that I got in the first round, I decide to go Mangalorean in full throttle. I prepared Neer Dosa with Chicken Curry and two different types of chutney. I was pretty sure I’d move on to the next round with what I’d made. The dosa was perfect without any holes, the chutney was great and the chicken was cooked perfectly.

This audition was scheduled one day before the mass audition at a school in Bombay. It was held at the production house’s second office in Marol. When I reached the venue, I saw the show’s banner and two people giving out entry forms. I walked up to them and gave them my name. They handed me a form (the same one that I had already filled during my first audition) and asked to fill it up. Obviously, I told them that I had already filled it up and they should check their records. They still wanted me to fill it up again. So there I was, filling up the five page form once again. During this time, I overheard people around me discussing about the number of times they had been there for the auditions. I was seated amongst people who had been there for the very first time, some for the third time and one woman had walked in for the fourth time! All this for season three. So much for the ‘second round’ charade.

After the forms were submitted, they sent six people at a time to the audition area in the building. There were two rooms with one “judge” each. I went into one of the rooms where there was an old man dressed in formals and he introduced himself as the judge while another lady was handling the video camera. They asked me questions about myself and the judge, very rudely, asked me technical questions about my dish. I answered each of them with ease. Now anyone who goes for a cooking contest audition would expect their food to be tasted, right? Well they DID NOT TASTE MY FOOD! Only after I offered it to the lady did she take a tiny piece of the dosa and dipped it in some gravy. The man did not touch it! I walked out of the room with my plates and asked one of the volunteers outside about this strange behaviour. The volunteer said, “They must have eaten it while you were talking! You must have missed it.” I was very sure that they DID NOT TASTE MY FOOD.

I was asked to sit in a room with two other hopefuls. For one of them, it was her fourth time at the audition centre for season three. According to her, she was called to meet the celebrity chefs and was asked to come for the mass audition the next day! Moreover, I tasted the food she had cooked. Hummus was lumpy and bland while the homemade focaccia could break a window. She asked me for my recipes and confessed that she doesn’t really know the recipes to her dish. She goes online, searches the recipe and follows it.

Why was a person like this asked to come for the audition again and again?

That’s when I realised that I was right all along. The entire show was based on TRP ratings and not the dreams of people. I left the venue and never hoped for a call back.

On February 3rd, 2013 at 3 PM I got a call from the production house again. This time they wanted me to be part of the audience on the episode where the celebrity judges demonstrate cooking with the contestants. I asked them when I was required for the shoot. He said that the shoot was on February 6th but they need to audition me for this. I was amazed that they wanted me to go for a third audition and this time to be a silent audience! Why? Did they want to know what I look like on camera? Did they just want some pretty faces and not people worthy of being there? How ridiculous! It doesn’t end there. He asked me to reach their Marol office the same evening for the audition. I explained it to him that I had already been there twice for my audition and I did not understand the need to audition to be in the audience. I simply gave up on the idea and hung up.

After five minutes, the man called me again and said that since I learnt cooking from my mother, I should be in the audience. It was a Mother’s Day special episode and I would be valuable to the episode. He said he’ll check with his senior about it and let me know in a few hours. After that call I haven’t heard from them.

This entire process made me realize how fake and TRP hungry the show really is. It does not value the passion but feeds the drama crazy mass TV audience. If you don’t believe me, watch one episode of it on YouTube and you will see the lengths they go to become a tear jerker. Only people with really sad stories make it on the show.

I don’t want to sound biased or snooty, but the Indian counterpart is not on the same level as the international one. The international contestants and their stories were real. The Indian one seemed like a show where they picked up the contestants with the most heartbreaking stories from different parts of the country. All they wanted was to make the audience cry and feel bad for them. Look at this poor guy from tiny village. He works at a Chinese stall to feed himself. Oh look at this sad school teacher. She gave up her passion to educate homeless kids.

I don’t care if I have burned bridges with the channel or the show. I am loyal towards the international version and will continue to be so. The Indian show can very well go on to be the ridiculous reality show it has always been.

My point here was to show people who supported me through this two month long experience what exactly happened. I don’t know who the chosen contestants are or what they are up to. One thing I know for sure, they aren’t being groomed to be India’s best home cook/chef. They will be on the show and once they come back home, they will get back to their old lives. No one will change their life and start a new journey into the world of food. The prize money will be used to buy a house or jewellery. No restaurant, cafe, bakery or catering service will be started by even one of the contestants. No one is chosen to be on this based on their merit.

What do you learn from this? The purpose of this beautiful concept will be left unfulfilled.