For us 90s kids, and anyone else who watched telly, MasterChef Australia was synonymous with gastronomic adventures. With contestants from different parts of the world it was a gateway to global cuisine. And what made MasterChef Australia a core childhood memory were the three judges, Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan, and George Calombaris. From mystery box challenges, to engaging in light-hearted banter with contestants, the trio has long left the reality show and are charting their own path.
Preston, Mehigan, and Calombaris were in India last week for their three-city tour with Conosh, a Bengaluru-based platform that became a sensation for their online culinary classes featuring celebrity chefs. After conducting ticketed pop-up dinners and masterclasses in New Delhi and Mumbai, they were in Bengaluru, their final destination. Mehigan and Preston sat down with us for a hearty conversation about food and their unique culinary experiences in India.
With Indians being more open to global cuisine and Indian chefs incorporating techniques of the West in their cooking, there is definitely a change of air, admits Preston. “It’s the young Indian chefs taking the right stuff and creating something that is respectful but not chained by tradition.”
When in India one cannot ignore India’s plethora of street food options, “For us, coming from overseas, the street food is always amazing,” adds Preston. The dahi batata puri was definitely a “wow moment”, for Preston.
From Mumbai’s Kyani &Co. to Khau Galli, the trio had enjoyed the taste of India. “What we found interesting this time is the level of baking,” says Mehigan. “We always speak about countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan when it comes to baking but now India is getting close to being the same.”
While Indian food is always known for its diversity, Indian food in the West has always been predominately about north Indian cuisine (especially Punjabi food) from butter chicken to dal makhani. “In Australia, South Indian food is gaining popularity, but you don’t see much Parsi cuisine,” says Preston.
Mehigan talks about how migratory patterns have always had a crucial impact on the food culture of a country, “Melbourne has always welcomed a lot of top Indian chefs who have later settled down and brought cuisines from the region they are from. Migrants clinging on to a little bit of home and period of history are reflected in what they love to eat.”
India’s culinary landscape, with its fresh, local ingredients, has made this country a Pandora’s box of flavours for chefs around the world. “I have discovered a few things from my travels in India that I have never had before. When I was in Nagaland last year, we came across fermented ingredients such as bamboo shoots and bean sprouts — all of these add a rich umami flavour to food,” says Mehigan.
“The fresh winter produce like chana daal, lentils and moong, that you see in abundance in the streets can be very expensive in the West,” adds Mehigan.
When Preston says, “For most of you who have grown up watching MasterChef, it’s like your childhood cartoon characters coming alive.” And we heartily agree with that.
Preston and Mehigan curated a pop-up dinner on which they admit, “took almost six months to plan out.”
Curating a seven-course dinner for an Indian audience is always challenging, says Preston, “You cannot send people home without a full stomach, especially an Indian audience.”
The dinner was a seven-course meal with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options paired with exquisite wines elevating the taste of the dishes. Each dish was curated by Mehigan, Preston, and Calombaris.
