Ready, steady, cook! East zone contestants cross knives at Young Chef India schools 2017, with t2
TT Bureau
Published 16.05.17, 12:00 AM
Beating 3,000 fellow contestants from various schools and states, and after cooking and clearing three rounds, the Top 10 cheftestants from Calcutta landed in Delhi on a hot April day for the zonal finals of Young Chef India Schools 2017, presented by IIHM in association with t2. The temperature inside the huge kitchen was way higher than the heat outside as the young cooks raced to the finish line at the IIHM campus in Badarpur. Snapshots...
“Look around you. This is not just your kitchen, it is also your battleground,” said chef Kunal Kapur, flanked by chef Shaun Kenworthy (left) and chef Sanjay Kak, at the start of the cook-off.
As the clock starts ticking, the 10 young chefs run nilly-willy to gather ingredients. The objective was to make one main course, one starch dish and one accompaniment, all in 90 minutes.
Alisha Ansari of Kalimpong’s Rockvale Academy had to think on her feet as “many of the ingredients I needed, like eggs and baking powder, were unavailable”. “I’m a boarder at school, so I don’t get to cook often but when I go home, I always take time out and cook,” said the 17-year-old.
Devlina Bagree felt her biggest achievement in the competition was to cook in a kitchen as massive as this. “My mother always wanted to be a chef. I want to fulfil her dream,” said the student of Abhinav Bharati High School who cooked Pyaaz Gatte, Cardamom Baked Rice, Paturi Steamed Paneer and Baked Brinjal.
Defending champion Ankhee Paul from La Martiniere for Girls had one aim — “have fun and learn from the experience”. “I wanted to highlight Bengali flavours, so I made a Prawn and Fish Roll with Mustard, Butter Poached Chicken in Masala and Rice. They only had black mustard and I was afraid the dish would be too bitter but in the end, I was happy with it,” said the 18-year-old.
Shaheli Das cut her finger twice during the cook-off but didn’t give up. “For me, cooking is a stress-buster. Today I wanted to combine flavours from the east and north, so I made Sweet and Sour Rice, Baked Bhapa Basa, Masala Creamy Chicken and Chicken Stuffed Capsicum,” said the student of Loreto House, Sealdah.
Muskan Hossain managed to cook five dishes in 90 minutes — Baby Lachha Paratha, Pulao, Gustaba, Butter Prawn with Stir-fried Veggies and Kheer. “A meal should be complete, from appetiser to dessert. I decided to make Gustaba because my grandmother used to make it,” said the student of Sri Sri Academy whose food idol is Sanjeev Kapoor.
Ishika Poddar would cook once in a blue moon but as soon as she got selected for the competition, she pulled up her socks. “But I was so nervous in the kitchen that I forgot the recipe for my Pyaaz Ki Sabzi and had to redo it!” said the student of Mahadevi Birla World Academy who also made Lachha Paratha, Saffron Rice, Khandvi and Sambaram.
“It’s a hard task managing so many courses together but I somehow thought on my feet and managed to make Prawn in Tomato and Onion Curry, Butter Chicken with Cabbage Filling and Saffron Rice,” said Sarah Anthony, a student of Calcutta International School.
Even though he had been cooking for just a month, Himava Bhattacharya of Delhi Public School, New Town, made it to the Top 10 from the East Zone. “I learnt how to cook rice in the morning of the first round of YCI! I’ve learnt a lot from watching cooking videos online. I was confident about cooking but nervous about the cameras,” admitted the 17-year-old who made Basa Malai Curry with Butter Rice and Brinjal Pora.
Brandon Wong, 19, likes to cook French and American food but thanks to YCI, his Indian cooking skills have improved. “I made Chicken 65 and Chicken Changezi with Butter Jeera Rice. More than 60 per cent of the time went into prepping ingredients and then I picked up pace,” said the student of Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society School.
Faguni Bhartiya from South City International School explains a dish to chef Kapur. Faguni called her creations Khichri, because they had influences from Kashmiri, Marwari, Italian and French cuisine. “The biggest challenge was juggling all the things in such a short time and also improvise on the spot. I wanted to make baingan bharta but they had baby brinjals, so I made Baigan Risotto instead,” said the 17-year-old who also made Surprise Gatta, Kashmiri Yakhni, Patta Paratha and Coriander Mousse.
It was time for the moment of truth as judges tasted the young chefs’ creations and gave them feedback. They also asked questions like why the contestants chose a certain dish and the process of cooking.
V for victory: Ishika Poddar (left) and Muskan Hossain qualified for the next round, representing the East Zone in the grand finale. “I was blank when they announced my name!” said Ishika. “We get a little bit of time to prepare for the next round, so I don’t think I’ll be sleeping,” laughed Muskan.
Text: Deborima Ganguly
(Catch the repeat of the zonal finals today at 1pm and on Thursday at 3pm on NDTV Good Times)
