GARY’S INDIAN PICK

I drove some 30 minutes to the supermarket and bought myself an appam pan and I had a beautiful dinner with appams and a stew that I made with lots of coriander and crushed kasoori methi

Even when the kitchen is in total chaos, he’s unflappably cool. With Season 5 set to air on Indian screens from September 10 (Monday to Friday at 9pm on STAR World), Masterchef Australia judge Gary Mehigan gets talking to t2 on food — from what is whipped up on Masterchef to what he creates in his home kitchen.

Everyone in India is looking forward to Masterchef Australia 5. Is there anything new that we can expect?

Yes, there are a couple of things. Like this year, we’d like to believe that we are a little looser and a lot more fun. We’ve changed the format of the ‘Masterclass’ a little bit… there will be a lot more cooking now and a live audience and we will be trying out a lot of different recipes. For example, on the show last night, we all came up with our own different versions of chocolate mousse. We all argued and laughed and tasted the different versions and had a lot of fun.

We are also focusing in this season on themed weeks. So we kick off with ‘Boys vs Girls’. Then we have an ‘Italian Week’, an ‘Australian Week’, a ‘Kids Week’…. The format this time will provide the contestants with the opportunity to dip their fingers into various cuisines and explore many themes.

You’ve crowned so many winners and witnessed so many dreams coming to life. Is there still something you are looking for in a Masterchef winner?

Not really. When we look back at all the previous seasons, we are very proud to say that some 70-odd Masterchef Australia contestants are today working in some capacity or the other in our industry. Some of them have even opened their restaurants, like Julia (Jenkins) and Chris (Badenoch), who were both on Season 1. Also Andre Ursini (Season 1) has his own top-running restaurant in Adelaide. Then, there are people who have their own television shows, like Adam Liaw (Season 2) and Julie Goodwin (Season 1 winner).

Even last year, we had Julia Taylor, who is now one of the best pastry chefs in Australia. As long as they carry the flag of Masterchef, we will be very happy. Whenever we crown a winner at Masterchef, we always hope that they will go into the culinary world and do something special. Like Julie Goodwin who is one of the top food presenters on TV we have today, or Marion Grasby who exports pastes and exotic spices from Thailand and rebrands them here. As long as they work creatively and pursue a dream, we at Masterchef will be happy.

As a judge, how do you manage to keep the excitement alive in your Masterchef journey even after five seasons?

I think it really comes from the fact that food makes my world go round! (Laughs) All of us at Masterchef Australia are completely preoccupied with food, not just for the contestants but for us as well. We get to meet a lot of our colleagues who come in as guest judges or mentors, not only from Australia but from all over the world. I have been in this business for many, many years, but just being on Masterchef Australia takes me back to where I started out from and gives my whole culinary journey a lot of perspective. Every year, on Masterchef Australia, I feel like a schoolteacher… some of them can read and write, some of them can’t (smiles). We take them from being foodies and loving what they do to being professionals who are creative and passionate about the food they make. The great thing on Masterchef is that despite being amateur chefs, they are all very creative and are not shackled by the rules that professionals have.

GARY’S MASTERCHEFFAVES

Alvin’s Caramelised Pork Belly with Chilli Vinegar and Saffron Rice

Mindy’s Thai Green Curry with Mussels

Audra’s Braised Pork Belly with Egg Noodles and Soft Boiled Egg

In India, Masterchef Australia is more popular than the Indian version. What do you attribute that to?

People in India saw Masterchef Australia first and then the Indian version which came a little later. I think what works for us is that we are a gentle show. There is genuine feedback from the judges and no place for meanness. There’s a lot of positivity on the show. What has hooked viewers from around the world, especially India, is that food is the commonality that binds people together. When I went to India, I saw how people get together in community gatherings and cook collectively, which I think is such a lovely thing to do. The Indian audience latched on to the fact that we are very multicultural here… we have contestants who are of Indian, Malaysian, Chinese origins.

You and your co-judges Matt Preston and George Calombaris always seem to be on the same page. Do you guys ever argue?

We do! (Laughs) But the truth is that we actually get along very well. Sometimes we think we should have a little rift for the press to write about (laughs). But I think we are very lucky to be in the position where we have taken a food show and made it such a special franchise. George, Matt and myself have pretty much the best jobs in the world — we get to have fun, pig out on some lovely food, travel a lot and get to meet some of the best chefs of the world. We are also good colleagues who know when to give each other space and respect each other’s opinion. We also have an unwritten rule that if any of us is passionate about something, we transfer a particular decision to someone who isn’t so passionate about it.

Have you tried replicating any of the Masterchef dishes in your own kitchen?

The dishes that I really enjoy and tend to repeat in my own kitchen tend to be those that I wouldn’t normally make. My food is normally very English-French in origin and what I like cooking at home is a lot of Asian, like Japanese and Indian and Malaysian. I like the spicy characteristics of those cuisines. From Masterchef, I am a big fan of Alvin (Quah’s) Caramelised Pork Belly with Chilli Vinegar and Saffron Rice, Mindy (Woods’) Thai Green Curry with Mussels and Audra (Morrice’s) Braised Pork Belly with Egg Noodles and Soft Boiled Egg. I don’t have those dishes in my restaurants (Fenix and The Boathouse), but I love making them when I can.

Which Indian dish do you love cooking?

Last night, my family was away and I was alone at home with my dog and cat and I cooked myself appams. That was the first time I made appams. I drove some 30 minutes to the supermarket and bought myself an appam pan and I had a beautiful dinner with appams and a stew that I made with lots of coriander and crushed kasoori methi. I love stuff like that.

We are very lucky to be in the position where we have taken a food show and made it such a special franchise. George, Matt and myself have pretty much the best jobs in the world — we get to have fun, pig out on some lovely food, travel a lot and get to meet some of the best chefs of the world

• Themed weeks will be the highlight of this season. While ‘Boys vs Girls’ promises to be the most interesting, there will also be a Middle Eastern cuisine-focused week and a week themed on Australian regions like Barossa Valley and Western Australia.

• ‘Masterclass’ will be filmed in front of a live audience for the first time.

• This season will have two contestants of Indian origin — Rishi Desai and Neha Sen .

• Heston Blumenthal, Maggie Beer and Antonio Carluccio will be among the top names featuring as guest judges.

Priyanka Roy

Is Gary the best judge on Masterchef Australia? Tell t2@abp.in