From her fellow contestants to the judges, she made everyone fall in love with ‘desi’ spices on the sets of MasterChef Australia.
Nidhi Mahajan, whose exit from the globally-renowned TV cooking show was an emotional affair, says Indian cuisine goes way beyond the misconceptions that people across the world have about it.
I would love to tell people that there is nothing as massive as Indian cuisine and that each dish, each ingredient, has a history behind it and how it became a part of our cuisine. Indian food has made a place for itself on the global platform, and people around the world love it for its flavours and versatility.Nidhi Mahajan, in an email interview from Adelaide
“Many Still Have Misconceptions About Indian Food”
The former call centre employee – whose roots are in Chandigarh – found her way into the eighth season of MasterChef Australia for her expertise in traditional Indian cooking. She proceeded to quickly make a place for herself by presenting a ‘desi’ style of cooking to an entirely international audience.
Among the dishes she cooked on the show, therefore, were creamy lemon pepper chicken with paratha and potato wafers; Aussie Classic Indian Way (one episode had required contestants to use Australian elements like meat and three vegetables with a twist, and she’d whipped up an ‘Indianised’ version); goat curry with fried bread, cucumber raita and pickled onions; and tea-infused parfait, cornflake and ginger wine crumble.
While Indian food is slowly and surely finding its spot on the global palette, Nidhi believes that there are still various misconceptions around it.
Many believe it is very fattening, hot, oily and time-consuming. But other than a few rich preparations, the food we eat on a daily basis is not at all oily, hot or time-consuming. Indian food isn’t just about curries and tikkas. We have so many other dishes that are fermented, pickled, baked, sautéed and steamed.Nidhi Mahajan
She left a lasting impression on the judges, Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, as well as celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, for her intrinsically “desi” gestures. Her decision to bow at the judges’ feet “as a mark of respect” after she was eliminated brought everyone to tears.
Doing a ‘Pranaam’ is what I have been taught by my parents. I have seen them bowing to their elders and people they respect. That is what I did.Nidhi Mahajan
On a Culinary Future, Post MasterChef
Nidhi, who shifted to South Australia’s Adelaide in 2013 with her husband, asserted that “desi” cuisine is quite popular on the show itself and that “people are crazy about Indian food and the judges love Indian food”.
The MasterChef contestant had made her first foray into the world of cooking when she was just 12, and has been pursuing her love ever since. Chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas Khanna, Jamie Oliver and the late Tarla Dalal are amongst her culinary idols.
Looking back at her journey, Nidhi – who was fondly called “The Curry Queen” on the show – said: “I was around 7 or 8 years old when I started helping my mother in the kitchen... the kitchen has always been a place where I love to spend time.”
Nidhi has degrees in commerce, accounting and finance, but reveals that the TV show has given her confidence to pursue her career with greater grit.
“My life has changed a lot. I feel more positive and confident in my abilities and I am living my dream life – with cooking as my profession.”
She has already set up a home-catering business and is taking cooking classes. A restaurant is in the pipeline and she hopes “to set it up by end of 2016 or start of 2017”.
She would also love to write a recipe book “but with a twist – the book will have recipes and also a story behind each recipe and my cooking journey”.
(Published in an arrangement with IANS.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)