The dish should bring out excellence and people should get goosebumps: Sanjeev Kapoor at MasterChef India 2 'Cook-off' (24-12-2011)

By Almas Mirza

MasterChef India Season 2 is about to reach the finale and India is soon to meet its second MasterChef after Pankaj Bhadouria. The top five Zaykebaaz are all geared up for the semi-final where they will face a Cook-off with Sanjeev Kapoor challenge. We decided to pay a visit to the sets of MasterChef India that boasts of changing the perception of food in India with the catchphrase ‘Ab badlega India apne khane ka andaaz.’

On the way to the sets, we couldn’t avoid imagining about experiencing the pressure that the Zaykebaaz might go through while facing the ultimate ‘Cook-off.’ A while after we reach the destination, we see Chef Vikas Khanna walking towards us, and it is difficult not to notice his warm and welcoming smile. With due humility, he greets each one of us shaking hands and welcomes us. Must say, his ability to make his guests comfortable and get going is at par, and his smile, infectious.

So we enter the MasterChef kitchen where Chef Kunal Kapoor takes us around and shows us the various areas of the kitchen – the working table area, the sitting area, the lounge, the pantry, the safe-zone and the dining table. We have all seen these various areas on television except one – the sitting area. Unlike as we see on television, the Zaykebaaz need some time to think and work out some parts of their dishes, especially presentation. The sitting area serves just the purpose which is well-furnished with comfy sofa-sets and small tables.

Following the kitchen introduction, enter the Zaykebaaz followed by none other than Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. There is a small introduction of the activity that is to follow. The task begins and in no time Chef Sanjeev is at his best. He is seen preparing Rice-coated Chicken Balls, while sending out instructions to the Zaykebaaz who have to follow suit and match his pace with, of course, the technique.

Chef Sanjeev completes his recipe in no time and is seen plating his dish with a quick one-minute-sauce. The Zaykebaaz on the other hand are still mid-way, when all the Chefs go to their tables to see the progress. The task completes with tasting and looks like each Zaykebaaz has done fairly well in the challenge. We are informed though that the activity was specifically planned for the media and the actual ‘Cook-Off’ challenge will be something different. The dish Chef Sanjeev will be cooking is called ‘Naya Shaam Savera’ and is something that he has been cooking for 19 years. The flavours and variation along with the textures involved in this dish have made it iconic. The contestants will be stunned to see his proficiency as he finishes the dish in no time.

When asked about the approach that he kept while deciding the challenge, Chef Sanjeev said, “I have always believed that food should be cooked from the heart. Even when we shot the episode I said to the contestants that there’s no winning or losing in the process of cooking. It’s just the format of the show and everybody here is best. While deciding upon the challenge for the Zaykebaaz, I kept in mind that the dish should have technique. When we reach so many homes through the medium of television, people should understand what is happening and what is cooking. The dish should have simplicity and at the same time there should be some innovation, something new that people don’t know. I tried to bring some ingredients and some techniques of cooking that the Zaykebaaz might not have used before. It will then become a learning experience for both, the Zaykebaaz as well as the viewers. The dish should bring out excellence so that people watching from home feel that even they can try and beat Sanjeev Kapoor. People sitting at home should get goosebumps.”

There were some more interesting happenings at the time of media interactions with the Chefs and the top five Zaykebaaz - Rajendra Mane, Vijaylakshmi, Shipra Khanna, Joseph Rozario and Salma Shazia Fathima. Watch this space for more.

The semi-final episode airs tomorrow, December 4 on STAR Plus at 2100 hrs.